This Never-Ending Story
by Laradhel
Summary: Koga's dream is to write the best story ever recorded. One that would match even Gol D. Roger's. Such a feat seems impossible, at least until a certain day, his steps lead him to a certain town, in the path of a certain Straw Hat Captain... "If I can't defeat them with my bare hands, then I'll become stronger than anyone! I'll surpass the gods and protect what's important to me!"
1. Fate

**1\. Fate**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

They say, an unknown force brings different people together. Be it karma, be it Destiny, and be it a completely different named force. It attracts some unlikely people, drags them together, and ties their presents and futures in ways no one could predict.

This same Destiny brought a certain character to a certain village in a certain island located in the East Blue. Little, with a Marine Base easily excelling over the small village at its feet. This calm village, named Shellstown, would be an indirect witness of the meeting of the future King of the Pirates with two of his most trusted nakama, which would join him and follow him through Hell and back if necessary.

To port was arriving a merchant sailboat, and out from the captain's cabin came out a large rounded man, walking drowsily with a bottle of sake in his hand and stabilizing himself with the other. His bald head was covered with a white and black captain hat, and his rounded belly was covered with a grey-and-white striped t-shirt that didn't completely covered his navel. He completed his attire with a pair of jeans and black boots that made a 'thunk' noise at each step he made on the deck. His dark brown eyes held a mischievous gleam in them despite how drunk he really was, and his prominent red nose and thick black beard completed his looks.

"A'right, c'mon put yer lazy asses to work you lot!" The captain's voice boomed over the deck, receiving some 'Aye, aye, cap'n!' from his subordinates as they ran to fulfill their duties.

From behind him, a much taller figure than himself came out and squinted his eyes at the blazing sun over them. It was a young man, reaching almost six feet tall and his body well-built but not too much so, dressing a black t-shirt with the words 'CROWN' at the back with capital letters, black loose combat pants and brown combat leather boots covering his feet, and an old-looking, light blue scarf adorned his neck. He had light blond hair, lightly tanned skin and hardened features that were only reinforced by the uneven blade scar that crossed his face from his right eyebrow, went over his nose and ended just at his left earlobe. A light blonde stubble adorned his jaw, and a braid was tied at his nape. A brown leather backpack was over his shoulder and a katana was tied loosely at his waist.

But the interesting feature about this character were his eyes. Almond-shaped, the left one had a rich golden color, while the right one held a cold silvery one; they observed everything closely, and held curiosity and a serenity in them that calmed down everyone around the young man, even with the oddness of such unique eye colors.

"Shellstown, at last!" The captain took a swig from the bottle of sake and smirked at the young man that stood by his side. "Ain't ya happy, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I am." The young man answered; his voice, though deep and masculine, had a hoarse and low undertone. "But I think I am old enough to not be called kiddo."

"The day ya call me 'Captain', I'll stop calling ya 'kiddo'!" He laughed, and the young man shook his head.

"I'll pass. I like traveling around the world, but I prefer carrying my own stuff and not others'. 'sides, I have a little… problem with authorities."

"Hrn, that's a problem. The boys liked yer stories."

Nodding his head at the compliment, the young man searched through his pants pockets and, having found what he was looking for, extended some Berri bills to the captain. "I think this is all."

"Aye, kiddo, thanks." After confirming that, indeed, he had given everything, the captain saved the money, and then looked at his companion with an unexpected seriousness in his face. "If ya really have problems with authority, I suggest ya to keep an eye to the Marines posted here. Marine Captain Morgan's not known for bein'… merciful. Do be careful, will ya?"

The young man nodded at the captain, and jumped nimbly over the railing to the floor of the port, rising from his crouched form to begin walking towards the village. The captain watched the figure getting farther and farther away from his sight and then, with a low chuckle and a shake of his head, began directing his subordinates to bring the stuff to port.

As he walked up the almost empty street in search of a nice restaurant, the young man ignored the townsfolk's glares at his looks –and mostly to his eyes, and entered a nice-looking pub that also looked cheap. The pub seemed cozy and warm, and the customers chatted happily among them –though they quietened down a bit at his sudden entering. A chirpy girl carried the orders around with a huge smile on her face, tirelessly running from table to table under the amused grins of the older customers. A middle-aged, brown-haired woman tended the bar.

The young man strode to the bar and sat on one of the tall bar-stools, setting down his backpack. The woman noticed his presence and went to him with a kind smile on her face.

"Hello, do you want anything?" She asked.

"Some water and something to eat, anything cheap, please."

"Alright, wait a minute." She brought a cold bottle of water and served it in a clean glass, handing it to the young man before disappearing into the kitchen to cook up something for him.

As he waited for his meal, the young man took out from his backpack a handful of sheets. If someone looked at them closely, he would've noticed that they were wanted posters, all from East Blue low-life pirates. Some of the portraits had a big red cross over them, others simply had a marking like 'Missing' or 'Search incomplete', but generally none of them had especially large bounties for their heads.

His head snapped up when a rather delicious-smelling plate full of food settled in front of him, and he set down everything and began wolfing down the food almost non-stopping.

"My my, you're surely hungry, aren't you?" She chuckled at how famished he looked, and then noticed the sheets. "Are you a pirate hunter?"

"Nope, not really." Remembering something, he stopped eating for a moment and looked at the kind barmaid. "Do you know where I can work? I actually a bit low on cash. But I can pay this, I promise." He quickly added as she raised an eyebrow.

"Mm. I don't suppose that you're interested in joining the Marines, are you?" At his silent negative, she then smiled broadly. "Well, you can work here as a waiter. You see, I only have my daughter to help me with the bar, I could really use your help."

Both looked at the beaming girl running around the bar with her adorable smile plastered on her young face.

"Okay, I accept." The young man nodded to the woman, whose smile broadened.

After finishing his meal and paying it with the rest of Berri he still had left, the barmaid let him gather his things and brought him to a backroom behind the counter. Here the woman handed him his new uniform –consisting on a plaid white shirt and black trousers and black apron, along with a chest to save his things.

When he got out of the room, the barmaid turned to him and a large smile appeared on her face at his appearance. Her daughter, who had taken a break partly to know her new 'coworker', also smiled.

"My, don't you look lovely!" The woman giggled.

The young man blushed and he lifted his scarf –the only thing he hadn't saved on the chest– up to his nose to hide it.

"So, what's your name? I'm Ririka, and this…" She put a hand over her daughter's head. "Is my daughter Rika."

"Nice to meet you, Onii-chan!" Rika beamed.

The young man blinked at the extended hand of her mother, but then he grasped it like expecting some kind of attack from the woman. As if not remembering how to properly greet her, he slowly shook it once, twice before letting it go as if it burned him.

"Koga. Sarugaki Koga." He gruffly said.

 **xXxTwo weeks laterxXx**

Fortunately for him, Koga's first day went mostly uneventful, and he quickly got the hang of being a waiter. He mistook a few orders and almost got a drink spilled over a customer, but thankfully Ririka and the other customers were patient and gave him a hand from time to time. Soon he passed orders as if he had been working there all his life, and got to work behind the counter as Ririka went to the kitchen and Rika delivered the orders as the waitress.

He had the dubious pleasure of meeting Helmeppo, the blond-haired daddy's son of Morgan, and decided right away that he didn't like him at all. He didn't have patience with wasted kids, and he more than once felt grateful that Ririka taught her daughter well and didn't let her raise as someone as wasted as Helmeppo. But Koga knew he couldn't do anything against the blond boy if he didn't want to attract unwanted attention to himself.

During their time together, Rika didn't separate herself from her 'Onii-chan' and a real brother-sister relationship bloomed between them, and the two of them would be seen often on the roof of Rika's house stargazing –though Ririka often scolded them for being in such high places. Koga also told them that he was a chronicler –begrudgingly, but Rika had already found his books that he kept in his backpack.

That day, however, none of this mattered to Rika, as her 'Onii-chan' was leaving, having earned all the Berri he needed for a trip to the next island. He had already changed into the first clothes he had worn when arriving to Shellstown for the first time, and the backpack hung from his shoulder.

"Do you really have to leave?" She murmured, sniffing.

Koga sighed as he finished strapping his katana at his waist, and he knelt in front of the girl with his big hands over her shoulders to make her look at his bicolored eyes.

"Listen, chroniclers must travel a lot to gather different stories." He explained for the umpteenth time with infinite patience. "You know that I can't stay long here."

She pouted, still unsatisfied by that answer, but then an idea occurred to her and she smiled brightly at her 'Onii-chan', who raised an eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm. "Then, come with me to the Marine Base!"

"… What?" He deadpanned.

"I bet he's hungry!" Using a surprising amount of strength, she dragged him out of the backroom where he had been residing since Ririka hired him as a waiter and went to the kitchen. "I already made some rice balls for him, so let's go already!"

"Wait a moment monkey." He managed to pry out of her grasp without being abrupt and looked at her arms crossed over his chest. "You know you can't do that. If the Marines catch you in there…"

"But he's in there because of us!" Rika protested loudly, stomping the ground with her foot.

Koga's eyebrows knitted together. He _did_ know that he had to keep the Marines' attention away from himself, but he couldn't let Rika go on her own; not only because she was only a kid and Ririka's daughter, but also because he seriously worried about her wellbeing.

And sighing, he made a decision he hoped wouldn't regret making.

"… Alright, let's get going."

Just like that, with that simple sentence, Rika went from depressed to having the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in her face. And then she threw herself at his waist and embraced him tightly, shocking him for a moment at the outburst.

"Thank you Onii-chan, I love you!" She exclaimed. Everything turned to ice, those simple words repeating themselves into his mind until the girl suddenly separated herself from him and took the rice balls wrapped in leaves. She turned to Koga to see him standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen until she called out to him. "Hurry, grab the ladder!"

Snapping out of his daze, Koga grabbed the ladder and making sure no one had noticed them sneaking out of the kitchen and the bar, followed the small girl to the path up to the Marine Base. As they approached the great building surrounded by white stone walls, he noticed two people on top and stopped Rika, earning a "What's wrong?" from her.

"There are people up there." He watched them suspiciously before deciding they were harmless. "Come on, don't go on your own."

Keeping the girl at his side, they both reached the base of the wall and Koga had a pretty good view of the two people... or rather, their backs. One of them was a small, timid, chubby boy with pink hair, wearing a standard-issue Marine jacket, pants, and neckerchief. The other was a scrawny-looking young boy of maybe seventeen, with messy black hair hidden under a straw hat, dressing a short, blue trousers with cuffs, sandals, and a sleeveless red vest. Even with his back towards the bicolor-eyed man, the chronicler felt some kind of hidden strength emanating from him.

Again, Koga snapped out of his daze when he noticed Rika was no longer standing by him, but had taken the ladder and had already landed on the other side of the wall. Cursing, he climbed the ladder -quite scaring the pink-haired boy, and discovered the girl approaching the swordsman tied in the middle of the courtyard.

"Woah! Who are you?"

All the pink-haired boy -who was also wearing round glasses, he noticed -got as an answer was a side-ways look before being utterly ignored as the young man groaned under his breath. "There she is, damn monkey."

"You know her? Help her, she's in danger!"

"Shut up, I'm on it... Oh shit."

The reason why the blond-haired young man had cursed was because a small cohort led by Helmeppo was approaching both Rika and the man tied at the cross with a smug grin on his face. THe boy at his side muttered something about the girl being save with the Marines, but Koga knew better than that, and that's why he scowled deeply when Helmeppo destroyed the rice balls she had made especially for the swordsman to ease his hunger, and it almost pained him to stand still as the cruel action brought tears to Rika's sweet eyes. And of course, when Helmeppo made a Marine throw the poor girl over the wall, he all but growled menacingly before jumping to try to catch her. But it was too far...

That was when the raven-haired boy, the one with the straw hat, made something impossible.

His arms stretched around the girl and cushioned her fall with his own body.

'A Devil Fruit!' He barely thought, eyes wide as plates, before sliding down the ladder and running to Rika at the same the pink-haired boy did.

"Onii-chan!" Rika exclaimed when the blond knelt before her, scanning her small body searching for any injury with half-lidded eyes full of worry. When he found nothing, he relaxed and picked her up gently to take her to her house, followed by the pink-haired boy that had been too worried about the girl. "He's so mean!"

Koga shushed her softly as the pink-haired boy nodded grimly, with a small disappointed gleam in his eyes behind the round glasses. The three of them made to the house and Koga set Rika atop the barrel, him standing by her side and the boy also standing much more awkwardly.

"Oh, I didn't present myself, did I? I'm Coby!"

Rika, her incident momentarily forgotten, smiled up at Coby. "I'm Rika! And this here is my Onii-chan!"

Koga hid a grin behind his scarf. "You're useless at making presentations, monkey." He ignored her shout of "I'm not a monkey!" and turned completely to Coby, who blinked at seeing his bicolored eyes. "I'm Koga."

"O-oh! Nice to meet you, Koga-san!"

"San"? Koga raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged. He didn't mind being called like that, as long as no one insulted him or gave remarks about his eyes or hair. He could be easily pissed off when mentioning these special features about him. After a while, he noticed the scrawny-looking kid casually strolling towards them with a huge grin on his face, and wondered why he was so happy about.

"Luffy-san, where were you?" Coby asked in curiosity as he sat on top another barrel; Koga noticed then his great black eyes and the tiny scar under his left eye.

"Oh, meeting my new crewmate!" He laughed.

"I told you already, Roronoa Zoro's dangerous!" The pink-haired boy exclaimed. "You can't just go and ask him to join you!"

"Well, I just didn't quite decided if I wanted him to join or not, I'm still deciding..."

'Join? Join in what?' Koga raised an eyebrow.

He watched in silence as Luffy told Rika Zoro had eaten all of the rice balls, as muddy and filthy as they were, and the girl beamed in happiness and self-pride that made the chronicler smile fondly too. She then told the other two about how Zoro had saved her from Helmeppo's pet wolf and how the swordsman had sacrificed himself instead of the girl, surrendering himself to the Marines and promising to resist a whole month without eating.

"So he's a good guy, huh." Luffy mused, unexpectedly serious.

Rika nodded, her face downcast.

"If only there's someone that's not afraid of Morgan... If he wasn't around, then Helmeppo could be dealt with easily." Koga added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Just then, as if remembering he was around, the raven-haired boy raised his head abruptly and looked at his bicolored eyes intensely.

...

...

"Oi, who are you, ossan?"

 **BONK!**

With an ire mark on his forehead, he flashed in front of him and bumped his head forcefully, slamming him to the ground, while shouting: "I'm not an ossan, I'm barely 24 dammit!" He then coughed and ignored Rika and Coby, who were whimpering in terror and hugging each other with tears running down their faces. "I'm Sarugaki Koga."

"Ow, ow, ow!" Luffy rose to his feet and then looked at the chronicler. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy."

They say, an invisible force drags us together. And in that fateful day, when Monkey D. Luffy met Sarugaki Koga, their destinies were bound together without either of them knowing of that fact yet.

And thus, the future Pirate King met his chronicler, the one that would write about their voyage, about greetings and farewells, about happiness and losses, about strength and weakness, and about their pursuit of seemingly impossible dreams.


	2. Fall

**2\. Fall**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hi! Wow, thanks! You've been fast in commenting ^^ I'm so glad you're supporting me! ^^ I promise, I won't let you down!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

A loud crash then sounded throughout the street, instantly attracting Luffy and the others' attention.

"It comes from the bar..." growled Koga with half-lidded eyes, anger swarming in his veins.

Ignoring the others, he rushed in the bar's direction, as Coby and Rika called for him. Maybe he wasn't working for Ririka anymore, but that didn't mean he didn't care what would happen to her. He wasn't that indifferent to others' pain and problems.

Reaching the bar, the young chronicler opened it abruptly and stumbled inside. The first thing he noticed was that the customers were in a corner of the bar, watching with both impotence and fear at the only 'customer' that was seating idly on one of the chairs, surrounded by some impassive Marines, feet on the table and demanding 'free food' with that irritant voice of his. Ririka immediately noticed him when she was carrying some food, and noticing his furious look on his bicolored eyes, she shook her head frantically, begging him not to get himself into more problems. The young chronicler clenched his teeth in impotence as he stood at the door, but Ririka was right; beating Helmeppo was only going to bring problems rather than solutions– as much as he wanted to smash his fist on that ugly mug of his, he had to restrain himself.

"Oh, and I've decided that I'm going to publicly execute him in three days!" The daddy's boy stated while eating some grapes with a stupid grin. "I'll use him as an example for all of you. It's going to be pretty interesting!"

A furious tick appeared on Koga's forehead –again– but this time he was much more enraged as he stomped his way to the damn blond rat, his bicolored eyes fuming in ire. Fortunately for him –and for Helmeppo– Ririka saw it coming and stopped him by hugging him around the waist and pushing him in the chest with her shoulder; the movement only served to calm him down slightly, even with his dislikeness of being touched by other people, but still he was fuming.

"You damn rat!" He growled with clenched teeth; if he couldn't beat the shit out of him, then he could simply insult him. Helmeppo looked at him sideways with a 'Huh?' expression, uninterested. "You have promised to give him one month!"

"Huh? Oi, oi, you eye-freak, this isn't your business." He boomed a sudden high-pitched laughter. "I was only joking with him, only an idiot would believe that!"

Just as Koga liberated himself from Ririka's grasp, he perceived from the corner of his eye a red flash that in a fraction of a second went past him and the barmaid and launched a punch towards the daddy's boy, catching him across the face whilst gripping the front of his horrendous shirt so he couldn't get away. The young chronicler, his former boss and the other customers, with mouth agape and wide eyes, watched wordlessly as Helmeppo received a huge beating from the straw hat teenager.

"Luffy-san!" Coby, the pink-haired boy, was the only one who snapped out of his astonishment and ran to Luffy, trying to hold him back while he muttered something under his breath. "Please stop, calm down! You want to mess with the Marines of something?"

"Coby, I've decided!" The teenager, ignoring everything else, adopted an extremely serious and determined voice. "I'm going to ask Zoro to join me!"

That simple sentence seemed to trigger something in Koga, as he stood there beside Ririka still surprised at the straw hat boy's actions and words.

"Luffy-san! Calm yourself!" Coby, seemingly unhearing his previous words –or more probably, ignoring them– tried to hold his friend back, with little success. "They are Marines!"

"I don't care, a bastard's still a bastard!"

The blond daddy's boy, grabbing his injured face, watched at the straw hat in mild astonishment.

"Y– y– you dare hit me!" He shrieked, earning a grimace in Koga's face. "My dad hasn't even hit me once! I'm Marine Lieutenant Morgan's son! I'll tell him about this!"

'Okay, that's it.'

"Oi, you."

Even with the freaked out townsfolk's screams, everyone could hear perfectly the menacing and hoarse voice of Koga, who had the bangs of his hair over his eyes, shadowing them and giving a creepy look to his already strange features. The young chronicler walked to Helmeppo, ignoring Ririka's attempts to stop him again, and stood in front of him.

"Do you want to tell your daddy about this, scum?" He growled, lifting his face slightly so he was showing his right silver eye, gleaming in annoyance and anger. The blond guy gulped at the demonic eye, his face extremely pale. "Then go. Go and tell him. But–" Koga's hand grabbed the collar of his shirt forcefully, nearing his frightened face to his. "If I ever hear that you have put a miserable finger on the townsfolk, or that you have harmed them _in any way_ – not even your father will recognize you when I'm done with you."

And he dropped him to the ground, his butt colliding to the floor. Satisfied –for the moment– with the threat, Koga walked away from the freaked out Helmeppo and locked his eyes on Luffy's dark ones, serious and watchful, no sign of the aloof attitude he had shown moments before. The blond chronicler stood by his side and looked back just as the Marines helped the Lieutenant's son up to his feet.

"You'll regret hitting me!" the daddy's son cried out as the Marines began walking out of the bar. "And you'll regret threatening me! Both of you will get the death sentence! And my dad will be the one to execute you!"

Just like that, the commotion ended. Everyone sighed in relief, but were still tense at the threatening words of Helmeppo.

"It's meaningless to hit people like him." Coby let go of Luffy after he said those words in a sigh.

"He ran away..." The pink-haired boy said, lifting his round glasses in shock.

"Something usual, believe me." Koga played with a corner of his light blue scarf, frowning. "I would've beaten him before, but his father is a menace to this town. That's why I couldn't do anything. But you–" he looked at the raven-haired boy with a barely hidden glint of admiration in his bicolored eyes. "You have balls."

"Hm..." Luffy blinked a few times, but then his goofy smile appeared on his face. "Oi, ossan, you have weird eyes."

 **BONK!**

"I'm not old!" he shouted again, punching him in the head. "And I've already told you, my name's Koga. If you know someone's name, at least use it. Shitty brat..."

"Ow, ow, ow...!"

"Luffy, you were so cool!" Rika exclaimed, praising him with huge eyes. "Just then I was scared to death!"

Koga frowned at the girl, poking her forehead with a finger while crouching beside her.

"You didn't have problems feeding the Pirate Hunter, and you were scared of a rat? You're weird, monkey." He teased her with a deadpanned expression on his face.

"Onii-chan! I'm not weird, and I'm not a monkey!" she protested, snapping his finger. Her eyes went to Luffy again. "But seriously, you were super cool!"

"Really?" Luffy's face had already his smile back. "I should have hit him a couple more times! But hey, you were cool too." He looked at Koga, who shrugged while hiding the lower part of his face in the scarf.

"I didn't do anything really. I wish I could have punched his ugly mug."

"I think you'll have the opportunity later!"

"Dude, you're dangerous." Koga sweatdropped at Luffy's casual commentary, as if he was talking about the weather. He then noticed Ririka's frightened look and turned to Rika. "You should go with your mother."

Rika looked at her mother and ran to her; the woman hugged her daughter and dragged her to the backroom without looking back. Though Koga felt weird looking at the two of them walking away, he thought it was for the best; he had brought enough problems with his threat.

"Bye bye!" More mood swings. Koga sighed.

The three of them walked out of the bar, while Coby freaked out once more with Luffy's idiotic idea of recruiting Zoro. Luffy started to walk off to the Marine Base to do exactly that instead os listening to the poor pink-haired boy. Shrugging, the blond youngster followed after him, ignoring Coby's shock.

"Mind me going with you?" He asked, walking beside the raven-haired boy. He looked at him and a goofy grin appeared on his face.

"Nope!"

They walked in silence for a few moments, before Koga decided to break it.

"Oi." A hum indicated Luffy's attention. "You said you wanted the Pirate Hunter to join you. To join you in what exactly?"

"Shishishishishi!" He laughed in answer. "You see, I'm a pirate, and I'm looking for nakamas to join my pirate crew." Koga looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Once I free Zoro, he'll be my first nakama. I can't wait!"

"Okay, wait a minute..." the blond teen caressed his forehead. "You're a _pirate_ , you're walking to a _Marine Base_ , and you're going to ask the _Pirate Hunter_ to join your crew. Is that correct?"

"Hm..." he put a pensative face before nodding and grinning again. "Yup, that's correct!"

Koga sweatdropped once more.

"God, I'm going to kill this guy."

"And why are you coming with me?"

"I'm not going with you. I'm bored, so I'm tagging along to kill my boredom."

"Oh, okay."

For the second time that day, Koga was in front of the wall of the Marine Base. At the beginning he had come here following the reckless Rika, but now it was Luffy who was accompanying him. The blond young man sighed once more before turning his head to the straw hat boy.

"So how are you going to– Huh?" he blinked, and then watched the figure laughing his ass off and running to the wall. His jaw slackened and his eyes widened. "That idiot!"

He ran after him, but not before checking his katana for a brief moment.

 _You better make me have a good fight. I'm tired of being in this sheath._

As always, his katana was being an ass.

The blond guy breathed in and out and escalated the wall effortlestly, landing on the courtyard on the other side of the wall. Luffy was already there, talking to the prone figure of Zoro still tied to the cross. After watching their surroundings, he also approached them with his hands on his pockets, though his eyes ever watchful.

"Oi."

His gruff greeting made both Zoro and Luffy look at him.

"Oh!" The straw hat boy grinned widely while the Pirate Hunter narrowed his eyes at him and his katana tied at his waist. "Sorry for leaving you behind."

"Who said I was going to tell you that? You have to be more careful; this is a Marine Base, you idiot."

"You know him?" Zoro asked the chronicler, raising an eyebrow. It went almost unnoticed because of his black bandana knotted on his head.

"I've met him today." Koga scratched the back of his head. "And no, I'm not a pirate."

"So why are you here?"

"I'm bored. Maybe this'll do something with it."

"Hey, I heard that you use a katana, is that right?" Luffy, tired of their conversation, decided to put his own contribution.

Zoro's dark eyes finally left his bicolored ones and fixed them on the straw hat pirate.

"If I wasn't being tied up I could use a katana."

Losing interest rapidly in the conversation, Koga looked away and, upon hearing noises, fixed his gaze on top of the Marine Base building. It seemed the Marines had work to do, judging the grunts and shouts of "Pull!" he could faintly perceive.

"Oh, treasure huh?" Luffy's voice brought him back to the present. "It must be something great! Okay! I'm going to go to where that bastard kid is and get your katana back."

Zoro simply replied with a shocked "What?!"

"But if you want me to return it to you, you'll have to join me!" grinned the pirate captain, crossing his arms and looking almost proud of himself.

"That's dirty!"

"Yup, that's low brat." Agreed Koga, sweatdropping.

Laughing his ass off –again– Luffy began running again while Zoro wondered where the hell did that weirdo come from. The chronicler turned around... and saw that the straw hat boy was dashing one Marine Base's opposite direction. Sighing, he cursed inwardly.

"Oi, brat!" His hoarse voice didn't let him raise it too loud, but still the pirate heard him. "The Marine Base's over here!"

Zoro sighed too, and the blond chronicler looked at him with keen eye. He seemed tired, and hungry.

"Gomu gomu no..." he faintly heard, and turned his head sharply just in time to se that Luffy was going to use his Devil Fruit powers to launch himself towards the building; and the only thing that was between the pirate and the Base was... "ROCKET!"

And just like a rocket, Luffy rushed flying towards the Base... and himself.

"Ossan! Duck!" Luffy yelled, a huge grin on his face.

"SHIT!" In an instant, Koga dropped to the ground and felt the air rushing above him as the pirate went flying above him, failing to hit him for a few centimeters. He raised his head just in time to watch him bust the doors.

"What the hell is that guy?" He heard Zoro mutter, eyes wide in shock. Oh, he had seen his Devil Fruit powers.

"A dead brat." He hastily stood up, an angry irk on his forehead. "That's the third time he had called me 'Ossan'. Though, at least he had told me to duck."

Zoro once more narrowed his eyes at him. The blond young man didn't know why, but it was as if the Pirate Hunter didn't trust him. Well, the feeling was mutual, but the chronicler wasn't stabbing him with his bicolored eyes.

"Oi, you don't have to look at me like that."

"Are you a swordsman?"

"No." An answer without a hesitant moment. "I use it, but I'm not very good at it. 'Sides, the thing's a pain in the ass." He smirked, tapping the hilt of the katana that pulsed under his contact.

 _And you're a shit of an owner._

"And the feeling is mutual, as you can see." Well, not really, but Koga didn't care about it. Seeing as Luffy was taking his time in coming back, the young man yawned and decided to take a nap against a wall, where he could see everything in case something interesting happened.

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **"Stop doing that!"**

 **"Oh yeah? Then you stop following me around! It's annoying!"**

 **"Who said I was following you, you bleached head?!"**

 **"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU BASTARD?!"**

 **"KOGA, YUUTO! STOP IT ALREADY!"**

 **"But Ojii-san! He's already doing it!"**

 **"You shitty liar! That's not true!"**

 **"You'll make her feel even worse. Stop the fight you two, and help me with the medicines."**

* * *

 **BANG!**

A sudden shoot that reverberated in the courtyard jerked Koga awake, snapping his bicolored eyes wide open and his hand going to the katana, though still groggy because of his nap. Or memories. Whatever.

"OW!" A high-pitched shriek, familiar somehow, made him cringe and pick his ear in annoyance. "I've been shot! I'm bleeding! I'M GONNA DIE!"

Okay, situation scan. First, Zoro wass still tied to the cross, nothing weird about that. Second, Coby was on the ground, clutching his shoulder with panicked screams and rolling around, earning a twitch on Koga's eyebrow. He couldn't see the people that had shot the pink-haired boy, but the chronicler was sure they won't last long in arriving there.

"Are you alright?" Questioned Zoro with a hint of genuine concern in his voice, before snapping his head around and gritting his teeth. "Run for your life, they're almost here!"

Surprising Koga, Coby stumbled back to his feet and began trying to loose the knots tying Zoro while saying: "No! I've got to set you... Free as soon as possible!"

"There's no need to worry about me!" Zoro cried, desperate to put reason in that airhead of Coby's. "As long as I cann last the month they'll set me free! Hurry up and leav–!"

"They will not set you free!" The pink-haired boy interrupted him, his forehead sweating profusely. "They're gonna kill you in three days!"

"Nonsense! That bastard promised me if I could survive the month he'd set me free!"

"He never intended to keep his promise! That's why Luffy punched him on your behalf! Because he was toying with you!"

What Coby was saying was beginning to enter into the Pirate Hunter's head.

"The Navy will never let the two of you off! Please, after I set you free, please help rescue Luffy-san! I will not force you into being a pirate, but Luffy-san's my savior. He's very strong; as long as you two join forces you'll definitely be able to escape this town. Definitely!"

The pink-haired boy collapsed to the ground, panting and clutching his injured shoulder. Koga frowned in worry, but didn't move from his spot against the wall. Not until he heard a booming voice, commanding and arrogant.

"That's enough! The two of you who have betrayed Captain Morgan... Die here!"

... Alright, it seemed his presence was being unnoticed by Morgan and his Marines, lucky him.

"KYAAAA!" Coby shrieked, once more, hands upright and comic tears rolling down his cheeks.

"How interesting." Morgan, the huge Captain dubbed _Axe-Hand_ because of the freaking huge axe of his left hand, walked towards the frustrated Zoro and the scared-to-death Coby. "the three of you are planning to cause a political upheaval?"

Wait, three? Let's see: Zoro, Coby... And... Crap! Guess he _did_ have been noticed.

"Roronoa Zoro, I've heard of your name from a long time ago, but do not underestimate me. Before my great strength... You're just garbage! READY!" The half dozen Marines he had brought raised their guns and aimed at them. Muttering something blasphemous under his breath, Koga gripped the hilt of his katana and crouched on the floor, ready to launch himself forwards and try to do something, anything.

"FIRE!"

 **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Countless shots pierced the air, aiming for Coby's, Zoro's and Koga's bodies and end their lives in the spot. Choosing to die fighting instead of sitting idly –literally speaking– the chronicler launched himself forwards by impulsing his legs as much as he could. But, just before he could surpass Coby, a familiar figure with three katanas tied at his back suddenly appeared in front of all of them, arms stretched at either side and head slightly bowed forward; Koga skidded to a halt, eyes wide in shock.

"YOU!" cried Zoro, as surprised as either of them.

"LUFFY-SAN!"

They could only watch as the bullets sunk into his skin and then bounced out straight back out as Luffy exclaimed: "It's no use!", being afterwards followed by some maniacal laughter. Despite himself, the blond young man smirked in amusement, though his hand continued gripping the hilt of his weapon, ready to jump into combat if needed be. A soft 'bump!' revealed that Coby had fallen back onto the ground in what seemed a mixture of disbelief and relief at the same time while Zoro was still in his shock:

"What kind of human are you?"

Luffy looked at him and simply laughed before replying with a thumbs up:

"I'm Luffy, the one who will become the Pirate King!"

Koga blinked once, then again. The Pirate King... Of course, he had heard about it all. Gol D. Roger, the One Piece, the New Era of the Pirates...

"The Pirate King..." He found himself muttering, before grinning a bit, eyes shining in slight excitement. Now _that_ was a story worth telling!

"Look!" Luffy smiled, handing the three katanas that had been tied at his back to Zoro. "Which one is your treasured katana?"

"Al three belong to me, because I use the _Santoryuu_ style." Zoro smirked.

"Resisting the Navy here with me will make you an outlaw. Or maybe you'd rather die here?"

Should Luffy have been another person, he would have a mischievous grin and an overall evil look on his face. Maybe like a mad scientific.

"Are you the offspring of the devil? Forget it. Instead of just dying here, why don't I accept your request... And become a pirate."

Oh, that was something really unexpected: Zoro the Pirate Hunter becoming a pirate himself. Talking about changes in life.

"Yes! I have a companion!"

"Oi, brat." Koga decided to do something and walked past Coby– who let out a yelp of surprise. "Eyes to the front. There are Marines, you know."

"You were here too?" The raven-haired boy asked blinking, and an irk of fury appeared on the chronicler's head.

"I was taking a nap, but I'm not invisible. _Axe-Hand_ noticed me even before you did."

"Could you two stop chatting and get me out of here!" Zoro snapped.

"Oh, right." Koga unsheathed the katana while watching the Marines. "Brat, you untie the ex-Pirate Hunter. I'm gonna take down one or two Marines."

"Koga-san, are you sure?" Coby seemed concerned, and with reason. "Your katana seems rusty... and dull."

And certainly, it looked that way. Apart from the hilt, the blade itself was old and its edge was completely dull, showing even some oxide. It had a beautiful hilt, with a red ribbon at its end, and a beautiful sheath, but the katana itself was completely opposite to their looks.

But Koga showed for the first time a confident smirk on his face.

"You shouldn't worry about me. And besides... he hates being called rusty and dull. Just for you to know."

He strode firmly towards the Marines with his katana upon his shoulder, who seemed a little on edge upon seeing his smile. But their fear to their leader was even greater than whatever an ex-waiter could do, so a few of them let out a battlecry and charged at him, swords raised high above their heads.

 _Scrawny Marines, seriously?_

"Hey, I can't pick my opponents." The bicolor-eyed young man replied out loud while blocking effortlessly a sword aimed at his gut and pushing aside, surprising the Marine. "Deal with it."

Watching them, he switched his katana to his left hand when another Marine tried to attack him from that side and blocked the blade, while punching someone in the face with the right hand curled in a fist. He pushed aside the Marine and, grabbing his katana from the hanging ribbon of the hilt, he swung it around with such force, they fell onto their butts to the ground with suppressed grunts.

"What, done already?" The chronicler taunted them, swinging his katana until it became a shiny blur.

 _Oi you shitty owner, don't swing me too hard or I'll puke._

Koga resisted the urge of rolling his eyes to that comment and smirked when the Marines –minus one, who was already out cold because of the punch to the face– crawled back to their feet and raised again their swords, though a bit more careful, watching his movements warily. Losing his smirk, he put his free hand on his pocket.

"You know, a person cannot concentrate in two different things." He commented in a carefree tone, though with an inexpressive face. "Right now, you are concentrating in what I'm saying and the swinging katana in my hand. Let's test how much you put attention on those things, shall we?"

And just like that, he _threw the katana upwards_ , high, very high in the sky.

"He threw the katana!" Zoro exclaimed in shock, while Luffy laughed excited, still trying to loose the knots tying the now first-mate.

His opponents stopped charging at him and looked up to the sky, to the katana swinging wildly.

'Now!'

"When you look at the sky, the action is on earth!" Koga exclaimed.

The bicolor-eyed young man launched himself to the first Marine, kneeling him in the gut and punching him in the face; as he spun on his heels, his hand grabbed a wrist and an elbow found a face emitting a sickening 'crunch!' noise. With an "Ops!", he evaded a sword aimed at his head by stepping to the side and kicked him hard on the chin, making him bite his own tongue. Seeing himself surrounded, the chronicler jumped as hard as he could above the heads of the Marines and looked at them with a hand on his knee; his opponents watched him awaiting his attack, and upon seeing none, they charged at him again; he crouched on the ground and disappeared form their sights in a blink of an eye.

"He's gone!" Coby exclaimed, wide eyes watching the strange fight.

"What's this?!" Morgan was shouting in outrage.

"What kind of fight is this?" Zoro murmured, also in shock.

"Up there!" A Marine pointed above their heads. "WHAT'S THAT FREAKIN' HUGE SWORD?!"

"When you look at the earth, the action is on the sky!" They barely perceived the figure of Koga, darkened because of the sun, holding a _huge_ sword above his head, his braid and scarf flying behind him wildly. "HEAVENLY EARTH, DOUBLE ATTACK!"

A huge explosion, created by the collision of the giant sword upon the Marines, sent a huge amount of dust that made the spectators raise their hands to their eyes –or, in the case of Zoro, turn the head away; when they could see again, only Koga was standing in the midst of Marine bodies in the middle of a not-so-deep crater, a huge sword as tall as himself upon his shoulder, sharp and menacing. The chronicler was scratching the back of his head with an impassive face, ignoring his dumbfounded spectators.

"Maybe I should modify this attack's name. It still doesn't convince me."

"WOW!" Luffy was gaping at him, little stars shining on his eyes and a great grin crossing his face; he was still trying to untie Zoro. "That was AWESOME!" Koga flushed a bit, and tried to hide it with his scarf, glancing aside.

"Shut up already..." he growled while walking towards them. "It was nothing. Did you free him yet?"

"Nope. Damn, this knot is so hard to untie."

"LUFFY-SAN, KOGA-SAN, WATCH OUT!"

Koga turned around sharply just as a new bunch of Marines –maybe the reinforcements, because the ones he had fought before were still out cold– were launching towards them, ready to strike. His muscles hardened, also prepared to move the massive sword to block their charge, but a body flashed past him and halted the Marines; metal hit metal, and Zoro was then seen crouched on the floor, back to their enemies and all three swords in hands and mouth, stopping the Marines' swords effortlesstly.

"All of you better not move." He gruffed. "If you move, I'll kill you."

With his head tilted at his side, Koga lifted his sword again and rested it upon his shoulder, his other hand on his hip. Luffy had a huge smile on his face.

"I already told I'd be a pirate with you... Either way, after this incident I'll be an outcast too. But it's okay, I still have my own goals! I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman! Bad guy, good guy, it no longer matters, as long as my name is known worldwide! If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, I will have to cut your stomach open to say sorry."

"Good!" Luffy replied in a serious tone, a tone Koga had only heard him say when he determined convincing Zoro to join him. "To be the world's number one swordsman. Since you want to be the Pirate King's crewmember, if you can't even accomplish something that small, then I would be very embarrassed as well."

"Heh. Well said." Captain and First Mate shared a grin.

And Koga felt like an intruder, but either way, he couldn't help but to hide a smirk in his scarf.

"What are you guys standing there for!" Snapped then Morgan, surprising the Marines Zoro was holding back. "Hurry up and finish those guys off!"

"Zoro, duck! Gomu gomu no... MUCHI!" Using his leg, he hit all the Marines behind Zoro, knocking them like bowling pins.

Koga cursed inwardly, taking a step back when Luffy's stretched leg almost hit him.

"What are you?" muttered the green-haired swordsman.

"I'm a rubber man." Replied Luffy with a silly grin plastered on his face.

"A Paramecia type, huh?" Koga's murmuring went unnoticed by everybody.

Looking at the remaining soldiers and the shocked-looking leader of theirs, it was obvious that they weren't exactly willing to fight against monsters like them. Zoro was already known because of his inhuman strength and willpower, Luffy had Devil Fruit powers that deflected their bullets, and Koga had a weird but powerful fighting style with a huge sword that appeared out of nowhere. Yeah, even when they were scared shitless of Captain Morgan, those three warriors were far better than them.

"I'm the Marine's worst enemy.." Luffy stated, throwing his rubber arm and launching it to latch onto Morgan's axe; using it as an anchor, the raven-haired pirate pulled himself forward so he was standing in front of Morgan, surprising him. "If you have guts, then execute me yourself!"

"LUFFY-SAN, DEFEAT THE MARINES!" Coby encouraged him, his injury momentarily forgotten.

"Oi, you shouldn't be jumping up and down like that with a shoulder injury." Koga scowled the pink-haired boy. "It's not serious, but you're losing blood either way."

"EH?! So I'm gonna die!"

"I didn't say that. Idiot." The blond young man sweatdropped. "Just stay away from the fight and rest."

"He's right." Zoro agreed. "If you get in our way, you'll get killed."

"Um... Okay."

They watched silently the sparring between Morgan and Luffy, Koga analyzing the pirate's fighting style –that consisted essentially in stretching and punching; while the Marine Captain had a bestial force, and that without adding his lethal axe hand's power. However, the bicolor-eyed young man was almost sure of Luffy's victory; not only because his guts told him so, but because Morgan's cocky attitude was making underestimate his opponent. And that, under his perspective, was something very dangerous; it didn't matter how aloof the other might look, he could have a trump card that would turn the fight in his favor.

"WAIT!"

... Or maybe not?

Without bothering in turning around completely, Koga glanced from above his shoulder. Helmeppo, who had a brand new bruise where Luffy punched him previously, was pointing a gun to Coby's temple; it would have been menacing, if not because his legs were as tremulous as reeds in the wind. Of course, Luffy didn't stop fighting.

"You idiot! I told you to wait! If you want this guy to survive then don't move! If anyone moves I'll shoot!"

The raven-haired pirate stopped fighting and looked in their direction, a blank expression on his face. Coby looked frightened, but when his friend looked at him, a show of courage went through his face.

"Luffy-san, I... I don't want to be in your way! I'm not afraid of death!"

"Okay, I know." Luffy smiled, and began pulling back his arm. "You stupid son, Coby's not afraid of death!"

Deciding neither him nor Zoro needed his help, Koga decided to stay away, nailing the broadsword on the ground a good few inches and rested his arm on the hilt.

"You idiot! I told you not to move or I'll shoot him!" Helmeppo shrieked in desperation, seeing that his threat was only going to bring him more problems.

"Luffy-san, behind you!" cried Coby in alarm as he saw Morgan raise his axe behind the pirate.

"Gomu gomu no... Pistol!"

And Helmeppo was punched in the face... again.

"Nice!"

At the same time, Morgan, who was swinging his axe towards his head, suddenly stopped and fell backwards against the dirt, Zoro next to him with his three swords.

"Leave it to me, Captain." Zoro smirked at his new superior, earning another grin in response.

Luffy smiled widely while putting a hand over his straw hat, looking at his new crewmember and also at Koga, who decided to hide his own smile behind the scarf, again. Odd, he had been smiling a lot lately.

But soon, the Marines' shocked murmuring drew the pirates' and the chronicler's attention to them. Zoro was more than ready to fight against them, but the potential enemies threw up their sword and cheered loudly, celebrating Morgan's defeat. There were dances and cheers everywhere, and while Luffy laughed commenting how weird they were, Zoro collapsed to the ground, muttering how hungry he was.

 **xXxA few hours laterxXx**

"I'm full!" proclaimed Zoro, patting his satisfied stomach with a huge grin. "Haven't eaten for nine days, almost starved to death!"

They were all in Rika and her mother's house. Zoro, Luffy and Koga were seated at the table while Coby was in the counter, drinking a juice. While the former two had been eating like starving wolves, Koga had been eating more calmly and soon stopped; the broadsword he had used to fight the Marines had disappeared and his katana was again at his waist. Ririka was constantly serving food to the endless pit that was Luffy's stomach, and her daughter had been listening closely about their combat and how Morgan had been defeated with marvelled eyes.

"So, how many are there in your crew?" asked the swordsman to the still devouring straw hat.

"Only you and me, but..." The raven-haired boy swallowed, then thought deeply about something –or it seemed so– and then looked at Koga with a huge grin. "Hey, join my crew!"

Koga looked at him with his bicolored eyes, frowning.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"Why not? It's fun!"

The chronicler huffed, shifting his scarf to his face in awkwardness at the attention he was receiving. Then his expression turned extremely serious as he looked at Luffy, who continued eating non-stop but looked back.

"Were you serious back then? When you said you were gonna be the Pirate King?"

"Yeah, totally!"

"And you know its implications, right? Traveling to Grand Line, finding One Piece? Are you ready for all of it?"

"I've decided long ago that I would do it, or die trying." Luffy stopped eating for a moment as he touched his straw hat. "I've promised a friend that I would find One Piece and become the Pirate King, and I intend to do it."

Koga watched him closely.

 **BONK!**

"OW! What was that for?!"

The sudden hit to the head from the blond young man took everyone by surprise. But, even as Coby was gaping, Ririka and her daughter were looking dumbfounded and Zoro was scowling at him, Koga had the first sincere smile they had ever seen on his face, and that surprised them even more.

"I still owed you that one from calling me 'Ossan' last time, remember? But either way, you're an interesting brat. It'll sound weird, but I've been waiting for a story like yours to tell. The story of the future Pirate King, along with his crewmembers..." he snickered, grabbing his scarf tightly. "I'd love to write a story like that."

"You mean...?" Luffy smiled in anticipation, though still nursing his bump.

"Yeah, I'll join you. I'll be a pirate, and become your chronicler."

"HOORAY!" the straw hat cheered, while the others simply smiled. When Koga looked at Zoro, he nodded in greeting and acknowledgment. "My own chronicler!"

"So, now we're three, right? And what about our boat?" inquired Koga.

Luffy pointed to the window, and both swordsman and chronicler turned to look. There, in the harbor, was the smallest boat they had ever seen. Both of them sweatdropped and wondered where the hell they had got themselves into.

Just then, a Marine walked in the house asking: "Excuse me, we were wondering... Are you really pirates?"

"Yep!" Luffy beamed, grinning like an idiot. "I just found my first two crewmembers, so that would make us pirates."

"Even though you're pirates, in reality you saved our town and Base, and for that we are grateful. But... Since you're pirates... As Marines, we cannot allow you to stay any longer. Please, leave this place immediately. As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to the headquarters."

The townsfolk, of course, complained loudly from outside Ririka's house, but still, Luffy simply stood up.

"Well then, let's go. Thanks for the good food, ma'am."

As he followed his new captain, his bag on his shoulder again, Koga didn't look back at Rika and Ririka. He wasn't good at saying goodbye. So instead, he hung his face while surpassing the Marine and waited outside when a commotion stopped them for a moment, that ended in Luffy beating Coby to erase any suspicions of the latter being a pirate ally.

Once they reached the small boat with a single barrel, Koga started untying the knots tying the boat to the dock as Zoro and Luffy got into the boat and talked about what happened earlier with the pink-haired kid.

"Onii-chan!" called a distant voice, familiar to the blond young man.

He raised his head, just in time to avoid the collision and trapped her in his arms. Luffy and Zoro looked up from inside the boat and grinned at the sight.

"What are you doing here?" Koga asked a bit angrily, his eyebrow raised. "Now I'm a pirate, and I'll cause even more trouble to you and your mother if the Marines catch you here."

"You didn't say goodbye!" She protested, her eyes full of tears threatening of falling. "I don't care about the stupid Marines, you have to say goodbye!"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, seemingly not knowing what to do, and crouched to be at her eye-level.

"Listen, now I'm not going to be here to help your mother with the bar. You have to be a good girl and help her. Don't cause problems, or else I won't come back." He put a tiny smile on his face upon seeing her horrified look. "Be good, and be safe. And don't enter the courtyard to feed a starving criminal."

His joke caused her to laugh a bit; she hugged him tightly, and even when he stiffed for a moment, he tried to relax and patted her a few times awkwardly. When they separated, Koga searched on his pants pockets, searching for something until he pulled out a familiar-looking small book and handed it to the girl.

"It's the book you tried to snatch from me the first night I've spent here, remember?" She nodded, eyes on the leather book. "It's for you."

"For me? But... you told me it wasn't finished."

"And it's not. But I'd like you to continue the story." He looked at the cloudless sky in an almost nostalgic way. " _Life's an unending story; all stories should be recorded and remembered._ It's something an old friend of mine told me a long time ago, that impulsed me to become a chronicler, to travel the world and record as many stories as I could. That little book..." he signaled the book in Rika's hands, "records the moment I came here and I met you and your mother. I've started it. Now, you'll have to continue it. Will you do that?"

Rika looked at the book, before gripping it tightly against her chest, her smile making her shine in spite of the few tears that fell down her cheeks. Koga smirked once more before ruffling her hair and jumping into the boat with Luffy and Zoro, who had been watching the conversation silently. The boat started leaving the port, leaving the girl behind, alone.

"LUFFY-SAN!"

... Well, not anymore.

Coby had arrived and had stopped beside Rika, panting.

"Thank you very much!" He cried gratefully, bringing up his right arm in a militar salute to the three pirates. "I will never forget you for the rest of my life!"

"I've never seen a Marine salute pirates before." Zoro joked; Koga was still standing in the middle of the boat, and Luffy simply laughed.

"Coby, one day we'll meet each other again!"

Also, the Marines appeared behind Coby and Rika and also saluted at the pirates by their leader's orders.

Suddenly, Koga, who had had his back to the port since he got on the boat, turned his head and looked at Rika square in the eye; raising an arm over his head, he yelled:

"I promise, one day I'll be back! Until then, be a good girl, Rika!"

He couldn't see her expression from that far, but he had already said his goodbye the best way he could without feeling too awkward or embarrased. Once they couldn't see the port, the chronicler slumped down against the railing and looked at the sky, feeling the slight sea breeze caressing his face.

A new adventure had just begun. And he'll be the one recording every detail of it.


	3. Clowns

**3\. Clowns**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: I'm glad! ^^ You'll get to know more about the katana in this chap, and what it hides. And about Zoro and his future choices... Well, Koga's not exactly a swordsman, so he knows about swords as much as Luffy does xD Please keep supporting me, and upload your fic soon, I want to know what's going to happen to Maria!**

 **-ImpsWithHats: Hey, welcome! Thanks so much, I try to make my fic as similar as possible to Oda's work, but I have to admit it's quite difficult, because I have to adapt it to Koga and the future OCs (mostly enemies, just for you to know) that will be inside the fic. Huhu, I have great plans regarding Koga. And I'll try to cover every arc, except maybe the Arc of the Land of Dreams (I think it was called like this) because to tell you the truth, I didn't watch it.**

 **-orionblack123: Welcome, thanks so much! ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"I'm... starving..." Muttered Zoro, again. And Koga began counting backwards from ten to avoid losing the little patience he had. _Again_.

While Luffy and the swordsman were sprawled on the tiny boat, complaining about their hunger, the chronicler was cleaning his katana's white sheath with a rag he had carried on his bag.

"Me too..." Luffy crawled to his chronicler's side in a dramatic gesture, tongue clinging from his mouth like a dog. "Hey, Koga, aren't you hungry?"

Yes, fortunately, the straw hat pirate had dropped his 'Ossan' when calling Koga; after a few more bumps in the head and some furious shouts, that is. And of course, Koga didn't call him 'Brat' anymore.

Without taking his eyes off his katana, the blond young man shrugged.

"I can bear with it. Get your head away from me; I don't want my katana covered in your droolings, it's disgusting."

"You're not nice." He pouted, but he obeyed either way.

"I don't get why you're so careful with your katana's sheath and hilt but not about its edge." Commented Zoro, trying to forget his growling stomach for a while.

"My katana's... weird, to say the least. He likes to hide his true potential."

"And about that broadsword you used to defeat the Marines... Where is it?"

His task finished, Koga put the rag back on his bag and looked at the first mate, seemingly unsure of what to answer. Luffy wasn't listening, too ravished to pay attention to anything else rather than his stomach.

"Let's just say, he's special."

"SPECIAL?!" Exclaimed Luffy, suddenly incorporating with little stars in his eyes.

"Oi, oi..." Zoro and Koga sweatdropped, looking at him.

"What can it do?! What can it do?!" The captain was inches away from his chronicler's face in an instant, making him punching the rubber man on the face. "OW! What was that for?! I didn't call you 'Ossan', did I?!"

"Personal space." He simply answered, deadpanned. "I don't want people pestering me. Don't come close to me."

Luffy looked at him with a sudden light on his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it emerged; he dropped to the floor, cross-legged and hands gripping his knees, excitement in his face.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Okay, okay, I get it... Geez, you're as childish as Rika."

Koga sighed and gripped the hilt of his katana, unsheathing it slowly. The rusty blade was then revealed to them, and Zoro leaned closer to examine it; he perceived it could have been a good katana in old times, but now it was only a piece of junk inside a beautifully elaborated sheath. Approximately 65 cm length, it was slightly thinner than his own three katanas, the oxide had made his work in some places, and even he could perceive some tiny holes in the steel.

"It's only a pretty old katana to me." Luffy was confused, frowning while looking at the blade.

"Yeah, he is." Koga answered. "But don't judge a book by its cover. This is _Sankaoken_ , the Sword of Three Faces."

" _Sankaoken_?" Zoro also frowned. "Never heard of it."

"And you'll never do. _Sankaoken_ is unique. There's a demon inside a katana."

"A demon?!"

Koga nodded, impassible at the surprised looks of his companions.

" _Sankaoken_ found me when I was traveling and made me his owner, though–" He couldn't help but to smirk, hiding his uneasy feeling of lying to his crewmates. "He considers me a piece of shit."

"Hn. And, what does this demon do?"

"The demon told me he was a shapeshifter, and since he was inside a katana, his powers were now change the katana's shape. But _Sankaoken_ can only turn into three things: a broadsword, a naginata **(A/N: a wooden pole with a curved single-edged blade on the end)** and a pair of brass knuckles. That's why his name is the Sword of Three Faces."

"Shapeshipper?" Luffy tilted his head while a question mark appeared on his head, making Koga sigh again and sheath his katana.

" _Shapeshifter_. It's a kind of demon that can change his looks."

"Certainly, that katana is useful." Zoro smirked. "I admit I'm pretty interested in testing my strength with it someday."

"I already told you. I'm not a swordsman." Koga hid his lower face in the scarf, looking away. "And you're practically a monster, there's no way I could defeat you."

Luffy hummed, arms crossed with a look on concentration on his face.

"So, it's a mystery katana. That's cool!"

"Uh, yeah. Whatever."

Zoro facepalmed, apparently giving in on explaining complicated things to their captain. For some blissful moments, Koga enjoyed the silence as he contemplated the clouds in the sky, imagining things and suddenly reminding himself in buying a logbook somewhere; if he wanted to record Luffy's adventures, a small leather book wasn't exactly the most approppriate container of such tales. Though, he could use the little books he carried in his bag to take some notes, in case he forgot something.

Zoro and Luffy were –once again– moaning and complaining about their hunger while Koga was writing down some notes about their meeting and Zoro's and his decision of becoming pirates with Luffy as their captain, starting with the chronicler's first meeting with the straw hat boy. Out of curiosity, the blond wondered if he could ask the captain why did he choose that specific dream.

"Oi, Koga!" And speaking of the Devil, Luffy called him. "Do you have any navigation skills?"

"No, I thought you guys knew." Koga sweatdropped.

"Geez, never heard of a pirate that doesn't know how to navigate." Zoro growled, looking at his captain with a scowl. "How do you expect to go the Grand Line like this? You should hurry up and find a crew member who knows how to navigate."

"And someone who knows how to cook, and someone who can sing..." Luffy counted off with his fingers.

"THOSE CAN WAIT!"

"What did I do to deserve this...?" Koga moaned, hiding his face in his notes in a plaintive way. A muttering from the swordsman made him think he agreed with his partner. When Koga finished writing what he wanted, he closed his leather book with care and put it in his bag, along with the plume.

"Oh, a bird."

Luffy and Koga raised their heads to the sky, and lo and behold, up there, the shadow of a bird was flying peacefully above them.

"Looks pretty tasty." The captain muttered, before declaring and standing up. "Let's eat that bird!"

"And how are we going to eat it?" Zoro questioned, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.

"I'll get it! Watch my specialty!"

Luffy stretched his arms up to grab the mast of the ship and kneeled down.

"Gomu gomu no... ROCKET!"

And he was gone, launched towards the bird, while on the boat, Zoro was in shock.

"I suppose that, once in a while, he can show a little intelligence in that airhead of his." The chronicler shrugged.

"Yeah... Though, I have a bad feeling about this."

Luffy flew higher, and higher, and higher... Koga squinted his eyes, wondering how the hell he didn't catch the damn birdie, and saw something he would never forget. Luffy's head... trapped in the bird's beak, that was at least twice or thrice bigger than him.

"AHHH! HELP MEEEE!" Luffy's scream reached them like an echo.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Zoro grabbed the oars and began rowing as fast as he could while the chronicler was holding onto the railing of the boat, his bicolored eyes never leaving the bird with an absent look on his face... until realization dawned on him and he hit his open palm with his fist.

"Oh, the bird is really big, so that's why we could watch it from here. I see."

"STOP PRAISING THE DAMN BIRD AND HELP ME HERE!" snapped the swordsman, still paddling non-stop.

"I'm helping. Keep rowing, or we'll lose him."

"When we get Luffy, I'm going to kill you–!"

The chronicler went to the front of the boat to keep track of Luffy, hands in his pockets, but three dots in the ocean drew his attention. Desperate voices pleading for them to stop the boat reached his ears.

"Oi, there are people needing a ride."

Zoro's response was a grunt and a yell:

"You guys get on yourselves! I'm not stopping!"

The three figures, though shocked for a moment because Zoro wasn't going to stop, managed to get a grip on the boat as the rowboat zoomed past them– pretty fast. Koga was genuinely impressed at the swordsman's stamina, but the bird was further and further away at every passing second.

Just then, he heard the hiss of steel drawing, and he looked back for a moment to see the three castaways wielding weapons at him and Zoro, who was too occupied rowing to notice that fact. The chronicler's bicolored eyes squinted while reaching the hilt of Sankaoken.

"Oi, stop the boat." One of the guys they rescued grunted, that had a weird hair that reminded Koga of a clown.

"This is the pirate Buggy's territory." Said the fat one.

Zoro's eyes then looked at them, narrowed in annoyance.

"Huh?"

 **BONK! CLASH! CRASH!**

Within a few minutes, the three pirates were rowing the boat instead of Zoro, each of them full of bruises and bumps. The ex-pirate hunter was really pissed off as he relaxed on the back of the boat while watching the three pirates. Koga was still on the front of the boat, eyes on the horizon.

"We didn't know you were 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, we are really sorry!" The one in the middle wearing a ridiculous hat sounded really pathetic after the beating they received.

"Oi, Koga, can you see him?" The green-haired swordsman addressed the blond chronicler, ignoring the crying pirates.

He received a sigh in answer, as Koga went to the back and seated on the railing.

"No. That damn bird was flying too fast." He answered in a rather passive way, earning a tick of anger.

"Man, the only thing you had to do is keep your freaky eyes on him!"

"Oi, my eyes are like this, they don't have superpowers or anything." Surprising the first mate, Koga shot at him a rather angry look that held a hint of warning. "I was born with them."

And his partner decided to drop the subject; to avoid the collision and also to concentrate in finding their dumb captain. Satisfied, Koga softened his gaze as he observed the three pirates, that had been looking between them during the whole discussion, and ignored their surprised gasps.

"Why were you drifting in the middle of the ocean?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes, yes! Good question, you finally asked!" Said the one who seemed the leader of the trio before they started murmuring something between them.

"It was that girl!"

"Yeah, that bad girl."

"But she's really cute, too."

They quickly explained –after sensing that the other two were losing their wits –that an orange-haired girl outsmarted them and stole their ship and treasure, and how she could predict the weather.

"She can predict the weather? This girl must be someone special. I wonder if she'd join us." Mused Zoro while the three hitchhikers continued rambling about something.

"Knowing our rubber-brained captain, if he finds out, he'll want her in the crew." Koga shrugged.

"Oh yeah, who's Buggy?"

"He's our captain leader. Haven't you heard of Buggy the Clown? He's a dangerous man who ate one of the Devil Fruit." The leader of the trio explained.

"Ate a Devil Fruit, huh."

After that, silence settled between them, save for the constant muttering of the three clown-pirates, that were still plotting their 'revenge' on the girl that stole their ship and tool. Koga hadn't heard much about that Buggy guy, but judging the trio's evident fear, he probably was a cold-hearted leader that hadn't exactly much patience, and also didn't give second chances. Quite a nice guy, and note the sarcasm. Maybe a good ass-kick would change his mind.

Finally, they docked on an island that seemed as peaceful as Shells Town, but much quieter. As he finished tying the rowboat, Koga analyzed his surroundings and shivered, though he didn't know the reason. The place seemed... lonely, and not in the positive sense. All the atmosphere screamed danger and painful memories. He hated it; it reminded him too much of home.

"What's up?" Zoro asked him, seemingly perceiving his shiver. He had just asked/threatened the clown trio to lead him to Buggy and gather information about Luffy's whereabouts.

"... Nothing."

Though the swordsman raised a skeptic eyebrow at him, the chronicler maintained a neutral expression on his face as they entered the town, the three hitchhikers behind them. After five minutes of entering the town, the trio disappeared, but Zoro and Koga didn't care about them and continued searching for Luffy. The blond quickly learned to be in the front guiding instead of the green-haired swordsman, and used what he called a 'sixth sense' to find out where the heck their idiot captain was.

Just then, a huge explosion blowed up half the suspiciously empty town, making both of them look at each other and nod in agreement and understanding; wherever the problem was, surely the rubber-brain idiot was or the cause, or at least one of the culprits. Ignoring the swordsman's protests, Koga guided him and reached a fairly high building; they could faintly hear some unknown voices cheering and shouting up on the roof.

And what they found there was something that made them facepalm. Luffy, tied and caged. A cannon pointing at him, and beside it, an orange-haired young girl. Behind her, a bunch of probably pirates, that reminded them in some ways of clowns. Apparently, the leader (a blue-haired, red-nosed guy with an evil smile that definitely looked like a clown, more than his subordinates) had ordered the girl to blow Luffy into pieces by shooting a cannonball at him, but she was taking too long in doing that. Tired of waiting, a random Buggy pirate reached her and lit the fuse himself, but the girl attacked him and switched off the fuse with her own bare hands; a whole bunch of pirates were going to attack her from behind.

 **SMACK!**

The girl waited in vain the pirates' attack, but it never came.

"Oi, oi. Ganging up on a girl like that isn't very nice." She heard an unfamiliar voice behind her, and turned to see a green-haired guy who was holding the pirates with his sheathed katanas on their faces, unable to move.

From her other side, a blond guy appeared and watched her sideways.

"Hi Zoro, Koga!" Luffy merrily greeted them, as if he wasn't trapped in a cage.

"You hurt?" Asked Koga to the girl, his impassive expression never leaving his face.

"Huh?" She mumbled, blinking.

"Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Man am I glad to see you!" Luffy continued, smiling widely with his idiotic grin. "I didn't think you'd find me! Hurry up and free me!"

Koga looked at his captain with a scowl on his face, putting his hands in his pockets while Zoro began walking to his cage, scolding him.

"What on earth are you doing? First a bird takes you and now you're in a cage."

"I was just having fun!" Luffy replied almost in a childish way, making both Zoro and Koga sigh in slight annoyance.

The pirates of Buggy's crew were still in shock, both because of Zoro and Koga's sudden apparition and also the reveal of the swordsman identity.

"Did he say 'Zoro'?"

"It sure sounded like that to me."

"So you're Zoro." Buggy said, eyes darkened because of his weird hat, bringing attention to himself almost instantaneously. "What do you want? Are you here to collect my bounty?"

"Nope, not interested. I quit being a pirate hunter." Answered Zoro.

Buggy snickered.

"Well, _I'm_ interested in you. Taking you out will earn me a lot of fame."

Sensing an incoming battle, Koga decided to get the girl and himself out of the way by putting a hand on her back and pushing her, being extra careful in not touching her bare skin; if he did touch her, it'd be a million times more troublesome for him. Though the girl looked at him confused, she got what he meant and obeyed wordlessly.

As both enemy captain and first mate prepared for battle, Buggy's crew began cheering him, repeating his name again and again until Koga had to restrain himself from punching them good. Zoro wielded his three katanas, but didn't tie his black bandana on his head, which meant that he didn't consider Buggy a worthy rival (or, at least, that was what Koga heard about him). The pirate clown was swinging knives in his fingers, and suddenly he ran completely open in a reckless assault, laughing maniacly.

'Why is he letting so many open spots?' The chronicler wondered, eyes half-lidded. 'Is he wishing to die?'

"Flashily die!" Buggy yelled as he jumped in the air.

But, before he could land his attack, Zoro had already moved and cut him into pieces, slashing his right leg and arm and just above his waist. The orange-haired girl looked away in disgust and the enemy crew stopped cheering, jaws slackened.

"He didn't even try to dodge." Zoro observed, looking over his shoulder at the corpse.

"Uwa! What a weakling!" Luffy exclaimed.

"No way..." The girl muttered, eyes fixed on the swordsman.

But Koga had a strange feeling in his gut. His 'sixth sense' was screaming that something was wrong. It had been too easy; even being Zoro the opponent, Buggy had jumped over him in a reckless stance, leaving all his weak points open for the green-haired pirate. It was almost as if... Yeah, as if Buggy had forced his rival to cut him in half. But why?

His wariness was confirmed when the crew began laughing under their breaths. Zoro and Luffy looked at them in disbelief.

"Hey! What's so funny?" With narrowed eyes, the swordsman demanded to the crew.

Just then, suddenly, he felt someone pushing him to the side, making him stumble a bit; enraged, he looked back to yell at the person why did he do that, but the words died in his throat when, wide-eyed, his mind registered what had happened.

Koga had perceived that something was very wrong, so as soon as he saw from the corner of his eye Buggy's body magically float in the air and a hand with a knife aiming at Zoro, his body moved on its own and pushed the swordsman out of the way, receiving the stab on his left forearm.

"KOGA!" Luffy screamed loudly, eyes also wide in shock, as well as the girl's.

"What's with that hand? What the hell is going on?!"

The floating arm holding the knife that stabbed Koga went out, making blood sprout from his wound even as he clasped a hand over it, cursing under his breath.

"It's the Bara Bara Fruit!" Buggy declared as his body fused in one again, his previous wounds closing leaving no scar behind. "That's the Devil Fruit I ate! Cutting me is useless, I'm a splitting man! Gyahahahahahahahahaha!"

"He put his body back together!" The girl realized, eyes still in shock. "I thought the Devil Fruits were just a legend!"

"Splitting man? Is he a monster?" Luffy asked.

"You should be the last one... saying that." Koga commented, his blood dripping on the floor and coating his hand and his pants.

"I'm impressed, though." Buggy snickered, glaring at the injured chronicler. "You managed to stop me from cutting Zoro. But still, that wound of yours is no laughing matter."

"Maybe it isn't, but..." Koga smirked behind his light blue scarf. "I've been through worse. This won't kill me that easily."

"Either way, Zoro can't defeat me and you can't fight with that injury, so this battle is over!" Buggy bragged confidently.

The pirates began cheering their captain yet again. The girl had an anxious expression on her face, while Zoro had his teeth grit in impotence and Koga had still his hand gripped in the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. And Luffy... Well, he was simply furious at Buggy's dirty play.

"Attacking from behind is cowardly, you BIG NOSE!" He yelled with all his lungs' power, an angry irk on his forehead. _No one_ was going to injure his crew and get away that easily.

Koga smirked.

"Who're you calling a big nose?!" Buggy threw his hand back and launched it at Luffy, the knife it was gripping aiming for his head. Zoro called Luffy's name, worried, but the rubber captain had caught the knife between his teeth and, with an inhuman force, broke it in half.

"Buggy! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"You, kick my ass?" The clown boomed in laughter. "In your dreams! I'm gonna kill all four of you!"

"Kill me, my ass! Run, Zoro, Koga!" The captain ordered.

"What?!" Zoro exclaimed, surprised. The chronicler, now his tanned face slightly pale from bloodloss, simply arched a blond eyebrow.

The girl snapped, seemingly furious: "They came here to save you and now you're telling them to run away? What about you?"

But he simply continued smiling and looking into their eyes, showing confidence. Zoro then smirked and looked at Koga, who nodded wordlessly.

"Roger that." The first mate answered.

The girl's jaw slackened in astonishment, not understanding anything that was going on before her eyes.

Surprising everyone, the blond rushed to the cannon and positioned himself under it, bloody hands gripped around the metal as he began pushing the cannon to flip it over. He grunted as his wound flared and pulsed angrily, reminding him of its presence, but thanks to his Devil Fruit's ability his feelings became numb and he concentrated only on his task, furious veins pulsing on his forehead and his arms. It wasn't that heavy, but it was as rusty as his own katana, and it took him a good few seconds to point the cannon to the other side... and to Buggy and his crew.

"Are you crazy?! The cannon is pointing at us now!" Buggy yelled in fear.

Koga, exhausted both because of the effort and the blood loss, stumbled away, but Zoro grabbed his uninjured arm for support and ordered the girl to light the fuse. After a moment of hesitation, she did it and covered her ears, while the swordsman observed and the chronicler backed away from him.

"She lit it! Wait, that's dangerous! Stop! STOP!"

 **BOOM!**

* * *

 **xXxSome time laterxXx**

Luffy, Zoro, Koga and the girl had used the smoke created by the huge explosion to cover their escape. Unable to find the key, the swordsman had to lift the cage and drag it upon his shoulder. The girl seemed to be musing something as she watched the three pirates risking their lives for one another. Koga was wordlessly trying to help the swordsman, but he snapped that he was injured and carrying a cage wasn't exactly a good way of recovering; in the end, the chronicler shrugged it off. And when questions about the girl that accompanied them emerged, Luffy beamed happily that she was their new navigator.

"The place's empty around here." Koga grunted, as they finally reached the street and Zoro let down the heavy cage with a sigh of relief. "Dude, you're sweating a lot."

"Shut up."

The chronicler hid a smile under his scarf again, and slumped to the floor, back supported by the cage as Luffy and his first mate watched him in worry.

"Oi, Koga, you good? You're a bit pale."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Raising his head, he drew a small smirk, but then frowned as he looked at something, the others following his gaze's direction.

A small dog was seated on his butt a few feet away from them, with white short fur and beady, impassive eyes fixed on them. Behind it, there was a pet shop that seemed it had been closed a long time ago. The dog was seated so still that, for a moment, the three pirates believed it to be a simple statue, but a subtle movement of its little tail said otherwise.

"What's with the dog?" Zoro asked, his breath recovering fast after the huge amount of force he had to use to drag Luffy's cage.

"Doggie!" The rubber-brained idiot began rocking the cage (making Koga slump his back against the bricked road) towards the unmoving dog until he stopped in front of it, a huge grin on his face. Looking at how still the dog was, he frowned and started making weird faces to it. "It looks like this dog is frozen."

"I don't give a damn. It can sit there forever for all I care." Zoro grunted, taking a seat in the porch of the pet store.

Sighing, the blond incorporated so that he was seating.

"Leave it alone, rubber-brain." He murmured, hand still clasped around his injured arm and closing his eyes to shut the pain away. But of course, the captain ignored him.

"I wonder if it's dead."

 **Poke. Poke. Poke.**

 **ÑAC!**

"OW!"

Koga cracked open his silver right eye to see Luffy being bitten by the dog in the nose, and his attempts to get rid of him while screaming so loud the chronicler suspected nearly everyone in the city would hear him. Not long after, the dog let go of his nose and sat again in front of the store, indifferent, its tongue hanging out. Zoro had watched the whole 'fighting' with an amused smirk, not moving a muscle to help his captain, and the blond had to admit he would have done the same.

"Damn dog." Luffy grunted, pouting and frowning at the dog.

The bicolor-eyed young man breathed deeply, not feeling good because of the blood loss. Fortunately, the knife hadn't entered too much into his arm, but surely he had cut an artery and had severed the muscle, judging the amount of blood. And he didn't want to stain his precious scarf with blood.

"Oh! Hi, navigator."

The raven-haired boy's exclamation made him raise his head and watched the girl come back again, standing some three feet away from them.

"I guess you can have this." She threw something that made a 'clang!' sound when it collided with the bricked road, and Luffy smiled in joy. "You got me out from a very sticky situation."

"Great, the key of the cage! Did you steal it for me? Thanks, Nami."

So, that was the girl's name. Well, better than calling her constantly 'orange-haired girl' or 'thief', as he was going to call her.

"I only did it so we'd be even, and now I don't owe you anything. So, we're square, okay?" Nami stated.

The straw hat boy only smirked while extending the hand to grab the key, and Koga supposed that the fact that Nami's help had only reinforced his determination to make her join them. So, maybe it was time to call her a companion.

Faster than the wind, the dog lurched forwards and closed its mouth around the key, swallowing it. Four pairs of eyes, wide as plates, watched it in disbelief as he sat again as if nothing had happened.

"YOU DOG!" Luffy, furious, grabbed it by its throat and shook it, shaking the cage with his impetuous movements. "SPIT THAT KEY! SPIT IT OUT, I SAY!"

"Oi, leave him alone, you brats!"

An unknown voice made Koga's head snap around, making his vision waver and his mind dizzy because of the sudden movement; he put a hand on the ground and raised his head to see an elderly man approach them, his gray hair oddly arranged in three lumps, two on the sides and the other on the front. He wore standard glasses –much like Coby's – and a brown armor chest plate with gauntlets. On his back, he had a spear.

"Who might you be, ossan?" Zoro asked.

"Ossan? I'm the Mayor of Orange Town, Boodle." He answered, watching the four warily. "Who are you, and why are you hurting Chouchou?" But the Mayor stopped asking when he saw Koga's bloody arm. "My, that's a serious injury... You should see a doctor, son."

He approached him and knelt before him, eyes fixed on the injury and quite ignoring the injured's stiff body.

"I'm fine, I just need some sleep and I'll be as good as new."

The mayor raised his head, and blinked in surprise upon seeing his bicolored eyes.

"Alright." He managed to say. "My house's just over there. You can rest up there."

Together with Zoro's help, Boodle led him into the house across the road, just in front of the pet store. When they got him settled down, the swordsman got out of the house, while the mayor cleaned his wound and bandaged it tightly. By then, Koga's eyes were dropping from sleep, and just as his head touched the pillow, his mind shut down.

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **"Bo-nii!"**

 **Only she calls me like that. Normally, I hate people giving me stupid nicknames, but she is the only one who finds my eyes cool, instead of freaky or scary. The day she put me this nickname, she explained that the Bo tree had leaves like my eyes, golden and silver, when Spring approached. At first, I didn't like the nick, but I grew fond of it as she continued calling me like that.**

 **I turn around, autumn leaves flying towards me as the cliff behind me brings to me the roaring sounds of the sea breaking against the rocks. It's a sound that soothes me deeply. I smile widely as I see her running towards me and stopping with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.**

 **"You shouldn't be up and around like that." I scold her nonetheless. "Jii-san will kill me."**

 **She grins, ignoring what I said. Her long, black hair is beginning to show the first signs of her illness, tainting it lightly with some strands of gray. Her tired blue eyes has a stubborn desire for living that makes my heart ache whenever I see it. She's thin, very thin, almost skin and bone.**

 **But she hates pity, so I don't feel it. In fact, I'm proud of her.**

 **"He won't know if you don't tell him."**

 **"And what about Yuuto? He'll know."**

 **"I'll tell him later. But here, this is for you."**

 **She hands me something. It's a simple brown package. I look at her raising an eyebrow, while she smirks.**

 **"It has been three years since you came here to the orphanage, remember? I..." she flushes, but never leaves my eyes. "I made something for you. I'm not very good at it, but... I hope you like it."**

 **Looking down at the package, I open it carefully. A light blue cloth, made of wool, was neatly folded there. I smile while taking it out, revealing it to be a scarf. I like its touch, smooth, and warm.**

 **"You made it?" I ask her, unfolding the scarf. It has medium length, almost 72''. It's a bit long for my 8-year-old body, but maybe, as an adult, I could wear it properly.**

 **"Yeah. I'm not good at knitting, but... This day's special, and so, the present had to be special. But it sure had been difficult, hiding it from Ojii-chan while making it. He almost caught me once." She sighs, and sees me caressing the scarf. "Well? Do you like it, Bo-nii?"**

 **I blink, looking at her, and then a huge smile appears on my face.**

 **"Yeah, I love it. It's a great present." I answer, nodding.**

 **I think her smile's going to split her face in two as she screams and hugs me tightly, taking me by surprise and look back, suddenly remembering that I was in the border of a cliff. She then steps away and, taking my brand new scarf, wraps it around my neck and let the two ends hanging at either side, reaching my navel.**

 **"It suits you." She says, smiling while touching the scarf.**

 **"And it's warm." I reply, taking her hand and closing my eyes to prevent a tear from falling from them. I feel her forehead against mine, her soft breath caressing my face. "Thanks, Karen."**

 **I feel her smile widening rather than see it as she answers me:**

 **"You're welcome, Bo-nii."**

* * *

 **BOOM!**

A huge explosion woke Koga up, startled. He blinked once, twice, as he noticed something odd in the ceiling. Was it breaking and becoming... closer?

His bicolored eyes widened as he then noticed that the whole building was going to smash him in the spot, and he didn't have time to get away even with his Devil Fruit powers. He cursed loudly as his uninjured arm covered his face, great chunks of boulders falling over him as the building collapsed over him in an inferno of rumbling that made his ears ring.

Once the house was reduced to a mountain of rubble, the chronicler began hearing voices from under the boulder he was under. He tried to push it by using his legs, but it was so damn heavy. Maybe a little push with his Devil Fruit's powers...

"... my house!" Hm, probably the mayor.

"Koga was inside!" That was the shocked voice of Zoro. The swordsman didn't think he was dead, did he?

"OI, KOGA!" Yup, his dumbass captain was also there. "YOU ALIVE?!"

An angered vein throbbed in Koga's head as he collected his strength and pushed the boulder off him, standing up covered in dust and pieces of rubble.

"Hey, you're alive!" He could see his idiotic grin even from afar. "Did you have a good nap?"

"I was having one, but then you idiots woke me up." Koga approached them whilst trying to get rid of the dust of his hair and clothes, huffing in annoyance. "I can't take a nap without a rude wake up, can I?" He yawned hiding it on his scarf and then looked around.

His face grew serious when he saw the pet shop also destroyed, the dog –Chouchou, he remembered the mayor calling it– watching it with a little dogfood box near it. The animal seemed pretty beaten up, but when he heard its whines, he knew they weren't because of its injuries. Well, at least, not its external injuries.

"Seems I've missed quite a lot of things." He murmured to Zoro, who was beside him.

The swordsman looked at him and nodded.

"The dog fought against a giant white lion to defend the pet store." He said. "It lost and the pet store was burnt, but Luffy beat the lion."

When looking at his companion from the corner of his eye, Koga saw that also Zoro had some bruises, as well as Luffy. His captain was currently talking to Nami, ignoring Boodle as he ran to fight Buggy himself, claiming to be the protector of Orange Town.

Koga approached the duo, followed by Zoro.

"... Are you gonna join my crew or what?" Luffy was asking, extending a hand to Nami. "Huh? Come on."

"I'd never sink so low as to become a pirate." She slapped the rubber boy's hand away when everyone thought she was going to take it, but then smiled. "But, I suppose we could team up. In order to achieve our common goal."

The idiot blinked for a moment before laughing and walking behind Boodle, ready to kick the Red Nose's ass. Zoro followed him closely, with his characteristic smirk on his face, caressing his white katana. Nami was the next in following after them.

But Koga went first to Chouchou, and patted it lightly on the head, being careful with its wounds. He closed his eyes for a moment before running after the trio, a new glimmer of determination in his pupils. Whoever did that to the dog, he was going to pay. Even if Luffy had already beaten him, Koga wanted to fight him too.

When they reached the building, the poor mayor was hanging in the air by a floating hand –Buggy's– but fortunately, Luffy saved him. Koga quite ignored everything as his blood pulsated in his ears.

As Luffy knocked the mayor out, his bicolored eyes continued scanning Buggy's crew. He was looking for someone. And he was really pissed off.

He'd teach that bastard a lesson.


	4. Treasure

**4\. Treasure**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Hi there people, sorry for the late update, but damn college exams just can't leave me alone T.T And also, sorry because it's not as long as the others.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Wow, long comment, yay! I'm glad I surprised you with Sankaoken ^^ He's sometimes a bastard with Koga (you'll see soon, hopefully, why I say that), but Koga is the only one that can wield it. And about his Devil Fruit... I'm afraid I cannot say it, yet (it'll be a surprise!). Yeah! Didn't like it when Oda stabbed poor Zoro. And about Koga's fight... Hehe, he's quite pissed off, I hope my battle scene is well enough showing it.**

 **-Sakura Hatsu: Hi, welcome! Thanks for your past comments ^^ Yeah, Koga despises being called 'Ossan' and also any mention to his eyes that he considers 'rude'. Oh, and also about his hair (it's blond, but a weird blond, almost white, and it seemed bleached xD) Normally he's a cool guy. Normally xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"BIG NOSE!"

Luffy's deafening yell made Koga cringe and pick his ear in annoyance, but his bicolored eyes were still blazing with a furious fire.

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

Shock and sheer surprise filled the silence as Buggy's crew dropped their jaws to the floor with wide eyes as their captain's face became redder than his own nose. And, despite his own anger and his intention of maintaining his 'I'm-a-cool-guy' image, Koga couldn't help but smirk behind his scarf.

Eyes shadowed under his clown-like hat, the enemy captain muttered frantically something under his breath before bellowing an order to his subordinates to prepare another Buggy Ball aimed at them. As soon as it was prepared, the cannon pointed at them, Nami freaked out:

"We have to get moving!"

Zoro seemed to agree with her.

"Luffy!" He called for his captain, moving to the side of the road, followed by a much calmer Koga. "We'd better get out of the way!"

"FIRE!"

 **BOOM!**

But Luffy didn't move an inch. In fact, he merely grinned as he took in as much air as he could.

"Gomu gomu no... FUUSEN!" Suddenly, his stomach expanded like a balloon, catching the cannonball on it and throwing it back to Buggy. He had a stunned expression on his face upon seeing the damn ball going back at him... Again.

 **KA-BOOM!**

A huge explosion surrounded the top of the tavern where the Buggy crew once stood upon, and that had collapsed immediately. For a moment, Koga frowned disturbed whilst considering that his prey was already dead. Well, he didn't want him to die anyways (not before he could kick his ass), but surely a whole building crumpling all over oneself was shitty as hell.

But now that he thought about it, didn't he survive to a demolished building? Maybe the bastard had as much luck as himself.

From the corner of his eye, Luffy, Zoro and Nami were arguing back and forth –mostly with the former laughing stupidly while the swordsman and the thief were punching him tiredlessly with ire marks on their foreheads. Not for the first time, Koga wondered why the hell did he join his crew. Well, yeah, 'cause becoming Pirate King was a badass story to tell.

The chunks of rubble above their heads moved a bit, dragging his attention back to the destruction. Buggy was completely unharmed, thanks to two subordinates he was holding in front of him with the function of shields and that were in a pretty bad shape. That coward, Koga thought with a grimace and his eyes flaming in fury. The ironic thing was, Buggy was also really pissed off.

"How dare you try to flashily do me in?!" He hollered, his high pitched voice even more annoying than before. If he didn't shut up, Koga was more than eager to do it instead of Luffy.

Another weird guy emerged from the wreckage a few feet away from the clown-y captain pirate, moaning in pain. He had a fuzzy white shirt and a weird hairstyle that reminded Koga of teddy bear ears on top of his head; he seemed pretty beaten up, and not only because a whole building had fallen upon him. He looked groggily around, until he spotted Luffy.

"AHH! It's that damn Mugiwara!" He screeched, and Koga's face went devoid of all emotion, as well as his bicolored eyes when he heard it. "Be careful, captain! This guy has Devil Fruit powers! He's a rubber person!"

Buggy grabbed him and tossed him towards the unmoving Straw Hat pirates, a few feet away from Koga's right, and in front of Luffy, who hadn't move a muscle.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" The clown shouted.

"I tried to!" He stammered to his feet and confronted Luffy with a scared face that didn't match the attempt of threat. "Out of my way!"

"No, YOU out of MY way!" Replied the rubber boy in a rather serene voice, raising his arm to punch the weird guy aside.

But, before he could land it, Koga's hand snaked around his captain's wrist, effectively halting him. When their eyes met, the chronicler's were empty as he looked at his captain as if searching something behind his pupils; the weird guy, apparently relieved for not receiving another punch of Luffy's, gazed between the two rather confused.

"Is this the lion guy?" His hoarse voice had dropped a few octaves.

Luffy frowned, but then a sudden light of realization showed in his eyes. The straw hat boy had perceived the 'I'm-so-pissed-off' look.

"Yeah."

Koga closed his eyes before opening his hand grasping the captain's wrist and stepping back a single step. Just one. And then his head snapped to look at the fuzzy guy with a piercing glare that terrified him, judging the paleness of his face and his round eyes. The tension and the kill-intent emitting from Koga's pupils were beginning to be too much for the fuzzy guy.

Before anyone could say something, a third figure emerged from the wreckage again, holding a huge white lion in front of him and dropping it to the side. It was a tall slender man with an odd hairstyle that covered half of his face and the other side was partially shaved. He wore a large blue and white checkered scarf that covered the lower portion of his face (much like Koga), a sleeveless, knee-high, purple coat , white pants with a blue sash and white shoes.

Fuzzy guy looked back and noticed the giant lion hanging on the other's hand.

"AHHH! RICHIE!" He screeched, tears running down his face. "You bastard! What are you doing to Richie?!"

"This is our greatest humiliation, captain." The newcomer ignored him while throwing the lion at the fuzzy, who began patting it while calling him by that ridiculous name.

"Oh, Cabaji." Buggy's forehead had a tiny vein pulsing with rage, whilst the newly named Cabaji walked up behind him. "I cannot suppress my anger any longer."

"Captain Buggy, please let me handle this."

The clown-y pirate looked at him and then smirked.

"Alright, show them your acrobatics!"

Cabaji jumped up and landed riding a unicycle towards them at a flashing speed, both hands wielding swords as he moved to Luffy to stab him.

"I'm the second mate of the Buggy Pirates, Cabaji the Acrobat! Captain Buggy's anger has been transferred to me!"

However, Zoro moved before Cabaji could stab Luffy and blocked it effortlessly.

"Since you use a sword, I'll be your opponent." He said in a cool way.

The Acrobat looked at him and seemed to agree, smirking with confidence. And just like that, their fight began.

"Since the first mate's gonna fight, Captain, I'm taking down this one." Koga said in a monotonous voice, glaring the fuzzy guy. "Shall I?"

And Luffy grinned with his idiotic smile.

"Sure!"

"Huh? Taking me down?" The fuzzy guy, after petting his injured lion and nursing it, looked at the bicolor-eyed young man and then laughed. "Are you joking? You're injured!" He pointed to Koga's bandaged left arm who was slightly soaked in blood.

But Koga simply glared down at him, waiting for him to stand up and fight against him. The fuzzy guy stopped talking and looked at him in disbelief. Was he really going to fight HIM? Sure, he was a bit shaken up thanks to that rubber idiot, but he had more than one ace under his sleeve, and besides, he was Buggy's First Mate! There was no way a lowly Second Mate, or whatever that eye-freak was, could stand even a minute of fight against him; he wouldn't need Richie to outstand someone like him, who seemed a skinny guy with a stab wound on his arm that would've probably worsened without proper care.

In the end, fuzzy guy snorted and stood up, after caressing Richie's muzzle.

"Captain Buggy, I'm gonna kill this eye-freak bastard!" He exclaimed proudly while taking out two daggers from under his fuzzy shirt. His skill was rather low, but against someone like him, it was surely more than enough. "It'll take me about a minute!"

"A minute?" Asked Buggy, frowning, before smirking. "Okay, Mohji, but don't delay more than that!"

"Roger that!"

Koga's hand went to his katana and drew it out without delay, eyes shadowed by the bangs of his hair.

"One minute?" He murmured in an eerie voice. "It'll be more than enough."

Mohji looked at him, then to the rusty katana, before bursting into laughter.

"Ahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, that's funny! How're you gonna fight me with an old rusty katana?"

But right after he said that, Koga disappeared. In a moment. He had been there, and in the next instant he wasn't. Only a small cloud of dust floated when he had been standing. Mohji, startled by Koga's freaking speed, looked around, hands grasping the daggers in front of his face.

"Only an idiot would underestimate a weapon." Mohji stiffened when he heard Koga's voice behind him, so low it reached only his ears. "And I have enough with my captain being an idiot."

"Crap!"

He began to turn around, but a fist bumped forcefully with his right cheek mid-turn. The blow made him fly a good few meters through the street, swirling around and screaming in terror, before his body collided to the ground; like a rag doll, he wriggled uncontrollably until he stopped, face against the ground.

At first, he didn't feel anything. But then, his face screamed in excrutiating pain, followed by the rest of his body. Everything hurt, but nothing more than his cheek. Grunting, he tried to incorporate by pushing himself off the ground with trembling hands, while he felt his head spinning. How the hell did that bastard move that fast? And how the hell was so freaking strong in punching? Wasn't he a simple low-ranked guy?

 **Tap. Tap. Tap.**

Koga's footsteps were approaching him. With a startled sound coming from his throat, Mohji raised his head so quickly, his mind spun around and made him lost his balance, his butt colliding with the ground. Frantically, his hands searched his daggers on the floor. Where were they...?

"Looking for something?"

A shadow lurked over him. Koga glanced down at him with empty bicolored eyes, face a mask. In his hands, instead of the katana he had mocked before, were a pair of menacing-looking brass knuckles; surely, the culprits of the pain he was feeling on his already swelling face.

He kicked softly something on the ground a few feet away from Mohji's frozen figure, putting it out of his reach. His daggers.

"I know my captain had beaten you before." A hoarse, monotone voice that sent shivers through the beast tamer's back for an unknown reason. "But now, I'm the one with that task. Though, the reason's practically the same."

The blond raised his arms and bumped his two fists wearing the brass knuckles, making a 'clank!' noise. Mohji's face paled whilst his legs began trembling out of control.

"You have no right to destroy someone's treasure just because. You've destroyed that dog's treasure, and now you're gonna apologize for doing it."

Finally, upon hearing this, the fuzzy guy found his voice, though stammering and weak.

"What? Are you crazy? It's just a dog! I'm not gonna apologize to such a brainless creature!"

"Sure you have balls to say that..."

The blond kicked him on his chest, effectively knocking the air out of him. As he doubled over himself and began coughing, Koga surrounded him and grabbed the back of his fuzzy shirt, dragging him down the street, an impassible look on his face as he ignored Mohji's bellowings and shouts, and also his attempts to free himself.

Not too long afterwards, Koga dropped him in front of Chouchou, that observed them with the same impassive look. Mohji scrambled back to his knees, but couldn't stand up because Koga put a foot on his back, forcing him to stay low.

"Apologize." His icy voice reached the beast tamer's ears.

"I'm not gonna apologize to a brainless dog!" He protested.

Koga sighed.

 **BONK!**

"OW!"

Normally, the chronicler's bumps were painful, but when adding a pair of iron brass knuckles, the pain was simply multiplied by five.

"Apologize." He repeated, with the same cold, impassive voice.

"... No, I won't."

 **BONK!**

"Apologize."

"..."

 **BONK!**

"Apologize."

"... Ugh."

 **BONK!**

"Apol..."

"Okay, okay!" Mohji bellowed, his head full of bumps and forehead on the ground. "Just stop hitting me already!"

The absence of a fist colliding with his skull alliviated him greatly, and he sighed in relief before looking at the dog's black eyes, unmoving, fixed on him. It was humiliating, but he couldn't do anything against Koga; he had made him fly with a single punch to his face. The blond was too strong, and he was powerless without Richie.

He had underestimated him.

"... I'm sorry."

Koga's foot rubbed against his back, making him cringe in pain and protest.

"You can do better than that." His voice was as icy as ever.

"I'm very sorry!"

"Again."

"... Ugh." Swallowing his pride, Mohji looked right in the dog's eyes. "I'm sorry for destroying your treasure, please forgive me!" And, just for shutting the bastard up, he bowed his head until his forehead touched the ground. "I promise I won't ever do it again!"

There was a long, long silence before Chouchou barked once. Right after, the foot on his back lifted and Koga stepped away, letting the beast tamer stand up with his head full of bumps and a swollen face. Looking around, the bicolor-eyed young man had the same neutral mask and the same hard eyes; the dog was at his side, rubbing itself against his right leg in what seemed gratefulness before going back standing before his master's destroyed pet store.

"It seems the dog has forgiven you." Koga broke the silence. "It wasn't that hard, was it?"

Though he sincerely was freaking him out, Mohji put a brave face and grinned confidently as the blond guy turned around to go back to his captain and the rest of the crew, his back to the beast tamer. He was unarmed, but surely a punch would do something against a monster like him. Oh, of course, the stab injury! His grin widened as he launched at his back, left leg already forming an arc to kick his injured arm.

"Don't ever turn your back to your enemy!" He yelled in triumph, already savoring his victory.

 **CRUNCH!**

With a sickening sound, Koga's left fist pounded the already punched face of the beast tamer, reducing it to a bloody pump. Mohji made some unintelligible noises with his leg still in the air, before slumping backwards, out cold, on the ground.

The chronicler sighed once again before looking at Chouchou. His face had already dropped the scary blank mask and his eyes were noticeably softer.

"Well, I'm leaving. Keep doing your good job."

The dog barked, and hiding a smirk under his scarf once again, Koga jogged back to where his crew was. Surely, the fight had lasted more than a minute, but still, he had achieved what he wanted: a barely sincere apologize. A simple apology wouldn't take the pet store back, of course, but it would partially heal the dog's internal wounds; with time, those wounds would turn into thin scars. Just like his.

 _Brat, you just have to stop using me on weaklings._

"I already told you that I don't pick my enemies."

 _Liar! You just picked!_

"... Did I? No matter, he was asking for a beating."

 _Crappy owner._

"Shitty demon."

And he just had to stop talking with a demon inside a katana –or well, brass knuckles in this case. People would think he was nuts.

"Oi, Koga!"

And that was Luffy calling for him. The straw hat boy was running towards him, a slightly beaten Zoro and a scared Nami right behind him as if some kind of demon was chasing them. His captain waved at his chronicler, a stupid grin spreading through his face.

"Oi, oi, what...?"

"DON'T ASK AND RUN!" Yelled Zoro.

Just then, looking beyond his companions, he saw them. The angry mob, probably the villagers. They were shouting with eyes filled of fury, commanding them to stop.

"Shit!" He cursed lowly as Luffy went past him, before turning on his heels and following suit. "How did this happen?"

"Your idiot captain told them he had knocked out the mayor!" Shouted Nami, a bit breathless. "And then, he admitted you were pirates!"

Koga looked at her wordlessly.

"... Well that's true."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT HERE!" Her teeth became shark-like as she put on a furious look while Luffy laughed and Zoro smirked. "Oh, isn't that Chouchou?!"

Sure thing, just up ahead, Chouchou was standing on the middle of the road. For a moment, Koga thought he was going to stop them, but as they became closer, he perceived its dark eyes were fixed on the mob, not in themselves. Apparently, Luffy also realized that, because he just grinned and continued running... surpassing him. Nami put a surprised look as she turned her head to look at Chouchou who began barking at the villagers.

"Thanks, doggie!" Shouted Luffy, and Chouchou asnwered with a loud bark.

The villagers, confused as to why the loyal dog was barking at them instead of the pirates who had run past him, skidded to a stop in front of him and asked why the hell did he stand in their way. Unable to move as Chouchou growled at them, the pirates escaped, eventually disappearing out of their sights.

Once they confirmed the raging mob wasn't following them any longer, the pirates along with Nami appeared on the harbor –though Koga had to force Zoro to follow them instead of running in any other direction. Next to their rowboat, a slightly larger boat (with even an indoor cabin, something their boat lacked) with Buggy's jolly roger on the side was awaiting Nami.

"We only made it... because of Chouchou." Gasped said thief, trying to catch her breath between pants.

"Hold on, wait." Zoro went to Nami's boat. "Is this one of Buggy's ship? I can see one of his jolly rogers on it."

"It's nothing special, but I guess it will do. I stole it from some idiots of the Buggy pirates a few days back."

Koga's 'sixth sense' then began to tilt.

"Oi, I think you shouldn't..."

"That's a big mouth you got." A familiar voice emerged from the boat, and the three guys Zoro and himself rescued earlier on the sea popped out.

Nami let out a yelp of surprise as the three pirates grinned at them fiendishly. Koga just sighed and muttered a 'Nevermind' under his breath.

"We've been waiting for you, little thief." The leader said.

"You didn't think you'd run into us here now, did you girly?" The one of the left grinned while Name left out a nervous chuckle.

"You know these guys?" Koga facepalmed at Luffy's simpleness.

"So, these are your friends, huh?" The one in the middle snorted while the three jumped off the ship. "I guess we need to... AHHH!"

"What?" The one of the right asked, confused.

The leader had a finger pointed at Zoro and Koga, who had been standing in silence behind Luffy. Both of them lifted an eyebrow.

"YOU!"

"Oh, it's you guys." The chronicler smirked, bringing up casually his brass knuckles slightly covered in blood. At that sight, the three hitchhikers simply disappeared, jumping into the sea and took off swimming for their lives, screaming in fear. The blond lost his smile and put a rather confused face, blinking, while Luffy laughed and Zoro smirked.

"What did I do to scare them like that?" He asked to his companions.

"Don't know, don't care." Zoro shrugged while untying the knots of the ships and tying them together afterwards.

The three males clambered to their ship and Nami boarded hers –or Buggy's. While setting off, Luffy commented about Buggy's jolly roger in the sail and the girl answered she'd erase it later.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU MORONS!" The mayor's voice made them turn their heads. He had tears running down his cheeks, but had a bright smile on his face. "I'm sorry! I owe you!"

"Don't worry about it!" Luffy yelled back, waving at him with his cheesy grin plastered on his face. "Just live happy lives!"

'Happy lives, huh.' As his brass knuckles turned into his characteristic katana, Koga smiled absently while cleaning it from blood and sheathing it again, ignoring Nami's questions about it. It'd be wonderful if he could live a happy life, too.

 _Aren't you living one, kid?_

... Maybe a bit, he was beginning to. As he sighed once more, and after checking his arm's bandage, Koga put his back against the side of the boat, imitating Zoro's position across from him, and crossed his hands over his chest to prepare himself for a little nap.

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **"JII-SAN!"**

 **"Koga, why are you yelling so loud?"**

 **"Jii-san, pirates! They're gonna kill everyone! What do we do?!"**

 **"First of all, calm down kid. Had they arrive at the beach?"**

 **"N-no, but they aren't far."**

 **"Alright, I'll alert everyone in the village while you alert the orphanage."**

 **"WHAT?! Jii-san, they HATE you! They won't listen!"**

 **"I know, but I have to do it. But, if I don't return, make sure to take care of Karen."**

 **"Of course I will, Jii-san, but only if you promise to come back alive."**

 **"... I'll try, that's all I can promise. You're so strong, my little boy. I know you'll live a long life. Your Devil Fruit powers will keep you alive, but you have to find the reason to make you grasp your life."**

 **"... Jii-san?"**

 **"Now, go. Run to the orphanage and alert everyone. Also, find Yuuto and Karen, and protect each other you three. I'm glad you're as close as real brothers. Now, run, before it's too late!"**

* * *

Koga's eyes snapped open while gasping for breath, cold sweat running through his face. It had been a nightmare. Or a bad memory. Damn it.

He was still in the same position when had drifted off to sleep, but now night had fallen. Quite a while ago, judging the moon's position in the sky. Luffy and Zoro were snoring in the boat's floor, the captain with his limbs spread and the swordsman cross-legged, head hanging. He couldn't see Nami anywhere, but he supposed she was in the cabin of her boat, seeking privacy and a little silence.

Making as little noise as he could, the chronicler stood up and stretched his arms above his head, his back making some popping noises. Sighing in content, he searched in his bag his notebook and his plume, sat down, and began writing the story of Orange Town, about its proud mayor Boodle, about Chouchou and his loyalty, about Buggy and his crew, and about Nami the thief/navigator. The full moon above his head emitted enough light to keep him from lighting a lantern and wake up the others, and the smooth waves soothed his troubled soul.

Whenever he was distressed or furious, whatever the reason, Koga would always calm down with his head in his notebooks and stories or with his gaze in the starry skies. Always alone, always with his own thoughts and his demon sword as companions. But now, with Luffy and the others, he wasn't alone anymore, and he couldn't quite pinpoint if that fact disturbed him... or rather pleased him.

'Well, time shall say.'

* * *

 **A/N: I don't usually write comments at the end of the chapter, but this I have to say. I'm sorry if someone wanted Koga to fight Mohji seriously or wanted the beast tamer to use Richie alongside with him, but I have to say that my OC was only looking for Mohji to apologize to Chouchou, and that's it. Mohji was already in a pretty bad shape from his fight with Luffy, so adding even more beating seemed rather excessive to me. So again, I'm sorry if I disappointed someone's expectations.**

 **And also, I need your help guys: you've probably seen in chapter two that, when Koga made his special move (you know, the 'throwing the katana' thingy), he said the name has to improve. So, that's a task for you guys: if you want, think of a cool name for that move and send me the answer via PM or reviewing this chap ^^**

 **And that's it. I hope you liked the chap (even without a proper fighting), and see you next time!**


	5. Lies

**5\. Lies**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Koga greeted dawn as he watched it from his seat at the front of the boat, ignoring his companions' loud snores. The soft sway of the ship moving at the waves' rhythm soothed his troubled soul as he remembered Yuuto and Karen.

Yuuto looked much like Luffy in their younger years, a bit less goofy perhaps but always making fun of everything. That didn't mean he couldn't be serious when it was needed, of course not, but fortunately there weren't many moments in which he had been deadly serious about something. Of course, after the... 'incident' occurred some years ago, Koga didn't know how he had changed since then.

Karen... Koga admitted she had been strange. At moments her illness made her feel weak and she couldn't even speak properly, but other times her inner strength made her pick fights with her older brothers when she wanted to get out of the house. She was stubborn, always wanting to have things her way, but other times she was plaintive. She would cry and shout in anger at the same time, never knowing how exactly she should feel.

... Damn it, he'd never understand women.

After everyone woke up and had their breakfast -having of course a bit of a struggle against Luffy to keep his rubbery hands out of their plates, and Nami quickly learning to do so, the navigator suddenly make a declaration: "We have to plan things more."

Luffy, Zoro and Koga looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" The captain dumbly asked.

"Do you really plan on going to the Grand Line like this?" Disbelief etched her voice as she raised a single eyebrow at the rubbery teen.

"You mean to look for a better ship, right?" Koga asked, earning a relieved sigh from the red-haired girl. He then explained to the other two, as they were looking rather lost: "With this miniboat we have, we won't last in the Grand Line."

"And we're also short on crewmembers." Nami nodded. "No matter what you think, we can't possibly be safe! We have to prepare, and plan for the journey ahead. There's a village due north, we should go there first."

"And eat some meat!" Luffy cried out, launching his arms to the sky.

Koga sighed and shook his head as Nami beat the crap out of him again for not being attentive and not prioritizing their needs.

"Wow, there really is an island here!" Luffy exclaimed as they pulled up to the island and started to clamber out.

"What did you expect?" Nami blurted out offended at him doubting her skills. "We followed the map, so it won't be wrong."

"You're talking with an idiot and an idiot with no sense of direction." Koga put a hand over Nami's shoulder, and then shrugged sheepishly. "Me, I admit I don't know how to read maps."

The girl looked at him narrow-eyed, and then shrugged his hand off before going to stand with Luffy and Zoro. Not minding her reaction, the chronicler let it go and watched the island, with tall leafy woods and a slope flanked by steep cliffs. The beach they were in seemed quite calm and heavenly, but the bicolor-eyed young man had a weird feeling about its apparent peacefulness.

"There's nothing here but forests!" Luffy wailed.

And then, as if on cue, Koga's intuition began to tingle, softly, almost going unnoticed, but still sparking caution inside him.

"But it's not empty." He warned, a hand coming closer to the hilt of his katana, seeing Zoro from the corner of his eye doing the same.

Before anyone could stop him, however, Luffy went off screaming "Meat!" with all his lungs' might. Zoro and Nami called out to him to stop, but fortunately someone made him just do that with something shot at his feet in a cloud of dust. While both Koga and the swordsman gripped their swords in preparation for battle, the red-haired thief ran back to the boats for cover, Luffy began to dance to avoid being hit by the projectiles. Right after whoever was attacking the rubbery teen stopped, dozens of black flags rose up from bushes and trees, each with a jolly roger imprinted on them.

"HA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" An unknown voice suddenly laughed boastily. "I am Captain Usopp, leader of the invincible nation of pirates who reign over this island!"

His intuition began quieting down, causing a raised blond eyebrow from the confused chronicler. Until he looked upwards to where the confident voice had come from, atop a part of the cliffs that jutted out slightly more than the rest; there, standing with arms crossed over his chest, stood a young teenager, maybe of Luffy's age, with mid-length, curly black hair and tan skin, a bit darker than himself. On his head he wore an olive green plaid bandanna and a pair of goggles with a blue-and-white striped armband on his left arm. He also wore a pair of brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath. Hanging from his right shoulder was a large orange satchel.

 _He looks pretty normal. Well, except for that abnormally long nose._

'I agree.' Surprisingly, both demon and wielder had the same thoughts. Odd.

"You stand before a living legend; the most revered pirate to ever live! I AM THE GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP! If you're thinking about attacking this village, you should just save your strength! Otherwise my 80 million men will crush you like a bug!"

 _More than legend, I would think he's a legendary liar._

 _'_ Someone shut him up, please.' Koga groaned inwardly, ruffling his blond hair in annoyance. Whether he was talking about Usopp or _Sankaoken_ , not even he knew. Or at his idiotic captain, who exclaimed "Incredible!" with little stars shining around his eyes in admiration, totally taking the bait.

"It's a lie." Nami declared with a deadpan expression on her face.

Usopp grabbed the sides of his head in panic: "She saw through it!"

"Everyone did." Koga snapped. "And you just confirmed it. Idiot."

Usopp trembled and then explodede, trying to cover his own blown-up plan: "Damn you! 80 million might have been an exaggeration but I have many strong and powerful companions!"

As he said that, six more flags were waved, and Koga raised an eyebrow.

"Well according to my intuition, your so 'powerful companions' are only three." He cocked his head to the side. "And quite young if I may add."

On cue, three little kids jumped out of their cover and ran away screaming that he found out, ignoring Usopp's desperate attempts to make them come back. The blond young man sighed while ruffling his hair, trying to hide his boredom as Luffy said something about the long-nosed teen being an 'interesting fellow'.

And then, maybe noticing the chronicler's boredom, Usopp suddenly aimed at them with a slingshot, a dark metal ball in it, with a dark look on his face.

"Don't laugh at me, or I'll show you why they call me proud Usopp!" He warned them. "You've seen just how good I am with this thing, so you know that I can rival anyone with a pistol."

'And why isn't he using a pistol instead of a slingshot?' Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes at the curly-haired teen. Was he afraid of killing?

A small silence settled between them, until Luffy came up, his eyes shadowed by the brim of his treasured straw hat. "Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?" He muttered with an eerie voice. "Guns aren't for threats, they're for actions. Are you willing to risk your life?"

Even from afar, Zoro and Koga noticed Usopp beginning to sweat profusely and shaking as he pulled at the pouch of his slingshot, but doubting to shoot; he was afraid. They both looked at each other and subtly nodded, deciding to follow their captain's plan.

"The one that stands before you is the real pirate." Zoro slowly unsheathed his sword, the blade shining on the sunlight, a sort of evil grin across his face.

'One final push.' Koga thought, and cracked his knuckles menacingly, no hint of a smile on his face however. "If you're willing to die, come at us."

 **Thump!**

Impressed by the threat emanating from the pirates, Usopp let go of his slingshot and fell to his knees, wide teary eyes locked in the three male pirates.

"As I thought, the real pirate's speech is much more intimidating." He mumbled, awe-struck. "Incredible."

Luffy and Zoro began laughing while a smirk crossed Koga's features.

"I just repeated what someone said." The goofy captain admitted. "The pirate I deeply respect, Shanks."

That definitely got his total admiration from the long-nosed teen: "Sha-Shanks you say?! As in 'Red Haired' Shanks?! You know that great pirate?!"

"Yeah. Yasopp, right? Your dad's name."

Usopp's eyes popped out in utter disbelief as he fell and rolled down to the crew. The rubber teen smiled as the liar sat up and looked at him.

"It's true that Yasopp's my father's name, but how do you know that?"

Luffy opened his mouth to answer, but a growling noise coming from the deep of his stomach was the only noise that came out. He shrank to his knees, moaning "Meat..." Having expected this, Koga sighed as he facepalmed exasperated.

"Oi, are you okay?" The long-nosed teen in concern.

"Don't worry, he's just really hungry... As always." Koga brushed it off with a wave of his hand as he took Luffy's arm and put it over his own shoulders, Zoro imitating him. As he looked up at the teen, it didn't come unnoticed the momentary surprise in his eyes upon seeing the distinctive colors decorating each of the chronicler's pupils.

"Can we take him to a restaurant of some sort?" The swordsman asked, promptly taking Usopp out of his reverie.

"Uh? Oh yeah! Follow me, I can take you to a really nice place!"

And said and done, he led them to a nice-looking village -whose villagers all but frowned at Usopp, but he ignored them- and into the local inn, a cozy warm place that reminded Koga a lot of the restaurant Rika and Ririka had at Shellstown, before all of that pirate madness began. Luffy all but revived at the delicious smell of meat floating in the air, and seconds later everyone was wolfing down some really good meals; well, at least Koga and Nami were being civilized and using their utensils to eat.

"Pretty good isn't it?" Usopp asked from his seat across from them. He had been looking with mouth and eyes wide at how they had been eating -and the amount!- but quickly got used to it and was now boasting about the inn.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, before swallowing what he had on his stuffed mouth and answered the question Usopp made him earlier. "I met him when I was young."

"My father was on Shanks' ship?" The long-nosed teen asked, pride evident in his voice, as if instead of his father was himself Shanks' crewmember.

Koga turned off Luffy's story about Yasopp's incredible marksmanship while sipping on his orange juice -that was really good- with a small smirk on his face.

"Exactly what I thought!" Usopp's wide smile beamed in happiness and pride, taking Koga out of his momentary dark thoughts. "To disregard his own life and indulge himself in the vast and endless sea... I feel so proud of my father."

And, even though he didn't quite approve a father abandoning his own family for mere selfishness, the chronicler felt a tug on the corner of his lips as he lifted his scarf up to his nose. He decided that, if Usopp was really okay with that, it didn't really matter then; if the teen felt really proud of his father even after being abandoned, it only meant that he didn't save any ill-feelings towards them.

"Then that makes our discussion much easier." Nami then spoke, turning Usopp's attention to her. "Is there anyone in this village that can sail a ship or acquire a large ship?"

The tan-skinned teen sighed as he dropped his head to his hand. "As you can see, this is a very small village. I'm sorry, but there's no way to fulfill your request."

"On top of that hill..." Zoro pointed with his tankard out of the window. "There was a large mansion."

At this, Usopp's eyes widened, promptly making Koga's to narrow.

"Hey Usopp, do you know them?" Nami clapped her hands together in an attempt to look endearing. "I wonder if we can ask them for a little financial support."

"You can't go there!" Usopp yelled surprising everyone... and making the chronicler's scowl deepen. Realizing his slip-up, he tried to get away. "A-ah, I just remembered that I still have to do something! I know the owner of this inn very well so feel free to order anything you want!"

And with that, he dashed out of the inn, leaving four pirates utterly confused at his reaction. Well, three of them, because Luffy was still extremely busy stuffing his mouth to even notice that their host had vanished.

"What happened all of a sudden?" Nami turned to the other two that had noticed Usopp's weird behavior.

"He's hiding something." Koga shrugged. "I think there's something important to him in that mansion."

"How do you know?" The navigator inquired in even more confusion.

"Intuition."

Seeing her raise her eyebrows in skepticism and open her mouth, Koga felt grateful when suddenly three kids armed with wooden swords barged inside the inn with a rather loud "Usopp's pirate crew is here!"

However, their outburst only caused one or two customers to raise their heads to immediately lower them towards their meal, obviously used to the loud presence of the kids. They didn't mind, however, as they spotted the pirates and rushed to the table angrily.

"The captain's not here!" One of them, a freckled boy with short spiky purple hair exclaimed, having just realized the fact. His hair covered his eyes, and he had a red hat atop it and completed his attire with a black sweater, a reddish-brown sash, light orange pants, and dark brown shoes, with light brown on the bottom.

"Don't tell me..." Another wailed, a boy with straight brown hair with a tuft sticking up at the top, making his head reminiscent of an onion in appearance, and tiny eyes. He wore square glasses, a yellow shirt with a blue vest jacket over it. He also dressed a dark yellow sash, dark brown pants, and black shoes, with grey on the very top and bottom, with tan buckles.

The last one left, a boy with dark green hair shaped like a pepper waring a lightly green short sleeves shirt and a light blue sash, dark blue pants, and black shoes with grey laces, and grey on the bottom and very top, stepped forward, raising his fake sword with a scowl that was supposed to be menacing. "Hey pirates! What have you done to our captain Usopp?!"

"What have you done?!" The other two parroted.

Having finished just then his meal, Luffy tapped his overgrown stomach with a huge smile on his face. "Whew, that was a good meat!"

The three boys' faces paled. "Meat?!"

"Your captain was..." A sinister made its way through the moss-haired teen's face. "Eaten."

"AAAAAAAHH!" They screamed, and then looked at Nami. "Onibaba!" **(A/N: 'Onibaba' is an Oni from Japanese folklore that has the appearance of an old woman but is a yōkai that feasts on humans. Variously known as the "Demon-Hag," "Old Hag," "Mountain Woman," "the Goblin of Adachigahara," and "Kurozuka," the Onibaba has many stories behind her name. Thanks Wikipedia for the info xD)**

"Why are you looking at me?!" She yelled at them her teeth growing sharp as a shark's.

The three of them suddenly fainted, their small bodies emitting small 'thud's. Luffy and Zoro then began to laugh as Koga drew an amused smile on his face, trying to hide it while finishing his own orange juice.

"It's all because you guys are stupid!" The navigator scolded the two laughing teens, and then turned to the older boy to berate him too. "And why the hell didn't you stop them?"

"They wouldn't listen to me." He shrugged, still trying to get rid of his smile.

"YOU SHOULD'VE TRIED ANYWAYS!"

* * *

"It was a joke..." The orange-haired kid, named Ninjin breathed in relief once the pirate crew explained everything.

Somehow, they had convinced the small trio to guide them towards the mansion to find Usopp. As they were approaching it, the mansion looked really huge, but when they stopped just at the side of the polished clean marble walls, it looked freakingly _massive_! Everything, from its lush gardens surrounding the building to the big windows and the giant fence that walled it all off from the outside world, symbolized the personification of wealth.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Luffy gaped, looking everything wide-eyed.

"If the captain ran off at this hour, then this is the place he has to be!" The boy called Tamanegi explained.

"What the heck does he come here for?" The rubber teen questioned with his arms folded behind his arms.

"He comes here to lie." Ninjin declared rather casually.

Koga raised an eyebrow.

"Lie? That's terrible!" Nami exclaimed.

But, contrary at what she had thought they would react, the kids grew furious and Piiman explained to them the story of the heiress of the mansion, a girl named Kaya, and how she fell in a depression after her parents' death. Since then, Usopp began to come by and tell her fake stories to cheer her up. They were lies, but told with a good intention, and that was enough for Koga.

"Captain's lying is the first class." Ninjin declared after their story.

"What, so he's a good guy?" Luffy asked, poking his nose with his pinkie.

"Yeah!" All three kids exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I like the way he keeps meddling in other people's business." Ninjin said.

 _Oh, so he's nosey._

"I like the way he overreacts to everything." Piiman added.

 _A dramatic brat._

"I like the way he lies." Tamanegi finished.

 _And of course, a Pinocchio._

Ugh! _Sankaoken_ was beginning to draw him mad, so he had to shake his head to clear his mind. Fortunately, no one noticed him doing that.

"Great!" Luffy shouted while raising a fist. "I think we should ask her for a ship after all!"

And just like that, and ignoring his crew's and the kids' alarmed shouts and attempts to stop him, the rubber teen propelled them over the fence and into the garden at the other side. Luffy, the kids and Nami were lucky, as they landed in bushes –well, the captain was a rubbery man, so he wouldn't suffer anyways– but Zoro had landed on harsh ground and Koga had collided against the mansion's wall and was turned upside down on it, his legs at either side of his head and a furious scowl on his face.

"Successful entry." Luffy mumbled with a huge grin.

"No it wasn't!" Nami yelled at him.

"Luffy, I'm gonna kill you some day." The chronicler groaned, managing to sit upright and dust himself off.

And then, a timid voice called out to them from over his head. "A– are you alright?"

Raising his head curiously after fixing his scarf, he saw a fairly tall, slim, and pale girl with blonde hair with wide brown eyes looking at them from her window in worry. She was dressed with what looked a fairly simple white gown, but from his position he wasn't sure.

Usopp was also there, looking at them with mouth agape at their sudden intrusion, but then recovered quickly. "Ah, it's okay! They heard how great I am so they came to join the Usopp pirates!" He lied as Luffy stood up.

"That's not it." He simply stated looking at Kaya, ignoring Usopp's sudden depression. "We have a favor to ask from you."

"Favor? From me?"

"Yeah, we want a large ship!"

She seemed rather surprised to be asked about that, but as her mouth opened to reply…

… Koga's intuition suddenly went off.

It almost startled him, how furiously it rang in the back of his head that he almost staggered as he turned around sharply to confront whoever –or whatever– was approaching them from behind.

All he saw was a slim man with glasses and slicked black hair, dressed with black suit with two golden markings on it over a white shirt with a curious collar, with spiral-like protrusions on the edges, and a standard black tie. He also sports striped shoes. With his hands behind his back in a rather uptight manner, he approached them with a blank mask on his face but a dark look in his black eyes that made all of Koga's inner alarms go off, as his intuition did before and was still doing.

"You there, what are you doing here?" He demanded to know as he approached them and "Klahadore." Kaya muttered, obviously having recognized him.

Koga's fingertips itched as he controlled himself and not draw out his katana, but the deep scowl he had on his face couldn't be erased as he watched the man approach them and stop at his left, about two meters from him.

"You are trespassing and causing trouble here." He lifted his glasses in a rather curious way, with his palm.

"Excuse me, Klahadore, these people are…" Kaya tried to explain, but the apparent butler didn't even give her the opportunity to do so as he abruptly interrupted her.

"You don't need to tell me now. I will listen to your explanation later. Now, you people, I'd like all of you to leave this area. Or, do you have something to say?"

Obviously, in his naivety, Luffy interpreted it as a direct question and not a rhetoric one.

"Oh, you see, we'd like a ship…"

"Definitely not!" Klahadore exclaimed as he once again lifted his glasses up in that weird way, and Koga's scowl deepened even more, getting angrier at his constant interruptions. The butler then looked up and located Usopp trying to hide behind the tree. "Usopp-kun! I heard quite a lot about you. You are famous in the village."

Usopp poked his head to the side of the tree with a forced smile on his face. "Really?"

 _So Long-Nose doesn't like the butler huh?_

'No wonder,' Koga all but groaned, displeased at the danger that guy emitted, his intuition about to drive him crazy.

"So, you have faced many kinds of dangers before. That's quite a feat at such a young age."

The chronicler narrowed his eyes at the mockery he detected on the butler's voice. What was he doing…?

"You may call me Captain Usopp! It will help you spread my name!" Usopp bragged, pointing at himself and no longer hiding behind the tree and standing on the branch he had been before.

"Captain, eh…?" Klahadore chuckled, with a dark undertone hidden that sent shivers down Koga's spine. "I even heard stories about your father."

"What…?" Usopp asked in confusion. How did a simple butler know Yasopp?

Maybe sensing what the butler was about to do, Kaya turned to him. "Klahadore, cease this at once!"

"You are just a son of a low-life pirate!" Klahadore ignored her order as Koga saw from the corner of his eye Luffy raising his head to look at the butler with a blank stare. "Although anything you do won't be much of a surprise, but would you please stop pestering our lady?"

"You called my father… low-life?" The long-nosed muttered, disbelief and anger tainting his voice.

"You come from a totally different world than our lady. Is it money you want? How much is it?"

"That's enough Klahadore!" Said lady screamed in fury. "Apologize to Usopp-san at once!"

"Why should I apologize to this barbarian, lady? I am only stating the truth. I sympathize with you though. You must be filled with hatred, hatred for your idiotic father who abandoned you and your mother to look for treasure as a pirate."

"Klahadore!" Kaya yelled once again, trying to be heard by the butler as he mercilessly insulted her friend's father.

"You bastard, you better stop insulting my father!" Usopp's face had paled in fury, lips firmly pressed and whole body trembling. He jumped down, a grappling hook came out of his satchel, hooking onto the branch and easing his landing a lot. As he stepped onto safe ground, the hook came back to his place and he glared angrily at the impassive Klahadore.

"What are you so agitated over?" He merely asked. "It's at times like this that you should do what you do the best, lie. Just say you have nothing to do with your father, or that he's not your birth-father…"

At that moment, something snapped inside the poor curly-haired boy as he launched himself at Klahadore with a loud "Shut up!"

 **POW! THUD!**

Usopp's fist collided with the butler's face and threw him to the ground because of the force. Kaya gasped and brought her hands to her face in horror, Luffy for once had a frown on his face, Zoro looked nonchalant and Nami uncertain. And Koga, he simply thought that Usopp had been lucky and caught the butler off-guard.

The shocked silence broke when the butler sat up and grabbed his injured cheek. "See that? Turning to violence right away. No wonder they say 'like father, like son'."

"Shut up! I'm proud my father is a pirate. Being a brave warrior of the sea, I'm very proud of him! Although it's true that I'm a plain old liar, but pirate blood runs through my veins! That's not a kind of honor that can be imitated! For I am the son of a pirate!"

"Captain…" Ninjin muttered, quite moved at his captain's words.

"Pirates are the warriors of the sea, huh? You are pretty naïve to have that ideology." Klahadore stood back up. "You just proved that you have barbaric blood in you. You lie and resort to violence whenever something upsets you. You are only after our lady's fortune and that's why you are trying to get close to her!"

And then, the long-nosed teen snapped again. But this time, Koga was prepared.

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!" He muttered just as Usopp began to move again.

Around the chronicler everything slowed down, seeming as moving into jelly or water. He barely saw the frozen horrified expressions of the kids, Kaya and Nami, as well as Zoro's and Luffy's seriousness as they were watching the scene. Usopp had already launched himself at the butler, rage evident in his face with an arm cocked back to throw another punch, but then the blond young man noticed Klahadore's hand in his pants pocket, and could see the small glint of a pocket knife shining under the sunlight.

Knowing his increasing-speed technique only lasted a few seconds before wearing down his muscles, he quickly stepped between the butler and the liar, one hand stretched towards the latter's overall and the other gripping Klahadore's wrist to prevent him from unsheathing his knife.

"Cancel." He breathed out, bracing himself to the weariness.

Usopp slammed himself against Koga's outstretched hand, and raised his head to see the chronicler stopping him. The three kids screamed but stopped at the absence of a punch.

"Koga!" Nami exclaimed, surprised.

"How did he…?" Zoro muttered, also wide-eyed.

Luffy looked at his chronicler with still that same blank look on his face, but didn't say anything, as well as Klahadore.

"You sure talk a lot." The blond grunted, his eyes shadowed by his hair as he breathed heavily. He then looked sideways at the long-nosed teen and he noticed small beads of sweat on his forehead. "Both of you."

The teen grew furious and tried to pry himself off Koga's hand. "Let me go! Let me punch that arrogant bastard!"

"If you're really willing to die, then be my guest." The younger man flinched at his harsh words. "But after that little speech you gave earlier about how proud you are of your father, you should know perfectly well that his words shouldn't affect you."

"What…?"

"I understand that he insulted your father, but they're only words. Whether they're true or wrong, only you know. And you know your father. Don't let your anger control you; it's just what he wants." Usopp doubted. "It doesn't matter if your father is a noble, a pirate, or a king; he will always be your father, and you can be proud of him."

No longer feeling that Usopp wanted to smash Klahadore's head against the concrete, Koga let go of his overalls. Then he turned to the butler and let him go too, but much more warily.

"You're lucky."

"Huh?" Usopp raised his head towards the older boy, but he had already turned his back at him and he couldn't see his expression.

"Enough of this! Get out of here!" Klahadore snapped angrily, mostly talking to Usopp though.

The long-nosed teen looked furiously at the butler, then at his friend Kaya who looked indecisive, and then back at the black-clad man.

"Fine. I was going to leave even if you didn't tell me to. I'll never come back again."

And with that, he turned to his heels and ran away, ignoring Kaya's callings for him to come back, but he just kept running. The three kids and Luffy insulted the caretaker and had to be dragged by Nami and Zoro when they tried to jump over him and beat him, just as Usopp did earlier. As they all left, Koga remained there a bit longer and, after making sure Kaya wasn't listening, turned to the sinister character with a warning in his bicolored eyes.

The black-haired man only raised his glasses and turned to leave as well.

"Be careful, captain Kuro." Koga murmured then, loud enough for the other one to hear and stop him on his tracks. "Your plan may fail."

But, contrary at what he had expected –some kind of reaction, the butler merely continued walking, and eventually got back in the mansion. And then, the blond young man followed after his crew and the kids.

When he finally found them, he only saw Nami sitting atop a fence and Zoro on the ground leaning his back onto it on her far right. Piiman and Ninjin also were there, both murmuring between themselves.

"Yo." Koga grunted, still feeling a bit sore for using that technique to stop both Usopp and Klahadore.

"Where have you been?" Nami asked as he imitated Zoro's stance on her other side.

"Confirming something." He looked around.

"He's with Usopp somewhere." Zoro explained. "And confirming what exactly?"

"An intuition."

And ignoring Nami's scowl, he raised his scarf up to his nose, about to wait for his captain to arrive. He knew something was about to happen, and even more considering what he had seen in Klahadore's mind.

'A battle's coming up.'


	6. Resolution

**6\. Resolution**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Sorry for the delay~ Blame college for this though. They're my slavers. That's why the chap is short. Sorry, no fight yet. You'll have to wait :(**

 **I have SO MANY IDEAS for Nami's Arc! I have prepared even the way Koga will reveal the others his Devil Fruit powers. But I don't know what to do with Sanji's Arc. Mm. Well, I'll make something, I suppose.**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: Yeah, at last we're with Usopp! And... Uh, I dunno, I've never thought about it. I mean, he ate his Devil Fruit when he was quite young. I'll try to elaborate something.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, intuition power! Thanks, I think I was doing Koga too badass and I put some disadvantages in using his Devil Fruit powers. Though, all the pain and aches aren't life-threatening, and they only appear when using the Kaizen Kaizen no Speed (because he didn't train his powers in speed but in strength and stamina). But well, I'm not gonna reveal anything more for the moment, everything will explain in due time.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 _Can't you just tell them who's that Kuro guy?_

They were still in the same place, waiting for Luffy, Usopp and that Tamanegi kid to return. Koga had decided to imitate Zoro and had seated down with his back against the fence, watching the almost cloudless sky and questioning himself what to do at that moment. It hadn't been too long since Klahadore –or Kuro– kicked them out of Kaya's mansion.

'That girl seemed pretty important to the liar', he thought, trying to shut _Sankaoken_ up. 'If I tell them about the butler's true identity, that'll only bring problems. And I hate problems.'

At that moment, he remembered having in his bag some wanted posters, and wondered if Kuro's was among them. Sure, knowing that guy's secret was nice, but it was pretty much useless if nothing else was known. When Koga touched Kuro's skin after cancelling his Kaize Kaize no Speed, he could only perceive some key words crossing through his mind (meeting, Kaya's heritage and plan), and some blurry scenes that left him with more questions than answers (though they did reveal to him Klahadore's true identity).

His Reading Touch (consisting in reinforcing his intuition to the fullest when contacting with another person's skin) was useful, most of the time. And it worked, also most of the time. But it had some... inconveniences. When meeting a person for the first time and using the Reading Touch, the information it could bring was sometimes impossible to decipher; a blurry face, broken pieces of a long conversation... It was necessary to perform more than one Reading Touch, and also get to know better the other person. And Koga wasn't precisely itching for knowing Kuro.

 _Hn. That girl's already in danger._

'I thought as much. Now hush. I'm thinking.'

Meeting. Kaya's heritage. And plan. It was obvious that Kuro was plotting something awful. Maybe a plan to get all the girl's money for himself. But meeting? With whom?

'Great, I know Kuro's up to something but not exactly what.'

 _You know his goal._

Yeah, Kaya's money. Kuro's ultimate objective.

His frustration grew inside him, making him scowl in annoyance. It was irritating, being able to deduce that Kuro planned something but not knowing exactly what. It was like trying to read a book in a foreign language: you know there's a message hidden in it, but you don't know exactly what message, since you don't know how to interpret the language in the first place.

A sudden and approaching yell snapped him out of his thoughts, and Koga and the others turned to the road just as they saw Tamanegi rushing towards them, looking genuinely scared with trails of tears and snot hanging from his nose. Not exactly a pretty sight.

"Guys, we got trouble!" He screamed, halting in front of his friends. "It's horrible! A man walking backwards! A very strange man is walking backwards!"

Driven by curiosity and losing his frown, Koga smirked as the other kids stated at the same time and without a moment of hesitation: "Liar."

"It's true, look over there!" He defended himself, pointing at the road behind him.

Indeed, a large figure was walking backwards, sporting a blue trench coat and a big blue hat atop his head of light brown hair. He had light brown pants and black shoes with big white socks. As he reached them, he suddenly turned around, revealing a white shirt under the coat and green-brown gloves on his hand. His face was skinny and pale, and was wearing heart-shapped sunglasses, and his chin had a weird black stump with red stripes. His hand was holding his hat in a rather odd way.

"Hey, who was it? Who called me weird? I'm not weird." He stated.

"Looks like a weirdo to me." Nami pointed out rather bluntly.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm just a hypnotist passing by." The weirdo told her.

The three kids suddenly exclaimed in awe, clearly pointing out they have never seen a wandering hypnotist. Or a simple hypnotist, for that matter. They tried to make him show them some tricks, but the self-proclaimed 'passer-by hypnotist' seemed offended for a moment:

"What did you say?!" He screamed somewhat angrily. "Why would I show my hypnotic tricks to someone whom I just met?!"

'True, but a _normal_ hypnotist performs for everybody...'

"Ok, you've convinced me." He turned around, suddenly changing his mind, and began digging on his coat, searching for something; he made a triumphant sound as he turned to them and showed a ring with a metal wire, and a metal disk attached to the end. The three kids, happy that he'd show them something, got nearer to him. "Listen, when I say 'One! Two! Jango!', you'll fall asleep. Ready?"

They nodded, their eyes not leaving the swaying disk. Nami, Koga and Zoro watched in curiosity.

"One! Two! Jango!"

 **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**

Four people, three kids and a man, fell asleep to the ground snoring blissfully.

"YOU FELL ASLEEP TOO?!" Nami and Zoro yelled, with shark-teeth while Koga was smirking behind his scarf.

They waited for a good few minutes, and the chronicler yawned and closed his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're also going to sleep!" The navigator exclaimed in disbelief.

"What? I'm tired. Wake me up when we're moving."

He still could hear her mumble something about his weirdness before his mind drifted off to sleep...

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **I don't remember my parents. I don't know how they looked, or their names, or if they had the same strange eyes as mine. I only know that they died victims of a bandit raid, leaving a hungry, 5-year-old kid alone in the world.**

 **At the beginning, I was simply too scared to try even getting out of the ruins of what had been my house. But my extreme hunger made me seek refuge in the forests. The first days were hell, because a tiger almost made me his dinner, and made some nasty scratches in my back that served me to remember I couldn't let my guard down ever again.**

 **I remember the day I met Jii-san.**

 **It's raining. I don't have warm clothes with me, and my body feels weird; I'm trembling, but my body feels hot. I've searched for a refuge in the trees, but I can't climb with my shaking limbs. I'm currently with my back against a tree, shivering, using its foliage to stop the rain above my head.**

 **"Hey, kid."**

 **A voice. It's the first human voice I hear since my mom and dad's death. I look up, weakly, feeling my head dizzy.**

 **The voice's owner is an old man, that was wearing a soaking coat and had a wooden staff on his hand to support his body. I can't see his face because of the hood, but his voice seems warm and kind.**

 **"What are you doing here?" He approaches me and examines me with a critic eye. "My, you're not looking good. Come, I'll get you home, see what you have."**

 **He tries to grab my arm and pull me up, but I slap his arm away, my head still dizzy. I see his hooded face waver before my eyes close, and all I can see then is darkness.**

 **-Some time later-**

 **It's warm. But it's a nice kind of warm. One that reminds me of home.**

 **Groaning, I open my eyes carefully. I don't recognize the ceiling, but through a window above my head I can see that it's night. I'm on a bed, and a curtain is separating me from the rest of the house. Someone's on the other side, preparing something. I hear footsteps and a hand retires the curtain.**

 **It's the same old dude that I've seen before. He's completely bald. His greyish eyes shine. He's quite thin, almost skeletical. I'd say he's about sixty.**

 **"I see, you're awake now." He smiles. He leaves the bowl he carries on the bedtable and touches my forehead. "Your fever has gone. You've been sleeping for two days, young man."**

 **"Who…" I try to speak, but my throat hurts.**

 **"Oh, where's my head lately? I'm Rujash, nice to meet you. If I may ask, why were you alone in the forest under such deluge?"**

 **At first, I can't remember. But then, everything comes to my mind. I look at the wall, not knowing what to say.**

 **"Sorry, young lad. It seems you've had quite a hard time." His voice holds pity and sadness. "You may stay here with me, if you want. I live here with my two grandchildren, I think they're a year younger than you. Tell me, what's your name?"**

 **"... I don't know."**

* * *

Unlike other times, no one had to wake Koga up that time. A young voice, one that sounded familiar to him, was murmuring something quite close to him and the lack of personal space had woke him up. However, he kept still as a statue, feigning sleep, curious at what the kid was talking about.

"… huge scar he has on his face." He was saying. "How did he get that?"

"Beats me." Zoro's gruff voice was at his right. "Koga doesn't talk about himself. We barely know a few things about him."

"And what about those weird eyes?"

"I repeat, beats me. If you want answers, ask him, not me."

Koga felt the kid getting closer to his face, and an angry irk appeared on his forehead as he snapped his eyes wide open, quite scaring the Piiman kid. The kid let out a girlish squeal as he stumbled backwards, colliding with his two friends that were close behind him.

"Back off, kid." Koga growled, rubbing his eyes. "You're too close."

"So– sorry!"

Stiffling a yawn, the chronicler realized it hadn't been too long since he decided to take a nap. Maybe two or three hours have passed.

"Captain!"

The three boys' sudden yelling attracted the attention of the pirates, and they saw Usopp running up the road towards them, face suspiciously dark. He didn't seem to notice the kids' callings as he ran past them forcing them to stumble out of the road.

"Where's Luffy? Shouldn't he be with you at the coast?" Nami tried to ask him as he reached them. But the sniper kept running, ignoring her. "You suppose he's still angry, after having his father insulted and all?"

"Who knows." Zoro shrugged as Nami jumped off the fence, watching Usopp disappear to the village's direction.

"No! His expression was different!" Ninjin seemed convinced about that.

"Something must have happened at the shore!" Agreed Piiman, while Tamanegi nodded in agreement.

Almost as if reading each other's minds, Zoro and Koga shared a grim glance. They both stood up and, while the swordsman asked the kids how to get to the shore, the chronicler spared a last look towards where Usopp had disappeared from their sights, a slight frown on his face. He had the impression that wasn't the last time they were going to hear from him.

"Let's go, Koga!" Zoro called for him, and after shaking his head, he followed Nami, the kids and the first mate to find out what the hell had happened.

Though the bicolored young man had a feeling about it.

 **xXxSome time laterxXx**

Once the six of them arrived at the shore, nothing seemed out of place. The beach was calm, quiet and empty; waves resounding in the lonely space. Koga felt his spirit soothing up, until he spotted something strange at the end of a cliff. Something… familiar, emitting a loud snore.

'A snore? Oh, shit.'

"I think I found him." Zoro growled with an angry tick as he went in the same direction Koga was looking; Nami promptly followed him, also quite furious.

Koga and the kids, the latters with a curious look on their faces, approached them and gaped as the strange scene. Luffy, sleeping on the sand, completely bent over, with his head between his legs, his ass up in the air, snoring like a train. It was simply amazing. How the hell could he sleep with that posture?

"That idiot…" Nami raised a furious fist and bumped him in the head. "WAKE UP!"

 **BONK!**

"YEOW!" Luffy woke up with a loud yell, grasping his aching head. "Why did you do that, Koga?! I didn't call you 'Ossan'!"

 **BONK!**

"Ow, ow, ow…!"

"It hadn't been me before, but now you asked for it." Koga said simply, before lowering his fist.

Luffy opened his mouth once more to yell, but Nami hit him again on the head to make him pay attention. Zoro and the three veggies –quite wisely– decided to stay aside from the scene, the kiddos watching in terror at the orange-haired girl and calling her 'demon' under their breaths.

Finally, the straw hat boy sat like a normal person and explained them –with his own words, of course– what had happened with him and Usopp. He told about some weirdo guy with glasses and the butler guy talking about a plan that involved Kaya being killed in the end. Upon hearing the plan, Usopp had stormed out of their hideout, Luffy following him, and then the glasses-guy did something to the captain, and then... nothing.

"WHAT?!" the three veggies exclaimed in synchrony. "They're going to kill Kaya-san?!"

"Klahadore really is a bad guy!" Ninjin realized.

"No wonder he seemed so strange!" Piiman added.

Just then, Nami's next comment cut short the veggies' chattering.

"That must be why your Captain ran to the village like that, to warn them." She noted, a hand on her chin. "Well, that's good. You guys are the first people to know. You should escape while you can! It'll be too late when the pirates get here!"

The kids quickly agreed with her, running off to the village and after their Captain to pack their things and escape. Luffy began with one of his crap as he wanted to go to the village too, to get as much meat as he could before the butcher run away; upon hearing this, Zoro hit him with his sheathed sword.

"They won't run away."

Koga's voice was dark, and his face has even more serious, as he watched the darkening sky with folded arms. He didn't seem to have heard anything of what Luffy had told them.

"Why do you say that?" Nami asked, frowning and looking at him, after an attempt of strangling their idiot captain.

He sighed and looked at her.

"Isn't it obvious? No one believes a liar when he's spent almost all his life telling lies and alarming the folk without motive. The people won't pay heed to him; not even the girl, I'm afraid. They'll believe this is another of his lies."

"But... but what about the kids? They've heard it too! Luffy had told them...!" Nami stopped talking at Koga's raised hand.

"That's right. But there are some things. First, they're kids; a kid's word is always underestimated. Second, they're Usopp's pirate crew; what can you expect from some kids that follow a liar? That they're liars too. Third, they've heard the version of somebody else; they haven't seen or heard Kuro telling those things. And fourth, they've listened to a pirate; a kid shouldn't listen to a pirate, because they're common liars."

The orange-haired girl closed her mouth, frustrated, while Zoro watched the chronicler with a concentrated expression on his face and Luffy blinked, not understanding anything. Koga sighed once more and looked at the sea, at the setting sun.

"There's a tiny possibility, though, that the girl Kaya would believe them. But it's highly unlikely. Kuro had been expertly deceiving them for who knows how many years, earning her and the villagers' trust. Who would they believe: a liar son of a pirate and his crew, or a well-mannered, trustworthy butler that had done anything in his power to help an orphan?"

A silence settled between them as they headed back to the village through the path. Koga's irrefutable arguments were right, but that didn't ease their feeling of defeat; knowing they couldn't do anything to convince the villagers of the approach of a pirate crew that were going to savagely slaughter them. They wouldn't listen, and they would stay there, unprotected and unprepared... ready for the pirates to kill them all without finding any resistance. Kuro's treachery would remain hidden in the dark, shielded by his own troops that would kill everyone standing in their way.

The townsfolk was going to die, but most of all, they were going to die without knowing the true mind behind the massacre.

"Hey, Captain!"

The three veggies' voices stopped the Straw Hat's crew, watching not very far from them to the kids running to a beaten up Usopp holding a limp arm. As the liar turned around, so did his mood, from sad and defeated to happy in a split of a second.

"Oh, it's you guys!" He greeted back cheerily, trying to hide the pain and the sadness behind a happy mask.

"Captain! We heard everything!" Ninjin exclaimed as Usopp approached them.

"We should hurry and warn everyone in the village!" Tamanegi added.

"Warn everyone..." The liar's eyes widened, but everything went unnoticed by the kids. His mouth trembled before bursting into laughter, surprising the three veggies and making Luffy watch him with a blank expression. "It was all a lie, like usually! I was pissed at that caretaker, so I went around saying that he's a pirate!"

Zoro, Koga and Nami glanced at one another, realizing what had happened.

"Ah, I get it!" Ninjin exclaimed.

"Straw Hat nii-chan got fooled by Captain!" Tamanegi seemed relieved and rejoiced that the threat didn't exist after all. The three of them suddenly began walking away without looking back, disconcerting Usopp.

"Oi, what's wrong?"

"I'm starting to lose respect for you, Captain."

"Me too."

"And me. That caretaker is a bad guy, but to lie to hurt someone... We never thought you'd do that, Captain. We're disappointed with you."

Usopp's smile wavered and dropped as he watched his crew walking off and talking about what they had for dinner, like every usual day. He seemed defeated, not knowing what to do, feeling powerless and alone. Only the Straw Hat pirates saw his mask crumbling and breaking as he walked back to the shore, the others following him.

It was night already when they reached the coast, and they were gathered around Usopp, whose wounded arm was being tended by Nami. Zoro was sitting with his back against the same rock Luffy was in, Koga had decided to stand at Luffy's other side and Usopp was in front of them.

"Well, this should do it." The orange-haired girl stated satisfied at her work as she observed the bandaged wound.

"Why did you say that?" Luffy asked then, breaking the tense silence, watching the sniper with a blank expression.

Usopp looked at him; he seemed so confused, so powerless...

"Because I'm a liar." He answered. "No one would believe me in the first place. I was so naïve..."

"Even if you're naïve, the truth is still the truth." Zoro stated, making Usopp look at him blinking.

"Those pirates are really going to attack, right?" Nami asked him.

The liar looked at them, seemingly wordlessly, and then he lowered his head, hiding his eyes under the shadow of his hair.

"Everyone thinks it's all a lie and that tomorrow will be just another day." He muttered. "And it will. I will stop those pirates and make it just a lie! That's my duty as a liar!" He raised his head and looked at everyone in the eye, full of sudden determination but also crying a bit. "Even though they shot me, chased after me... This is still my village. I love this village. I want to protect everyone!"

Zoro was the first one in saying something after the brief silence.

"Tch. Never thought you were that kind of guy." He held his sword. "Ditching your friends so that you can face the enemy on your own."

Koga smirked under his scarf.

"Foolish, but brave." He just commented. "I may have been harsh with you."

"Let me get this straight, all the pirates' treasure is mine!" Nami added, quick in reclaiming something valuable. The swordsman and the chronicler rolled their eyes in unison.

"All right!" Luffy rolled up his imaginary sleeves with an excited smirk on his face."I'm definitely going to butt into this one!"

"What? You guys are willing to fight with me? Why?" Usopp sobbed.

"Because the enemies outnumber you!"

"That, and your face is screaming _'I'm scared!'_ all over." Zoro teased with a smirk.

"Me? Scared? Pfft! It doesn't matter how many of them are there, it's fine by me! I'm the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp!" Usopp stood up in a jolt and declared this in an attack of inspiration. The four pirates looked down, and he followed their gaze.. to find his legs trembling like crazy. "Damn! Damn it!" He tried to stop them from trembling by punching them, giving up instantly. "What are you guys looking at! They're Captain Kuro's pirate crew, of course I'm scared. I don't need your sympathy! Now, go away!"

Zoro snorted rudely.

"We're not sympathizing you. We're helping you because we admire your courage."

"Why would we fight for pity?" Luffy cocked his head to the side.

Usopp seemed about to cry as he watched the four pirates.

"You... Guys... I'm so touched!"

 _Yeah, yeah, let's go to the interesting part. What are we gonna do?_

Koga growled, frowning at his katana. But still, he agreed.

After Usopp finished with his sobbings, he cleared his throat and began explaining them about a plan he had forged.

"Tomorrow at dawn, they're going to attack from this shore because this is the only way into the village. There's only one other slope, the rest is cliffs. This means so long as we guard this slope with our lives, the village won't be harmed."

Well, simple enough even for Luffy to understand. But then... Why did Koga have a feeling that something wasn't right?

"Easier said than done... But we need true strength. What are you guys good at?"

"Slicing." Zoro.

"Stretching." Luffy, of course.

"Stealing." Nami.

"Intuiting." Koga.

"... Hiding!"

"YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO!"

The three first yelled at him as he tried to sneak away, but the chronicler simply smirked again as the liar tried to get away from them.

"Just joking, I'll back you guys up!"

 _Excited for the fight?_

'In a way. Don't be pestering me.'

 _And don't you be using me against weaklings. Shitty owner._

'Crappy katana.' Koga smirked again as he paid attention once more to Usopp's plan.

It seemed like tomorrow was going to be pretty interesting.


	7. Cats

**7.- Cats**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **At long last, the fight against the Black Cat pirates! Hm, it's been difficult to mix everything up, 'cause now I have to blend Koga with what happens in the anime (quite a difficult task, I assure you!). But I hope I've done it well.**

 **-Zelga Lim Li: Thanks! Hope you continue liking it :)**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: As always, it's a pleasure to read your reviews! Yeah, Koga can not only reinforce his physical abilities (such as speed, strength, stamina, agility and all that) but also his six senses. About the flashback, he had lost his parents in a bandit raid, and that attack produced a great shock in him. That, and the fact that he had also been attacked, made him lose all he knew about his parents and his life with them. Don't know exactly what I will do about his historical background, but I'll figure out something, don't worry.**

 **-Pineapples and cake: Hahaha, I didn't read it like that! XDDDD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

The four Straw Hat pirates and Usopp worked all night in the liar's plan. Actually, its simpleness was almost insulting: four barrels of smelly oil in the slope to prevent the evil pirates to go up. Zoro, Nami and Koga had decided to be down the oily slope, as they were close-ranged fighters (Nami could take anyone down with her staff), while Usopp was up along with Luffy, the first one to be protected by the latter. Not that Koga particularly minded that; the liar was more a nuisance than a real help in battle, adn with a slingshot as a weapon, the pirates'd take him down in a blink of an eye.

Of course, as soon as Usopp and Nami saw the rusty old katana that Koga was wielding, they demanded answers about it, and seemed rather shocked and surprised to know that there was a real demon inside it. A demon that could adapt the katana's form into another weapon's. Currently, the chronicler was thinking on using the naginata form; the form he was more familiar with was the brass knuckles, but if he didn't practise with the rest of the weapons, he'd lose effectiveness in using them. And also, _Sankaoken_ would be pestering him endlessly.

The sun was up and around for quite some time and the pirates hadn't arrived yet, nor did their ship. Something was very fishy, and it wasn't only the odor of the oil in the slope. What the hell was happening?

"Hey, are you sure Kuro mentioned this coast?" Zoro raised his voice asking Usopp, who seemed quite confused at the absence of pirates. "'Cause I don't think they have overslept."

"I was wondering the same thing." Koga admitted, raising his scarf up to his nose, hiding the lower half of his face but his eyes never leaving the great sea. "My sixth sense's still not tingling."

"But there's no other way to go to the village but up this slope..." Usopp mused in confusion.

Just then, Nami let out a 'Huh?' sound, and cupped a hand behind her ear, as if trying to hear something better. Koga glared at her with a question in his bicolored eyes.

"Am I imagining things? I can hear someone screaming 'Go!' from the north direction."

Usopp gasped as his face paled, as if realizing something disastrous.

"The north!" He squealed weakly, grasping his head between his hands in utter horror.

"What's going on?" Zoro snapped at the sniper.

"T– there's another entrance into the village in the north... But..."

"Don't tell me you got it wrong!" Shouted Luffy.

"They talked about his plan here, so I thought they'd attack from here!"

"Hurry! Which way are they going to attack the village from?"

After Usopp managed to indicate him the correct direction, their idiot captain zoomed off without looking back, shouting somehting about kicking someone's ass (probably Kuro's, or maybe Jango's), Koga frowned his intuition told him Luffy wasn't going in the right direction. Usopp said something about messing everything up and went in the same way the raven-haired boy had taken, without looking back.

"Help!" Nami shouted, and Koga raised his head just in time to see Nami and Zoro trying to go up the slope, the swordsman a little ahead from her; the girl had managed to latch onto Zoro's shirt after her foot slipped. "I'm slipping!"

"Ah! Let go, you idiot!"

Too late. Nami used Zoro's back as leverage to get herself out of the oil, making him get trapped in the oil. It'd have been funny, but the swordsman was already too pissed off and some laughters would have made things worse.

Deciding to conserve his dignity intact, Koga watched the steep cliffs and chose to try to climb up them. After all, he was a fast climber, and was used to climb cliffs and trees when living in his native island. His hands expertly craved through the little leverage the fingers found, his feet following afterwards, and within minutes (not without some effort from him) he had climbed up while Zoro was still cursing Nami's name and all her family, still trying to go up the slippery slope.

 _Slippery slope. Dude, that stinks._

'Oh, shut up already.' Koga growled as he turned his katana into a fairly simple naginata, of dark wood and a red ribbon at the end, the curved, single-edged blade on its other end.

"Need help?"

Zoro raised his head, and gaped in surprise upon seeing Koga standing up the slope.

"How the hell did you get up there?"

"I climbed the cliff." Koga shrugged; he crouched on the floor, at the edge of the oil, extending the edge of the naginata that didn't have the blade. "Come on, grab onto this."

Zoro smirked, and then lunged to the end of the naginata that loomed over him a few good centimeters, grasping the red ribbon with all his force. The sudden weight made Koga bent slightly forward, yelping and clasping the wooden pole with his free hand, heels firmly grounded. Fortunately, though it took him by surprise, Koga managed to take him out of the oil thanks to him being so slippery, easing his task greatly.

Once the two of them were out of the oil, Zoro stood up and tried to clean his shirt of oil, while Koga sat on his butt. The swordsman looked at him and smirked while extending a hand; the chronicler returned it as he grasped it and let himself get hauled to his feet. Both of them glared at each other confidently, a small smirk in both of their faces, feeling something close to camaraderie between them.

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"Heh. You owe me nothing." Koga sighed and then looked at the path before them, dropping his smirk. "Now, we've to go after those idiots, before they get themselves killed."

"Right." The swordsman growled, frowning. "I still have to make Nami pay. Let's go!"

He quickly took off, the chronicler following close behind him. But of course, Koga regretted him being behind the swordsman. As much as he tried to guide him in the right direction using his intuition, Zoro somehow managed to get lost in a straight path, something he thought it was impossible until the blond knew the green-haired boy.

 _Dude, he'll get lost in a one-room house._

He snorted, before smirking in agreement. Yeah, that was the Zoro they knew.

"Oi... Isn't that Luffy?" Zoro's sudden question brought him back to the present.

Koga looked up ahead, in the direction the swordsman was pointing to, and sweatdropped as he saw the familiar figure looking confused his surroundings.

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro called to him.

Luffy turned around, blinking owlishsly as they stopped just at his side.

"Oh, it's you guys!" He laughed. "I thought you were already with Usopp and Nami."

"Nami delayed us..." Zoro started, with a growl.

"... And this idiot got us lost." Koga signaled his companion with his thumb, interrupting him. Ignoring his protests, the chronicler frowned at his captain. "What are you...? No, don't tell me: you're lost too."

"Shishishishi, yup!"

 **BONK!**

"How can you admit it so happily?!" Zoro smacked his head with shark-like teeth, a furious irk appearing on his head.

The chronicler sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. Now he had not one, but two hopeless lost idiots that he had to babysit until they got to the battlefield. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to cope with two dumbasses at the same time and remain sane afterwards. And right now, his intuition was beginning to drive him crazy, enough to make his head and stomach ache.

"Usopp told me to go north and everyone knows north is colder!" Luffy was in an argument with Zoro while Koga had been musing about what to do with them.

"Idiot! Everyone knows north is up!" Zoro snapped, hitting him on the head with the hilt of his katana.

"Guys, this is not the time to argue about nonsense." Koga cut out short the captain's reply. "There's a battle coming up."

"Ah! That's right!"

"But...!" The blond gripped the back of his red shirt just as he was going to run off somewhere. "You're going to follow me. My intuition will lead us."

It still lasted a few moments before he could actually convince them to follow him and to trust his intuition, but finally Koga was running ahead of the trio, with Luffy and Zoro at either side of him. Thankfully, neither of them got lost with him at their guide, and only ten minutes later, they reached the place of the battlefield, full of warcries.

The three of them looked at each other before nodding and stepping out of the woods and charged head on into the fight, effectively taking by surprise the unsuspecting pirates that had surpassed a pretty beaten up Usopp and a defenseless Nami. Wielding their own weapons (in Luffy's case, preparing his fists), each one of them took a great group of pirates in a blink of an eye and in a single attack.

"What took you guys so long!" Nami, though terrified, screamed in annoyance with her staff over her shoulder.

Swinging his naginata on his hand, Koga sighed as the four of them began bickering with their own idiocies. Were they going to argue at a time and place like that? He frowned when he saw Jango at the end of the slope beside a huge ship.

"It was you who made me fall down! And now you're blaming me!"

"I couldn't help it! Better one person fall down than both of us! Besides, Koga was with you!"

"Oi, don't drag me into your dumb arguments." The bicolor-eyed young man snapped, looking at the thief-navigator. But again, he was ignored as the swordsman and the girl continued arguing.

"You bastard! You didn't tell me which way was north!" Luffy yelled at Usopp.

"It was your own fault for running so fast!"

Movement from the downed dudes the three newcomers knocked out earlier grasped their attention, and they –finally!– shut their mouths and looked at the slowly standing pirates.

"Ah, they're still alive!" Luffy commented, stepping to the front, Koga and Zoro at both sides of him. "They're pretty tough!"

"That, or they're so scared of Kuro they'll do anything to get away from his wrath." The chronicler shrugged.

"The sky's been bright for quite some time now." Jango's voice floated in the air until it reached the Straw Hat pirates as he looked up at the sky. "Captain Kuro is a very impatient man." He shivered and then looked at his men, who were already kneeling in the ground. "Everyone! Are you going to tell me that you'll allow some kids to defeat you? We don't have time to fool around."

His hand went to his coat and pulled out a familiar object that made Koga tense. The hypnotizing ring. He was going to hypnotize the pirates!

"They are strong, so we'll have to be even stronger than them. Now, stare at this ring. On 'One! Two! Jango!', you'll become stronger. Your injuries will heal and you'll become very, very, very strong."

"Shit." Koga cursed loudly, making Luffy look at him in confusion.

"What's he doing?" He asked his chronicler.

"Hypnosis." Nami answered, skeptical. "Making them believe that they're strong. That's stupid."

Neither Zoro nor Koga said anything as they watched the pirates with their backs towards them, eyes fixated in the ring.

"One... Two... JANGO!"

The last word barely sounded before the pirates suddenly roared, holding their weapons high in the air.

"No way!" Nami had a look of complete disbelief. "They were still shaking not even a minute ago!"

"That's the power of hypnosis." Koga stopped swinging the naginata and gripped it with both hands, the blade pointing to the ground.

A pirate let out a battlecry as he slammed his fist into the cliff. Normally, someone trying to do that would end in him shattering his bones, but the whole cliff suddenly broke apart and fell down. Everyone watched it wide-eyed.

"He crushed the cliff!" Shouted Zoro. "How did they gain so much power in such a short time!"

"If one guy can crush a cliff... Then all of them..." Usopp was shivering, imagining the great power the pirates had suddenly gained.

"Go!" Jango pointed at them. "Go kill those pests!"

The pirates roared again and charged up the slope towards the 'pests', looking like bloodthirsty monsters. Just then, as he prepared himself for the fight, Koga suddenly thought that Luffy had been awfully quiet during all the display.

"You two, hurry and go up the slope!" Zoro ordered to Nami and Usopp, making the girl nod and begin helping the long-nosed boy up the slope. "We'll take care of this." Zoro drew his sword. "Oi, Luffy."

No answer.

"Uh, I think we have a little problem." Koga let out a groan as he watched Luffy's still figure.

The swordsman looked confused at his companion and then at his captain.

"Luffy!"

Snapping out of whatever trance he had entered, Luffy threw his arms up in the air yelling with all his lungs' might: "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"YOU GOT HYPNOTIZED TOO!" Usopp, Nami and Zoro shouted simultaneously, while Koga facepalmed with a frustrated expression on his face, cursing once more. The Black Cat pirates and Luffy charged at each other deafeningly yelling, the captain ignoring Zoro's calls.

"Gomu Gomu no... GATLING GUN!"

His arms moved frantically, their speed making it seem like he had multiple punches throwing at the pirates. Most of the pirates went face first to the punches, being knocked out instantaneously, the others following shortly after when Luffy charged at them. The few 'survivors' looked in disbelief as the raven-haired boy went past them straight to the pirates' ship, grasping the bow of the ship (that, ironically, had a giant black cat head on the end), while everyone stared in shock.

"Go, Luffy!" Nami cheered at him.

"Captain Kuro made a miscalculation! They're not just ordinary brats!" Jango realized, a little too late.

"He's tearing the ship apart!" Exclaimed one of the pirates, eyes wide in shock.

The sternpost finally gave apart with a mighty crack, and Luffy wavered with the gigantic length of wood on his arms; he then stared blankly at the pirates, who snapped out of their awestruck state and began begging for help to their captain Jango.

"On 'One! Two! Jango!' you'll fall asleep!" Jango stuttered frantically, pulling out his pendulum once more.

"One!" Luffy seemed not to hear him as he swung the giant bow like a black bat, pirates flying everywhere with frightened cries.

"Two!" He was getting closer...

"JANGO!"

They heard a huge snore coming from the rubber boy, who froze in the spot and began falling backwards with the bow landing on top of him. Koga sighed, inwardly wondering how the hell did he agree to follow such simpleton captain. Well, at least he had taken down a rather great bunch of people... Less work for Zoro and him to take care...

"Damn kid..." He heard Jango hiss in annoyance. "Ruined our whole plan... If captain Kuro sees this, he'll kill everybody!"

"I think they're finished now." Nami sighed in relief from her place sitting on the ground.

"Oi, his head is squished under the bow." Usopp said next to her, confused at their complete carelessness about their captain's well-being.

"Don't worry, he won't die from that." Zoro snorted.

"He's a monster." Koga agreed, nodding.

"How can you treat your own captain like that?" The long-nosed boy sweatdropped, looking at the older boy.

"What? I'm only saying the truth."

Suddenly, his intuition began tingling again, but it wasn't as strong as he perceived when meeting Kuro for the first time. Danger was close to them, a smaller threat than Kuro's, but a threat nonetheless. Better be safe than sorry, he supposed.

"Hey, Buchi!" Called a muffled voice from inside the ship. "Look at this!"

"What? What?" Asked another voice from the same place.

"Our sternpost is broken!"

Jango looked up to his ship with a somewhat relieved expression on his face, as if something dawned on him.

"That's right, we still have those two, our trump cards..." He muttered, and something close to hope made him smile. "Come out, Nyaban Brothers!"

Just as he said those words, two figures jumped off the ship and landed with cat-like agility on the destroyed sternpole.

The first one was a skinny man with a hunch on his back, with green, cat-like eyes, a huge grin and cat ears sticking from the top of his head. He was wearing a Navy blue shirt with light grey buttons and magenta bow tie, brown shoes and white socks sticking out of them, and on his hands he had a pair of dark brown gloves with claws.

The other one was a complete opposite, an overweight man wearing an outfit that reminded more of a cow than of a cat, with white and black dots. He had pale skin, sharp teeth, tiny eyes, and a hat with cat ears that covered one of his eyes. He dressed stripped black and white pants with a yellow sash, dark brown shoes, a blanket-looking cape on his back with a white fluffy brim, pale blue gloves with claws on his hands and a shoulder pad on his left arm.

"You called, Captain Jango?" Asked Skinny, sinister grin plastered on his face.

"You called...?" Fatty repeated rather stupidly.

"Sham and..."

"Buchi!"

"Together we are the Nyaban Brothers!" They exclaimed in unison.

Koga frowned, wondering if for the first time his intuition was deceiving him. Surely those two weren't exactly 'powerful opponents'... Were they?

"Sham! Buchi!" Jango called to them as they hopped off the sternpost to the hypnotist's side. "We have to get across this slope, but as you can see, someone is standing in our way. Take care of them." He signaled to Koga and Zoro who were up the slope.

And 'pouf!', the Nyaban Brother's cocky attitude suddenly made a drastic turn.

"That's– That's impossible for us!" Sham, or Skinny, cried in fear as he backed away.

"They look very strong!" His brother agreed, trying to hide behind Jango... without success.

"Furthermore, our job is only to look after the ship!"

"Yes, yes. We aren't supposed to battle!"

Up in the slope, Zoro, Koga, Nami and Usopp looked confused the exchange between the seemingly terrified Nyaban Brothers and the unfazed Jango. The four of them questioning the same thing: 'Weren't they supposed to be the trump cards, as that hypnotist called them?'

"Sham, just do it." Said hypnotist snapped Skinny, starting to get angry.

"Wh– what?! Me?!"

"Just get going!"

Sham, defeated, began to clumsily run up the slope, between frightened tears and shouts, leaving all his spots open.

"Koga." Zoro called the chronicler's attention. "Don't interfere. I'll take care of this."

The bicolor-eyed young man frowned, still feeling something off in all this, but still he shrugged.

"Yeah, all right." And he relaxed his fighting stance, just a bit.

"Prepare to die!" Sham was screaming at the top of his lungs. "My claws are really sharp!"

"What can you do with those claws?" The swordsman wielded one of his katanas, gritting his teeth. "If you don't stop, I'll kill you!"

Skinny didn't seem to hear him as he continued screaming like crazy, but suddenly, about seven feet from Zoro, his behavior changed again:

"Only you?" He smirked devilly. "You can't kill me."

And he attacked.

 **SWISH!**

However, thanks to Zoro's sharp reflexes, he could save his life. Eyes wide in surprise and shock, he brought up his only katana just in time to block Skinny's claws before they pierced him.

"Shit!" Koga cursed, gripping his naginata. "It was a trap!"

So his intuition had been right after all; he let his guard down.

"You..." Zoro let out a murderous look at the treachery cat, who smirked.

"You must be thinking I'm a coward. I was only pretending to be a coward. If I didn't, you wouldn't have let your guard down."

Sham jumped back, evading Zoro's katana. Noticing something strange, the green-haired swordsman looked down and cursed loudly when he noticed that, in fact, his two remaining katanas were no longer tied at his waist, but tied in Sham's back.

"When did he...?" Nami exclaimed, realizing the same fact.

"He became careless." Koga growled.

But still, one enemy was no match against Zoro the pirate Hunter, even with only one katana. He was more than enough to take Sham down, and didn't need help.

"Did you lose something?" Skinny mocked, smirking. "I wouldn't know anything about it."

"Return those katana to me!" Zoro snapped, not amused in the slightest. Whoever dared to touch his katana without his permission entered instantly in his bad side. And when Zoro had a grudge with someone...

"Zoro, calm down!" Koga called for him by his name for the first time, trying to get his attention. "He's trying to drive you mad!"

But either he didn't hear him because of the fury, or rather he decided to ignore him, the swordsman's dark eyes were fixed in the skinny cat, an angry scowl on his face. It didn't matter that he had dropped his guard before; he wanted to recover what was precious to him, at any cost. Even his own life.

But, what Zoro wasn't aware of was that he wasn't alone anymore. Him risking his life could lead to Nami and Usopp's death, if things went really bad. He couldn't afford someone being careless anymore, as hot-headed as he knew Zoro was.

"These will only be in the way." Sham commented, grabbing the two katanas and throwing them down the slope; Koga could almost hear Zoro's blood beginning to boil in anger. "Now I feel much lighter!"

"How you dare throw my precious belongings!"

The swordsman blindly charged at Sham, slicing him almost in half as Skinny screamed in agony. Not waiting to watch his enemy fall, he lunged forwards with an arm extended towards his katanas, but he didn't foresee that Sham would have escaped from his slash practically unharmed and had jumped up from behind him, landing on his back and catching both his wrists, forcing him to fall face-first to the ground.

"What were you trying to cut?" Sham mocked him once more. "I'm a cat after all! Come Buchi, it's your turn!"

"Gotcha, Sham!" His brother answered as he ran towards them and jumped high in the air.

Koga cursed and also dashed forwards, impulsing his legs with his Kaizen Kaizen Fruit powers.

"Cat Technique! CAT-A-PULT...!"

"LOOK OUT!" Yelled Nami.

"CAT-AST– UAGH!"

 **SLASH!**

Somehow, the chronicler managed to intercept his attack mid-jump and had sliced the fatty one with the blade of his naginata, cold bicolored eyes staring at him intently. Losing the power of the jump and the attack, a gash appeared in the center of his chest and both the blond and the fatty fell to the ground, the first rather smoothly and the latter creating a small crater around his body.

"BUCHI!" Sham shouted, wide-eyed, looking at his fallen brother in the ground.

Seeing that Sham's concentration had faltered, Zoro managed to pry out of his grab and kicked the Skinny guy in the stomach, rolling out of the way when he tried to attack him with his claws. Both the swordsman and the chronicler were back to back facing Sham and Buchi respectively.

"Damn you bastard!" Buchi got back to his feet in no time with a not-so-deep gash on his chest, glaring furiously at the blond. "How dare you cut me in the middle of my attack!"

"You forgot that I'm here too." He simply answered, gripping his naginata with both hands. "And besides, two against one isn't fair."

"Heh. You saved my ass once again." Zoro smirked, not taking his eyes off Sham, who was glaring at him with deep hate.

"Don't get too used to it. Keep your head cool, and everything will be alright."

"Whatever you say. I'm not used to fighting with one katana, but I guess I have no choice."

"You..." Buchi growled, his small eyes squinted and fixed in the chronicler. "I'm gonna smash your head!"

"Oh, really?" Koga swirled his naginata in one of his hands, a confident smirk hidden behind his scarf. "I'd like to see you try."

"Buchi, let's do it!" Sham exclaimed, still furious. "Let's make them pay!"

"YEAH!" Buchi jumped high above Zoro's and Koga's head until he was beside his brother. The chronicler frowned and then positioned himself beside his companion. All this jumping was beginning to annoy him greatly; they were more like monkeys than proper cats.

"NEKO-YANAGI DAIKOSHIN!"

Both Nyaban Brothers yelled in unison and charged at them with their claws scratching at them with lightning speed. Zoro and Koga began to frantically block their strikes the best way they could, though it was much difficult block them with a naginata than a katana.

 _Bad idea to use me as a naginata than a broadsword or a pair of brass knuckles, shitty owner. That mistake might cost you your life._

'Shut up, crappy demon.' He growled inwardly as he ducked a pair of claws that had been headed to his face. 'It's your fault, always saying to practise with all your forms so I don't slack in them.'

 _Don't you dare die on me, brat. Or I'll get you and haunt you down eternally._

'You're already doing that.'

From the corner of his eye, Koga suddenly saw something that made his eyes widen. Usopp was aiming at them with his slingshot! What the hell was that idiot doing!

Fortunately, as the tiny ammo went flying towards Sham, Zoro blocked the trajectory with his own back, and he grunted with his back bent.

"He's distracted!" Sham exclaimed joyfully, scratching his exposed chest with his sharp claws. Zoro bent his knees slightly as he backed away, his sword still raised though.

Koga made the mistake of getting himself distracted, and Buchi, of course, knew how to take advantage of this. His intuition tingled in alarm just as the fatty one was beginning to move.

"Shit!" The chronicler tried to move his naginata to block the claws.

"You're mine!"

And just like the swordsman, he got scratched in the chest too, though not as deep as Zoro's because he had moved back in time. Cursing, the blond supported himself with his naginata, trying not to fall pathetically to the ground, blood dripping and messing up his shirt.

"What are you doing, idiot?!" Shouted Zoro, glaring from aboce one of his shoulder at the shocked sharpshooter. "Don't help us! You want to die?"

"Of– of course not!" He answered, lowering his weapon. "I was just trying to help you guys!"

"Then don't do it." Koga also looked at him, recovering a little of breath and resuming his fighting stance. "This is our fight."

And deciding to take the upper hand instead of waiting to the other, he launched himself towards Buchi and drew a wide arc with his naginata. He almost took Fatty by surprise, but he crouched to the ground just in time and tried to headbutt him in the stomach; however, the chronicler put a foot over his face and used his impulse to jump high in the air, swinging his weapon and slashing his clawed hands and making him cry out in pain and rage. The blond planted a foot on his wounded chest and pushed forcefully, dropping him to the ground, and prevented his rise with the blade of his naginata pointed at his ugly face.

"You're better that way, in the ground, not moving." Koga commented coldly, his bicolored eyes showing a steely glance. Fatty paled visibly as he nodded twice, not moving an inch and his claws destroyed.

Looking around, he noted that Nami had disappeared from her spot beside Usopp, and felt a woosh of wind behind him as the girl rushed past him towards Zoro's swords, jumping over the fallen bodies of the pirates, unconscious or even dead already. But what the chronicler noticed and what the orange-haired girl didn't, was that Jango (whom they had all forgotten) had moved at an impossible speed and had reached the katanas at the same time Nami did. Koga's eyes widened in shock as he pulled out his pendulum and sliced open her shoulder in a swipe.

"Nami!" Usopp cried out.

The girl's body crashed to the ground, her shoulder covered in blood.

"What do you need those swords for?" The hypnotist asked to the fallen navigator with a little smirk.

But then, he looked up and screamed in fear and shock. Koga turned his head to see a familiar figure standing at the top of the hill, holding a large bag on one hand.

"The night has long since passed." The figure's voice was impassible but also had a hint of barely contained anger in it, making the pirates that were still conscious begin to freak out. "So, why is it that you seem to have made now process on the plan. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Despite knowing that the situation was no laughing matter, Koga couldn' help but to smirk slightly as he lowered his naginata to the ground and raised his scarf up until it reached his nose.

 _Now that the King is here, we should think on moving our own pawns, don't you think so, brat?_

'Yeah. Kuro's going to fall, right here, right now.'

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for today!**

 **I have to admit, I had thought on adding a third brother to the Nyaban brothers for Koga to fight against, but I had discarded that idea as I hadn't enough imagination to create someone completely out of the blue xD**

 **I suppose Koga's fight against Buchi was somewhat pretty quick, but I'm eager to upload Kuro's fight against Luffy, and I didn't want my OC to get tired too quickly. Sorry.**

 **Well, I leave you for now. Please feed the review monster if you don't want it to hide in your cupboards and scare you in your sleep! Nah, joking. But please do comment. It'll give me a boost!**


	8. Peace

**8\. Peace**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **I'm so sorry! I thought I could upload sooner, but I have the infamous 'writer block'! But well, I'm back, with a LONG chap as an apology for the delay. Hope you like it ^^**

 **And also, SURPRISE! Koga's customized Jolly Roger as the cover image of this fic! Mind you, it's been made on Paint, so it's not perfect. And the green thingy... it's a plume (I'm saying it because I myself sometimes am not sure what the hell that is xD). If you like, comment about the Jolly Roger, to know what do you think.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, I wanted Koga form some friendly bonds with someone in the crew already, so I started with Zoro (now that I think about it, both of them are pretty alike, aren't they? What do you think about it?). Haha, Buchi always reminded me more of a cow than a proper cat xD I agree with you, making an OC invincible is always annoying, I don't like it. One Piece's characters ressemble like humans, and our Ocs should do the same. I think.**

 **-kash890: Welcome, and thanks so much! Haha, don't worry, I love that you've left a review.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Kuro was really pissed off, everyone could see that. Koga felt in his skin the furious aura the fake butler was emitting, though his face remained as expressionless as ever, even from his position a few feet away from him. His hatred-filled eyes scanned the situation; a situation that enraged him even more, considering how his own pirates were mostly downed, and the ones who were still barely conscious currently stopped by some lowly brats.

"It has been pretty long since dawn. I was wondering why the plan wasn't carried out." Veins were throbbing in his head when the captain lifted his glasses in his weird way, and Koga shivered inwardly upon contacting briefly with that evil glare. "What the hell happened?!"

Every pirate freaked out with that sudden yell, but Kuro tried to collect himself and continued talking in a cool but sneered voice.

"I didn't expect you to be held up by these kids. The Black Cat pirates have been reduced to a truly pitiful state. Isn't that right... JANGO?!"

The hypnotist yelped upon being addressed, but quickly tried to defend himself.

"But... That day, you said we could let the kid go... 'Cause he didn't affect our plans!"

"Yes, I did say that. And? He still can't affect our plans. I knew he would try to stop you, but what I didn't expect was your complete uselessness!"

 ** _"Such useless kid shouldn't have born."_**

Startled, Koga clenched his teeth and shook his head, trying to get rid of those words. Now it wasn't the time to get carried away by memories.

Under his foot, Buchi's massive body was stiffening, probably from anger at being called useless. Just in case he decided to attack, the chronicler decided to step away and observe what happened.

"You said we're useless..." Sham growled, no longer confronting Zoro.

"Don't look down on us, Captain Kuro." His brother added, rolling to the side and beginning to stand up, his face shadowed.

However, the Nyaban Brothers' bravery –or recklessness– set a dangerous glint on Kuro's eyes. Koga's inner alarm began tingling.

"What are you trying to say?" His impassive voice had an even lower tone, almost cavernous, as his cold threatening eyes settled on his ex-subordinates.

"Oi, Sham, Buchi, shut up!" Jango exclaimed, Nami still on the ground at his feet. "Don't be reckless you guys!"

But of course, his warnings fell on deaf ears.

"It's been three years, Captain Kuro!" Exclaimed Sham, face contorted by fury. "You've been pampering yourself in this village, but we've never stopped our attacking!"

"That's right! We pillaged countless villages and defeated many pirate crews!"

 _They're gonna get themselves killed at this rate..._

Koga reluctantly agreed when the brothers started running at Kuro, completely ignoring their true enemies, between enraged cries and swearings. From behind them, Jango tried once more to put reason into their heads, only to be ignored yet again, as the two jumped over the seemingly unmoving Kuro.

 _Idiot, he's moving already!_

Koga's eyes widened, catching the strange movement of his feet as he suddenly disappeared from their sights, the only thing that was destroyed by the Nyaban's claws being the bag he had been carrying. Just as quickly as he vanished, the butler reappeared at their backs, two strange gloves covering his hands and ten long blades on the tips of each of his fingers.

"When did he get behind them?" He heard Zoro ask in disbelief. "And that weapon..."

'My Speed could catch up with him, but not for very long.' Koga clenched his teeth in impotence, his naginata gripped in his left hand tightly. 'The problem is the weariness I'll feel; because of it, I may not be able to keep fighting after using it. Maybe _Sankaoken_ could guide me.'

Sham and Buchi both hissed in surprise and spun around to slash Kuro, but he had already moved and was again behind them, slinging his arms over their shoulders.

"You guys were right." Kuro sighed in mock self-annoyance. Sham and Buchi were whimpering in fear, Kuro's sharp blades pointing at their faces and dangerously close to their necks. "I'm not as fast as I used to be."

'My muscles will hurt a bit, but it can't be helped, I suppose. If that guy gets near anyone of the crew, I'm gonna use it to stop him. I just have to wait for the right moment...'

"I've become softer after staying in this village for three years. I'll give you three minutes." Kuro retired the blades from Sham's and Buchi's faces, both incredulous upon seeing that they were still alive. "If you don't finish them off in three minutes..." Kuro backed away and crossed his arms with his blades pointing at the sky at either side of his head. "I'll kill all of you here with my own hands."

Jango let out an uncomfortable chuckle, trying to sound confident.

"Tree minutes? Ah, we'll manage somehow with those three minutes! Those two!" He pointed at Zoro and Koga. "If we defeat them, we can get past this slope!"

"That's it! We can do it!" Exclaimed Buchi.

"No problem! We can beat them in five seconds!"

Five seconds? Sure their anguished fear to their former Captain Kuro was making them lose perspective of reality.

"ZORO!" Both the chronicler and the swordsman glanced back just in time to see Nami up and around with a hand over her shoulder wound and kicking Zoro's two katanas up in the air, spinning. "CATCH!"

"You stupid girl!" He snapped angrily. "How dare you kick my katanas!"

She just smirked, ignoring him. "Where's my 'thank you'?"

Catching the katanas expertly, Zoro smirked too.

"Ah, thanks." He then looked at Koga. "I can handle them now."

"Hn." The bicolor-eyed young man stepped away, smirking. "Don't get too cocky."

The swordsman huffed, but then nodded with a serious expression on his face. Seconds before the Nyaban Brothers fell upon him once again, screaming something. But of course, once his three katanas had been recovered, the battle had been decided from the very beginning.

"You don't know the difference..." Zoro put his white katana on his mouth, eyes shadowed by his bandana, "between using 'three katanas' and using 'Santoryuu'."

He put his hand over his mouth blade and swung forth at a blinding speed, landing a descending slash towards the approaching Nyaban Brothers. For a split of a second, Koga thought the aura around him formed the head of a tiger roaring.

"Tora... GARI!"

 **SLASH! THUD THUD!**

With a cry, both Sham and Buchi fell to the ground, covered in blood from the newly opened gashes of his bodies. All the pirates gaped incredulously at how fast and easily he'd defeated them, dripplets of worry covered Jango's forehead... while the chronicler simply smirked under his scarf.

"Show-off..." He muttered.

Seemingly ignoring him, the ex-Pirate Hunter rose from his crouched position and looked at the pirates with cold demonic eyes, turning then to the unmoving Kuro; the latter seemed rather unfazed at his subordinates' utter defeat.

"I'll finish you off... All of you!"

Kuro's face remained the same among his underlings' mutterings of fear towards them both. It didn't matter who would win, they knew both of them could kill them without batting an eyelash. Then, a fleeting unnerving smile from the fake butler sent shivers through everyone's spines, before stating that a minute had passed already in a monotone voice.

Just then, Koga's 'sixth sense' began tingling again and made him turn around to see a heavily wounded Buchi crawling up to his captain Jango's feet, begging him to hypnotize him to become stronger and defeat 'that damn swordsman'.

"Oi, Zoro." The chronicler called his companion's attention, and he looked at him sideways. "Seems your job's not done yet. Go finish him off already."

"Jeez, he's tough." The green-haired teen sighed heavily as he turned his back to Kuro facing Buchi, who was being hypnotized by Jango.

The Fatty brother shakily stood up with a mighty cry, his muscles growing in size and bulging with power. His eyes were completely blank, no pupils in them, showing a wild look in them. Though it seemed to impress Zoro at first, he maintained his cool as he stood in a fighting stance.

Something flickered in Kuro's eyes before rushing forward at a blinding speed –disappearing from everyone's sights–, his claws ready to slash the swordsman's unprotected back... But a naginata's blade forcefully pushed them down just as they were going to pierce him, slicing the ground instead with ten terrifyingly deep slashes. Raising his head, the butler found Koga at his left, wielding the naginata with a firm grip.

And Zoro didn't even turn his head, already charging against a howling Buchi, beginning their fight.

"You're facing me now." The blond stated, bicolored eyes glancing straight at the butler's dark ones.

"How did he move so quickly?" Usopp wondered from behind the boulder, mouth agape as he looked the place the chronicler had occupied and the one he was at now. There was no way a normal person could have moved that distance at that speed.

Kuro's eyes narrowed at the blond young man.

"You're quite fast." He commented, both still in the same position. "I never found anyone who could follow my Nuki Ashi so easily."

"And you're a liar." Koga's expression had become even more serious, making Kuro frown. "You said you'd give your crew three minutes, and only one minute and a half had passed. Well, now two minutes."

The fake butler hummed and broke free from the naginata's grasp by jumping backwards, standing with his two clawed hands at his sides pointing up. The blond tried to ignore his sore leg muscles aching a bit and positioned himself better; knees bended lightly, left arm holding the naginata behind his body and his right arm in front of him, ready to swing his weapon anytime.

"I felt your eagerness to fight against me." Kuro simply said, making Koga frown. His claws made a clanking sound as he intertwined the blades together. "And I admit that finding someone who can keep up my Nuki Ashi's speed intrigues me greatly. I'm interested in finding out who's faster."

Behind the chronicler, Zoro let out a loud grunt as something collided with the cliff, but Koga didn't dare taking his eyes off the butler. A second's distraction could be fatal for all of them.

'I need to end this quickly.' He was almost crushing the pole in his hands, deeply concentrated. 'That idiot's still sleeping, Zoro's with Fatty and neither the thief or the sniper are strong enough to stand against Kuro. I may not be the better option, but out of the three out of the fights, I'm the strongest.'

The problem was, his Kaizen Kaizen no Speed allowed him to surpass the sound speed, but only for a very brief period of time before his legs begin aching like hell. Reinforcing every physical ability, such as speed, strength or agility, involved some muscular wasting as a counterpart; even more if Koga wanted to reinforce everything at the same time. For example, if he wanted to increase his speed and his stamina at the same time, the weariness he'd suffer would be twice the amount of weariness a well-trained swordsman –like Zoro– would suffer. So, even if he could boost his speed for two or three minutes, if he used his powers to also increase his stamina to last longer than three minutes, he'd feel afterwards as if a giant cliff would've fallen upon him and squashed his bones into little pieces.

But even with the pain, speed and stamina combined would let him last up until fifteen minutes against Kuro before his body'd give up. And it may save both Nami and Usopp from him.

'I guess I should give it a shot.' The chronicler decided, moving his naginata forward to grip it with both hands. 'If it doesn't work, _Sankaoken_ will be pestering me.'

 _You bet, shitty owner._

"Koga, watch out!"

Usopp's sudden yell snapped him out of his deep thoughts, and with a loud curse could barely dodged an incoming claw that had been directed to his face, stepping to the left. Without him noticing, the last minute Kuro had promised to give passed already while he had been thinking.

'Shit, he almost got me! I've got to say focused!'

Koga swung his naginata upwards trying to gash his chest from his hip to his shoulder, but he disappeared leaving a small cloud of dust beneath his feet, using his Nuki Ashi technique. Probably wanting to end this quickly.

'Well, that makes two of us here.'

"Kaizen Mix: Steely Leopard." He muttered, so low no one heard him say it.

His powers circulated through his veins, sharpening his senses and hardening his muscles. The world slowed down around him, as if being underwater. At this speed, he could see a familiar silhouette clad in black, upper body inclined to gain even more speed, both hands at his back. His left hand was already stretched back, searching a prey's body.

That turned out to be a distraught Zoro, with his back to both Koga and Kuro.

'Oh no you won't.'

Kuro was about to slice the swordsman's back, but again, the naginata stopped him and pushed the blades to the right; the butler, his balance lost for a second, used Nuki Ashi to jump back and put a distance of two meters between them; the butler looked at Koga with a mixture of anger and astonishment, the former being more evident than the latter. He began to talk, and the chronicler stopped momentarily the speed boost to hear him better.

"... your speed is not a bluff." The fake butler was saying. "I'm impressed, though, that you could see me."

"I suppose." The blond grunted, a hidden wince of discomfort the only show of the beginning of his weariness. "But you're fighting _me_. Stop attacking others."

At his back, Koga felt Zoro's mildly worried glance. Perhaps he had heard his tired tone?

Kuro smirked, disappearing again, with Koga right in toe. Both of them were chasing the other and clashing weapons, inflicting minor wounds to each other, but after four minutes the blond's muscles began aching. He tried to hide it being on the defensive and attracting the butler, but soon realized that not moving was even worse as his muscles began to burn.

Suddenly, as the young man tried to slash Kuro –without success, as he dodged it effortlessly–, his knee dropped to the ground at the beginning of the slope; panting heavily and with his face covered in sweat, Koga put a hand over his bending knee and his naginata supported his weight, trying to catch his breath and to calm down his flaming muscles, trembling uncontrollably. His body was covered in minor cuts, and one was on his brow, soaking his closed left eye.

He had reached his limit already.

"Koga!" He heard Nami and Usopp calling him in worry.

"Shit..." He cursed loudly, a shivering hand touching lightly the claw cuts on his chest. "If it wasn't for this wound..."

Kuro flashed in front of him, his jacket a bit disheveled and a bloody gash crossing it, watching his kneeling figure trying to overcome the great soreness his muscles were suffering. It was as if millions of little needles were pressing each of his nerves before setting them on fire; the chronicler clenched his teeth and returned Kuro's uninterested glance with a defiant of his own.

"You've been a good toy to play with," the butler stated, a hand already raised to slice him down, "but you got tired too quickly. A shame... Huh?"

Groaning and grunting in both pain and exhaustion, Koga had used his naginata to haul himself back to his feet, though swaying a bit before planting his feet firmly. His trembling hands gripped the pole of his weapon, heavy pants leaving his mouth and determined eyes boring into the captain's.

He was ready to fight until the end.

"You... You're not going to... take me down yet... Damn butler..."

"NAMI, LOOK OUT!"

Startled by Zoro's sudden yell, so loud it pierced his ears, Koga turned his head around quickly, just in time to see Nami at the end of the slope, at Luffy's sleeping body's side, about to step on his face to wake him up; what made the swordsman shout in warning, though, was Jango's steely ring, that was flying towards the ginger-heared girl without her noticing.

The chronicler's eyes widened as, in slow motion, Nami's head turned around in confusion and stared right at the ring that was about to slice her face in two.

"NAMI!" He yelled too, at the top of his lungs.

Desperation overwhelmed him, a familiar feeling since that fateful day. He hadn't been able to save anyone that day, and now, he was about to see someone get killed in front of his eyes, without being able to stop it as much as he beckoned his aching muscles to damn move; the only thing he could do was watch, and scream, as if his voice could stop it all from happening. Just like that day.

But then, just as the pendulum was about to cut her, she suddenly fell backwards, dragged down by a newly awakened Luffy who was shouting about being stepped on the face or something like that; the circular weapon struck him, but when he looked at them, everyone could see he had catched the disc with his teeth and had broken it –just like the dagger Buggy threw at him not so long ago.

Koga felt his body relax, even with the dangerous situation everyone –and himself– were in. His intuition told him Luffy would solve everything somehow. He grunted as his hand surrounded his body, trying to hold back the pain.

Seemingly not noticing the situation, Luffy touched the corners of his mouth gingerly.

"IT... HURTS!" He yelled in pain, at the top of his lungs, before looking at the dumbfounded Nami kneeling at his side. "That hurt you jerk! Why'd you do that?!"

"Hey, it's your fault for being asleep at a time like this!" The girl snapped angrily, coming back to her senses.

But suddenly she collapsed, making her captain kneel at her side in worry.

"You okay? You're hurt. Let me see it." He had noticed the gash on her shoulder.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I've done everything I can now, the rest is up to you. Look, we have to win. We can't afford to lose this fight, do you understand?" Luffy nodded happily. "Do it for the treasure."

Koga couldn't help but smirk tiredly before planting the flat end of his naginata on the ground, to support his body. Damn, his muscles were still on fire, hurting like hell. Still, he managed to stand without wavering too much.

He was dying for a good sleep now.

"Klahadore!" A familiar feminine voice snapped him out of his weariness. "Stop this!"

Kaya, the girl from the mansion, was a little behind Kuro. Everyone was shocked at seeing her, but no one was more than Usopp.

"Kaya! Why are you here?!" He yelled in alarm.

"Oh! That girl's our target!" Jango exclaimed, being chorused by his underlings that demanded killing her right now.

Kuro, without turning around, glanced at her from over his shoulder.

"You surprised me. What are you doing here?"

"Merry told me everything." She stated quietly.

"Oh. He didn't die, did he? I didn't show any mercy to him."

Turning her head to her friend, the sick girl said, "I'm sorry, Usopp-san. Maybe you can't forgive me so easily, but I couldn't believe that Klahadore is a pirate."

"Never mind that! Run away! These pirates are after your life!"

"Aren't you fighting as well!" She screamed back at him, making the long-nosed teen blink in surprise. "We treated you so badly... and yet here you are, fighting even with those wounds."

'She's like _her_...' Koga thought all of a sudden, finally catching his breath but with his muscles sore. 'They're both the same...'

"Klahadore! If you want my money, I'll give it all to you! Just please leave this village!"

Kuro turned around to look at her.

"You got it wrong. It's not money I'm after... I also want peace of mind. I spent three years here to gain the villagers' trust. I feel at peace here. Only when I have obtained peace and money will my plans be complete.. That's why having my cre attack the village, and making you leave a will at your death is essential."

"Don't bother negotiating with him, Kaya! Run!" Usopp tried to make her move from her daze. "He's no longer the butler you knew!"

"Leave this village!" Kaya tried once again, practically begging at the pirate captain. She pulled a pistol out of her coat and aimed at Kuro's head, shocking everyone.

"So... You've become stronger in these years. Do you still remember? A lot has happened in these past three years. Since your parents passed away, we've been together for quite some time. We took boat rides together, went to town together. When you were down with a fever, I always stayed by your side to take care of you. We shared our troubles and our joys. I served you tirelessly. I suffered taking care of this nosy little Kaya. I suffered waiting long enough. All this, is so I can kill you today!" Kaya's face had tears streaming down it, her grasp on the gun weak and trembling. But Kuro, unfazed by her distress and suffering, continued talking with a monotone voice. "I was a captain in the past, and I had to serve such a young, naïve girl to make her like me. Can you understand how demanding my days have been?"

Unable to continue hearing him, Kaya dropped the gun to the ground, hands covering her face to hide her sobs. With a furious cry, Usopp launched himself at Kuro, ready to punch him in the face; but the butler dodged it effortlessly and encaged his head with one of his glove blades, making him sweat greatly in fear.

"Usopp-kun... Now that I think about it... I haven't thanked you for that punch you gave me last time. You hit me really hard."

Suddenly a fist was stretched all the slope up to collide against Kuro's cheek, smashing him into the ground with brutal force.

"If you really hate being hit," Luffy's voice came from down the slope, wearing a smirk on his face, "I must make sure to hit you a few hundred times."

"What happened!" The Black Cat pirates freaked out, of course, as the straw hat teen cracked his knuckles. "How did he knock Captain Kuro down from that position! Now Captain Kuro's gonna be really pissed off! What do we do?!"

But Kuro didn't stand up. He laid there, unmoving, not making even a sound. Koga watched him warily, gripping the pole of his naginata tightly, before catching movement from some bushes and three familiar kids showed up, carrying a shovel, a casserole and a baseball bat.

"The Usopp Pirates are here!" Ninjin, Piiman and Tamanegi shouted, starting to bang their assorted weapons on Kuro's head.

"No, DON'T!" Usopp tried to stop them, a bit too late, Kaya imitating him.

'Those kids...!' The chronicler groaned, holding his side and checking his muscles. If he only could have some sleep to get his strength back... As he was right now, he wasn't going to be able to move without feeling pain in at least twenty more minutes.

Fortunately, the kids listened to their captain's and the girl's alarmed shouts and stopped hitting Kuro's head. But Koga's intuition was telling him, Kuro was more pissed off than ever, and that represented a danger to everyone, not only the veggie kids. As the trio were yelling at their captain for not telling them what was going on and lying at them yet again, everyone else's eyes were on Kuro's body, that suddenly stood up himself, shutting the kids up effectively.

His eyes were narrowed, the white of his eyes mphasizing the fierceness coming from his dark eyes, killing-intent exhuding from every pore of his skin. He readjusted his glasses to have them shatter and crumble on the ground. The veggie trio screamed when the butler glared at them, but quieted down in confusion as he walked around the small group and kicked Usopp back; he groaned in pain and rolled down part of the hill as the kids called to him.

"That hurt." Kuro suddenly commented, voice unnervingly monotone again. "That's quite a strange technique you've developed there... Tell me something, do you have powers from eating the Devil Fruit?" He glanced down at Luffy.

"Yep, I'm a rubber man." Luffy stated, making the pirate crew freaking out over him.

"Jango!" Kuro barked, after watching the raven-haired teen with narrowed eyes.

"Yes sir!"

"I can handle the boy, you take care of Kaya like we planned." Kuro stepped forward and stretched out his blades. "Have her writer her butler into her will. Then kill her." His blades clanged as the flexed his fingers. "As for the kids, they're an eyesore. Eliminate them."

"Got it."

"Stop!" Zoro wielded his three swords at the hypnotizer as he began to go up the slope. "I won't let you get through me."

"BUCHI!"

"CAT-A-PULT CAT-ASTROPHE!"

Buchi landed on the ground with a flying kick, the ground under Usopp shattering under the impact, with also some of the slope walls caving in too. Kuro commented that he couldn't control his own power, and Koga had to agree with him; a great power was useless if the wielder didn't know how to control it properly.

"Usopp Pirate crew!" Usopp yelled at the veggies, who jumped before glaring at him.

"We told you we wouldn't run!" Shouted Ninjin, even stuttering he was brave.

"Captain, you're badly injured!" Agreed Piiman. "We can't just run away!"

"We will destroy your enemies!" Finished Tamanegi.

"PROTECT KAYA!" The long-nosed teen replied instead, ignoring them. "I'm giving you the most important task here. Protect Kaya and get her away from here safely!"

The three kids looked at him, then between them, before putting serious faces and nodding.

"AYE, CAPTAIN!" They yelled proudly.

Suddenly Luffy, who had been silent during all this, also gave an order.

"KOGA!" He yelled at his chronicler.

The blond looked down at him in mild surprise, and his captain glanced back with a serious expression on his face. It didn't need more than that; with a hidden smirk, he turned his naginata back into his rusty katana's form and sheathed it –ignoring the others' surprised looks.

"Got it, Captain."

And, quickly surpassing an unmoving Kuro, scooped up Kaya bridal-style and followed the three kids to the forest, not looking back. Not even when Jango tried to stop them by throwing them two circular blades –being in turn shot in the head by Usopp.

"Hehe, serves you right! Koga! Please keep them save!"

But they had already disappeared into the forest, not leaving an answer behind.

Koga had to adjust his speed to the veggies' as Kaya's arms were around his neck. His dully aching muscles was making the running quite complicated, his pants filling the air as the kids directed him where to go. Thankfully, his intuition worked as well as ever, and it indicated him the place was safe, for the moment. He trusted the guys to take care of things; most of all Luffy, who surely was really angry with Kuro and how he had treated Usopp, Kaya and the kids.

He had to skid to a halt, however, as his muscles was dragging him down.

"Are you okay?" Kaya asked in worry from his arms, looking straight at his bicolored eyes.

'Karen was like that too... She looked at me in the eyes without blinking.'

"Yeah..." He managed to say, letting her stand to her feet as he leaned his shoulder against a tree, the kids already surrounding him and Kaya. "I just... need to breathe. Damn technique..."

"Is the hypnotist still after us?" Asked Piiman in a low voice looking around warily.

"No, I don't see him, maybe we lost him..." Tamanegi also murmured.

"He must be dreaming if he thinks he can catch us in the forest!" Ninjin grinned, before looking at Kaya. "Don't worry, Kaya-san, we'll protect you!"

"Yeah, in the name of the Usopp pirate crew!" Confirmed Piiman. Kaya nodded and smiled in thanks.

Koga put a hand over Piiman's mouth, muffling his enthusiastic voice.

"Keep your voice down, you dork." He murmured, trying to listen their surroundings and to his intuition. "If I weren't this tired, I could fight and protect you all, but... Well, let's get moving."

Instead of carrying her, Koga took her coated arm and led the way, the kids a bit ahead of them. The blond girl looked at him curiously, while the kids looked around scared.

"Tell me... Why are you protecting me?" She asked, keeping her voice low.

Koga glanced back at her. He could lie at her, or he could simply state it was his captain's order to keep her safe. It'd evade several questions and also buried memories, memories he didn't want to remember even in his dreams.

But Kaya was just like Karen. And he had a weakness regarding sick young girls who were also tougher than they looked. Just because the two of them were so alike, the chronicler couldn't lie to her, or say something that was not all the truth of why he was doing it.

"You remind me of someone I met... a long time ago." He finally answered, hiding his lower part of the face on his scarf as he looked to the ground. "I couldn't do anything for them. So, in a way, helping you may redeem me from what I couldn't do back then."

Kaya's eyes widened a bit before softening and smiling a bit in understanding. He felt a blush covering his cheeks and hid it lifting his scarf up to his nose.

"Thank you. I know it's more because it was your captain's orders, but thank you anyways."

"You should thank your liar instead." He grunted, still a bit flushed, making her blink in surprise. "He took care of you. Kuro was only deceiving you to fulfill his own selfish wishes, but you're important to Long-Nose. He lied to you, yes, but his lies were only for making you smile; Kuro had lied to you too, and he had only hurt you." He sighed. "I'm not into lying in any way, but who am I to say anything? My point is that you've probably been depressed for a very long time, and your friend had tried to take you out of your mysery." He glanced at her sideways. "Don't let all that effort go to waste."

She blinked a few more times before smiling and nodding in confirmation.

"You know, you didn't seem to me like the talkative type." She commented, making him blush again and look away.

"Shut up..."

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, making her collide with his shoulder, and searched around with keen eyes.

"What, what?" Asked the veggie trio, who had stopped as soon as they noticed they weren't following them.

"Down!" He bellowed, dragging them to the ground and into the bushes.

Confused, they obeyed.

 **WHOOOSH! CRAAAAAACK!**

Instants later, a whooshing sound came from their right, dangerously close to them, and all the trees from that side fell with thunderous noises, slided cleanly through the trunks! The kids yelled in shock before Koga and Kaya clasped their mouths shut alarmed.

"Where are you!" Called the familiar voice of Jango, dangerously close too. "Don't think you can get away!"

Crouching on the ground, Koga raised his head carefully and noticed the hypnotist's back four of five meters away at his right, looking around amidst the disaster he had caused; the chronicler signaled Kaya and the kids to follow him and they obeyed, heading off into Jango's opposite direction at full speed, trying not to be noticed.

A few minutes later, Kaya collapsed to her knees, panting heavily and trying to get as much air as she could.

"I'm sorry..." She gasped. "Please go ahead without me!"

"What are you saying?" Ninjin came back along with the others, Koga looking around in search of the hypnotist. "We're here to protect you Kaya-san. Oh no! She looks really sick guys!"

And indeed that it seemed; the girl's face, though sweaty and slightly flushed, was pale as a sheet. Frowning, the chronicler knelt before her while the kids rushed around questioning themselves about what to do. He took her wrist to check her pulse; it was going too fast, even after the little run. They should take a break, but with Jango on their heels...

Tingling intuition. His head snapped around, and in the blink of an eye, the blond had positioned himself before the kids and had taken a fighting stance, hand already on the hilt of his katana.

"There you are!"

Jango came into view and screamed once he spotted them, and Koga narrowed his eyes as the veggie trio screamed in terror.

"Brats, protect her." He stated, glancing at them from over his shoulder. The kids stopped yelling and looked back at him. "It's your duty as pirates, isn't it? Your captain ordered it."

"Yeah!" They screamed simultaneously, making him smirk.

"Right. I'll take care of him, you boys run away when you get the chance."

"But... what about you?" Piiman asked. "You seem to be in a lot of pain, and plus, you're injured."

"This is nothing." He drew his rusty katana and pointed at Jango with it, wondering why he was taking so much time in attacking them. "You promised, you'll run away."

They nodded and grabbed Kaya's hands, hauling her to her feet while Tamanegi supported her from behind. Seeing they were ready for the 'Decoy Plan', Koga nodded and turned his gaze back at the hypnotist, who was spinning his blades around his fingers expertly. Not letting him throw them, he launched himself forwards –making his leg muscles protest and him to wince in pain– with a battlecry; startled by his incoming assault, the hypnotist yelped and threw the blades at him... that failed for a good centimeters.

His intuition tingled furiously, and his feet stomped into a tree trunk to fly after the blades' trajectory, that was straight to Kaya and the veggie kids, who had escaped as soon as they saw a chance. He cursed lowly, how the hell did he forget the hypnotist was a long-rank fighter?

The four looked around while running and noticed the discs coming at them, launching themselves to the ground. But Tamanegi wouldn't make it, if Koga didn't do something.

"Kaizen Kaizen no... Speed!" The blond hissed from pain as the world again slowed down around him; he managed to throw Tamanegi to the ground, but because of the pain, his control over speed slipped away and couldn't avoid one of the sharp blades from slicing deeply into his side.

 **SHUNK!**

"Guh!" He groaned, falling to his knees and grasping the wound with both hands, blood staining them already. His rusty katana was on the grond beside him, where he had dropped it.

"Oh no!"

The kids and Kaya rushed to his side, the girl bringing out a handkerchief to press against the slash. Hearing Jango's footsteps approaching them, the chronicler ignored the pain and tried to put everyone behind him, clutching his katana and standing up wailing a bit.

"You're too injured to continue fighting." Came Jango's voice as he emerged from the trees, another blade in his hand and a smug smile on his face. "You've put quite a nice fight, even after fighting Captain Kuro, so I have to admire your strength. But... this ends here."

"Please stop!"

He brought up his blade to end him definitely, but suddenly Kaya was in front of the blond, arms spread at both sides. The hypnotist stopped his strike, and all of them looked at her in shock.

"Please, stop this already." She said, her voice wavering. "I... I'll write the will."

"What? No!" Ninjin exclaimed.

"Don't do it, Kaya-san!" Tamanegi shouted.

"I'll do it. All I have will be for Klahadore. Just... leave them all alone."

Just then, Koga's intuition began tingling, but not in danger. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes to open himself to his 'sixth sense' and felt two familiar presences approaching them. And then, he knew everything would be alright.

As if in a dream, he opened his eyes just in time to see Jango turn around because of some yelling and having his face exploded thanks to Usopp's Fire Star, utterly defeated. With all his body aching, all his wounds savagely pulsating and flaring, Koga couldn't help but to _smile_.

"You're a mess." Zoro's voice brought him back to the present.

The chronicler snorted, slightly amused, and he sheathed _Sankaoken_ once again, the fight finally over. He swayed a little, making the swordsman grab his arm and put it around his shoulder, supporting him.

"You guys go ahead." Usopp's voice came from his left, and Koga saw him with the three veggies and Kaya.

"Ah! Wait!" Tamanegi rushed to the chronicler's side and smiled. "Thanks so much!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Piiman also beamed. "You're pretty strong!"

"You were tired and wounded, and still you protected us." Kaya approached them to, smiling. "Thank you."

Blushing, Koga looked away.

"It was my captain's orders. Stop pestering me."

Usopp and the kids glanced at him in confusion, but the girl only widened her smile before Zoro took him away to the slope, where Luffy and Nami were waiting for them. Luffy was a mess too, but was beaming after defeating Kuro and all his gang, who had departed with their tails between their legs. Nami was giggling happily, hugging a bag and thanking the gods above –not them– for protecting her money from 'those filthy pirates'. Shortly after, Usopp came back and thanked the Straw Hat crew for protecting the village and Kaya from Kuro.

"If it weren't for you guys, this village wouldn't have been protected." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro smirked, still supporting Koga with his arm over his shoulders. "If you hadn't done anything, I wouldn't have either."

"Same here." Stated Luffy. The chronicler only nodded with also a smirk on his face.

"It doesn't matter." Nami was apparently in her own world, making the guys sweatdrop while looking at her. "I was able to get their treasure."

"So it's not even _our_ treasure..." Koga raised an eyebrow to her.

"What do you mean, _ours_? It's _mine_!" She yelled in his ear, teeth turning shark-like, and the chronicler picked his ear in annoyance.

"Jeez, you don't have to be yelling in my ear..."

"In light of this... There is a decision I have made..." Usopp said, eyes absent in thought.


	9. Join

**9\. Join**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Thanks! ^^ I absolutely HATE Kuro, so cold-hearted and cruel... He wished peace, so DON'T BE A PIRATE, DAMMIT! Haha, got carried away a bit, sorry xD Don't worry, I have already GREAT PLANS about Arlong's saga... Krieg, I'm afraid Koga's not going to face him, at least not in combat. I'll leave him to Luffy. And about Haki... I wasn't planning exactly on Observation Haki, since his intuitions work better– he doesn't need to feel his enemies' kill intent all the time. I was planning on giving him Busoshoku Haki (I think it was translated as Armored Haki) to let him fight against Logia Fruit users. And obviously, Haoshoku Haki is for Luffy xD.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Well, _that_ is a good ship."

Koga's comment went unnoticed amidst Luffy's joyful cries and Nami's exclamations of surprise and glee. Zoro didn't comment anything, but simply nodded at what the chronicler had said with a smirk on his face.

The day after they took care of Kuro's crew, the Straw Hat pirates and Usopp were taken care of by Kaya's private doctor. Fortunately, their wounds were nothing serious, so the pirates were up and around in time to enjoy a great meal– that, of course, Luffy enjoyed more than anyone else. And, while they were eating, Kaya surprised them with a visit and the promise of a gift waiting for them at the beach.

And, turned out, the "gift" was a ship. A caravel, more precisely, old-styled according to Merry –who began boasting about it proudly, as if he was talking about his own child– but pretty decent, much more than the boats they had been travelling on. A large ship, with a head of a ram, and a staysail.

"It's called Going Merry." Said Merry, smiling at the seemingly pleased pirate crew.

"Can we really have it?" Luffy looked at an equally smiling Kaya.

"I insist." She answered in confirmation.

Merry began explaining the steering system, but Nami, with a sweatdrop, decided to attend to him personally rather than relying on their idiot captain.

"I had everything you would need for a voyage loaded onto the ship." Kaya said, and then looked at Koga and handed him something. "Nami-san told me you're the crew's chronicler, so it's only fair that a pirate crew has a nice logbook. This is for you."

Frowning slightly in confusion, the bicolor-eyed young man took the package from her hands and looked down to see a large book covered in dark leather, pretty thick; in fancy letters, the front had the title 'LOGBOOK'. He opened the book to find lots of blank pages, and smiling in content, he closed it and smirked at Kaya.

"Thanks." His muttering made her smile wider. "It's about time this crew had a proper logbook."

She giggled.

"Your welcome. May it serves you well."

"I'll keep it safe."

"Thanks for going through all this trouble!" Luffy smirked.

Suddenly, a familiar yelling brought their attention to the slope.

"STOP MEEEE!" Usopp was rolling down with a huge backpack on his... well, back.

"Usopp-san!" Exclaimed the blond girl, seemingly surprised of seeing her friend like that.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked while he and Zoro walked up into Usopp's trajectory.

"I think we should stop him." The swordsman folded his arms nonchalantly. "He'll hit the ship."

 **BANG!**

Said and done. Both of them lifted a foot and slammed it right at Usopp's face, effectively stopping him and protecting their brand new ship. Koga smirked at it.

"Thanks..." The long-nosed boy whimpered in pain.

"No problem."

The captain and the first-mate walked off to the ship –where Nami was already waiting on. Usopp began approaching Kaya and Koga, and noticing it, the chronicler decided to bid his goodbye.

"Well, I'm off then." He said, walking to the ship and waving at her without looking back.

No answer came at him, but he didn't expect one as he climbed the side rope and hopped onto the deck, looking around in mild curiosity, his new logbook under his arm. He located his bag on the other side of the deck, on the floor, and picking it up he rummaged its content to make sure everything was still there.

"Well, safe voyage you guys!" Usopp's voice made him stop searching and go to where Luffy and Zoro were, at the Going Merry's stern. His huge backpack rested on the sand at his side and a small tiny boat was on the sea waiting for him. "Hope to see you again somewhere!"

"Why?" Luffy put his head on the rail, staring at the long-nosed boy.

"Huh, why?" Usopp blinked in surprise. "Jeez, you're really slow. We're both going to be pirates now, so we might meet on the high seas one day."

Smirking and reading his captain's intention, Koga crossed his arms as he stood across from Zoro.

"What are you saying?" Sighed said swordsman, pointing at the deck with his finger. "Hurry up and get aboard."

Usopp's confusion was written all over his face.

"We're already nakama, right?" Said Luffy.

"Wha..." Usopp stuttered, before snapping out of his shock in glee as he ran towards the ship and jumping in the air yelling, "Captain... I'm the captain!"

"No way, I'm the captain!"

 _My, my, another moron on board._

If only he could remember how to laugh, or even chuckle, he'd have done it. Yeah, their crew of misfits was getting larger. And, with the Captain Moron, every other crewmate they'd find in the way would be as idiot as any of them.

As they sailed off of Usopp's island waving at Merry and Kaya, Koga suddenly thought about what Luffy said earlier. _Nakama_. Nice word. But still, did it apply to himself? Without noticing, his face darkened as he picked up his new logbook, staring at it blankly. He wanted to be nakama, not only a crewmember, like he had been in previous pirate crews. Luffy, in spite of his stupidities, was a pretty decent captain so far, and Zoro was almost like a brother in the sense they were pretty alike; Nami, though he felt something iffy about her, seemed a good girl, and Usopp, cowardice and lies apart, was the best shaprshooter he'd ever seen. With them, the chronicler was able to relax his unwavering guard, but...

Would they do the same for him if they ever discovered what he was hiding? The blood that was covering his hands and the darkness hidden in his soul?

Shaking his head in an attempt to put aside those gloomy thoughts, Koga gathered his stuff and put it on the boys' room, on a hammoc under Zoro's. Looking down at his filthy shirt, he frowned before taking out of his sack a plaid sleeveless black shirt and putting it on, deciding to throw the other one; the shirt had the message 'Guardian Angel' above two wings. Before stepping out of the cabin, he once again took his logbook and all his notes.

Once out, he discovered the crew on the deck, with Luffy handing out mugs of sake to all the members. He turned around in time to see his chronicler closing the door behind him.

"Oh, hey, Koga!" He shouted, using his stretching arm to pass him a mug. "You're just in time! Come here!"

'Uh, I seriously doubt this is a good idea...' Koga looked down at his mug and then at his captain, who had already gathered Nami, Zoro and Usopp around him. Trying to hide the panic in his face, the chronicler positioned himself between the navigator and Luffy.

"To our new ship, and our new nakama!" The captain exclaimed, raising his mug high.

"KANPAI!" They all shouted, except Koga, as they toasted.

Zoro's mug was down almost instantly, as well as Nami's, and while Luffy and Usopp weren't that used to sake, they enjoyed it too.

"Oi, Koga, why aren't you drinking?" Exclaimed his captain, pointing at him accusingly. True enough, Koga had toasted with them, but his drink was untouched.

'Crap! Crapcrapcrapcrap!'

To everyone's surprise, the blond young man's cheeks turned a deep crimson red as he stared at them with wide eyes.

"Huh?" He stuttered, trying to hide his sudden blush with his scarf. "No, well, I..."

"Oh, is Koga really _babbling_?" The swordsman smirked evilly as he looked at his companion, whose eyes were about to pop out from their sockets.

"Shut up!" His menacing hiss went unnoticed.

Putting aside his mug, Luffy jumped over him, but went face-first into the deck thanks to Koga's superb intuition. But Zoro, taking advantage of his captain's distraction, flashed behind the chronicler and put his arms tightly around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides and effectively trapping him.

"Oi, Zoro!" Koga turned his head to the green-haired boy with a dangerous glare. "Hands off!"

Nami and Usopp, on the distance, were laughing their ass off as Luffy's elastic limbs surrounded his legs too.

"You too?! Damn rubbery idiot!"

"Nami!" Zoro's yell made Koga flinch in annoyance. "The sake!"

"Right!"

The navigator, still laughing, took the sake and tried to pinch Koga's nose to open his mouth, but he tried to bite her hand off, so Usopp had to help in keeping his head still from behind Zoro. After much struggling, the ginger-haired girl managed to make Koga swallow a big gulp of sake. Bicolored eyes wide in what looked shock, he glanced at his companions...

... Before his eyes shut abruptly and his head dropped forwards.

For a moment, nothing happened, and the merry laughs gradually dropped until everyone was looking at the unmoving chronicler.

"Oi, is he okay?" Usopp asked, worry tinged in his voice.

"Dunno." Luffy replied.

A soft, familiar noise suddenly went out of the blond's mouth.

"HE'S ASLEEP?!" They all shouted incredulously.

"What the hell?" Zoro shook his head as he and Luffy put the sleeping Koga against the railing, his logbook and notes at his side. "He doesn't have alcohol tolerance at all."

"He scared me for a moment." Nami sighed in relief, but then a furious tick mark appeared on her head. "I'll beat him later."

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **"Hi!"**

 **I turn around, and amidst the rain, I distinguish a figure approaching me. The boy's around my height, black hair and light blue eyes shining merrily. He's skinny, but not as skinny as I am, and has a friendly smile on his face. Once he's closer, I notice small freckles on his rounded nose, making him look a kid.**

 **"I'm Yuuto!" The boy exclaims as he extends his hand like a grown-up, a huge goofy smile on his face the whole time. "Ojii-san saved you two days ago, remember? You shouldn't be under this rain, you'll catch another fever."**

 **I simply stare at him, unblinking.**

 **"Oh, that's right! Ojii-san told me you don't know your name. He says you have _ammisia_ , or something like that. I'm sorry."**

 **"... It's _amnesia_." I finally answer, instantly attracting his attention. "Not _ammisia_. And I remember a few things, but not my name."**

 **"Whatever. Hey, you're going to stay at home, right? You didn't meet my twin sister I think. Come with me, you have to meet her!"**

 **He grabs my hand and, ignoring my protests, drags me to the Jii-san's hut. He's not home, which confuses me but not my new companion, who simply continues to drag me upstairs to a wooden door painted in green. He knocks on the door and, without waiting for an answer, opens it.**

 **"Karen-chan, you awake?" He shouts merrily. Man, this dude sure is noisy.**

 **A little girl's on bed, glaring outside through the window. She turns around jolting in surprise at Yuuto's sudden appearance. She's far skinny than either of us, pale as a sheet and with tired blue eyes, that has bangs under them.**

 **"Nii-chan, you scared me! And you're soaking wet!" She exclaims, as her brother lets me go, approaches her and hugs her. She notices me standing awkwardly at the door. "Who's that?"**

 **"He's our new big bro!" Yuuto points at me. "He's gonna live with us starting from today!"**

 **"Huh? Oi, that's..."**

 **"Our new bro...?" Karen mutters, looking at me with huge blue eyes, before grinning widely, catching me off-guard by how bright and happy her smile was. "I like your eyes, they're like the Bo tree's leaves when it's spring!"**

 **I blink. She didn't freak out at my weird eyes? More than that, she complimented them?**

 **"I'll call you Bo-nii!"**

 **"YOU'RE NOT GONNA CALL ME WITH THAT WEIRD NICKNAME!" I shout with shark-teeth, scaring her for a moment.**

 **"Oi, don't yell at her!" Yuuto's in front of his sister in a second, but suddenly he notices something behind me. "Oh, Ojii-san!"**

 **I turn around. The old man from earlier's behind me. He's smiling, but I notice something's troubling him.**

 **"Sorry, I can't keep you here, lad." He says, and all my body stiffens. Where do I go then? I have nowhere to be... "But don't worry, there's an orphanage not so far from here, and its principal agreed to take you."**

 **"What?!" Yuuto exclaims, running to the old man. "But Ojii-san, you can't take him away!"**

 **"Don't take Bo-nii from me!" Karen seems about to cry, and that makes my heart ache in a weird way.**

 **"It's not a goodbye, kids. You'll see him everyday. Right?"**

 **"Uh... Yeah, I suppose."**

 **"So, had you think about a name for yourself?"**

 **Oh, right. The name. But I didn't think about it. My mind's been blank almost all day.**

 **"What about Koga?" Yuuto butts in excitedly. I frown at him, but the old man looks at his grandson smiling.**

 **"I like that name, and you Karen?" She grins widely as she nods repeatedly.**

 **And then he looks at me. I shrug.**

 **"It's settled then, you're now Koga, from the Sarugaki family. Welcome to the family, Koga."**

 **"Welcome!" Both Karen and Yuuto repeats.**

 **"Uh... Thanks."**

 **"And now, let's get you something dry for you before you catch another cold, Koga. You have to look good when the orphanage principal arrives."**

* * *

Koga's eyes fluttered open and he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

'Never again...' He swore to himself. 'Next time I toast, it'll be with orange juice.'

 **BONK!**

"OUCH!" A huge bump appeared on his head as the chronicler grabbed it. His poor head throbbing in pain, he glanced sideways at a shadowed figure. "What the hell, Nami? Why did you do that?"

 **BONK! CRASH! CLANK!**

"Uhhhh..."

Koga's limp form let out a pained grunt after Nami's furious beatings, her head and fists still with tick marks.

"YOU FREAKING SCARED US, YOU MORON!" She shouted, ignoring Koga's flinch. "We thought you were dead or something! Don't do that ever again, you heard me?!"

"It was your fault for making me drink that sake!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet but wobbling a bit, so he put a hand on the railing for support. "I would've explained it...!"

"It's done!" Luffy shouted behind the navigator, making them spin around in anger for interrupting their argument.

"WHAT'S DONE?!" They yelled in unison with ire marks on their foreheads.

"Oi, keep your voices down, you're noisy." Zoro protested, waking up from one of his naps and walking up to his captain.

"Our pirate flag! Look!"

Luffy held up a black cloth and showed his 'masterpiece'. A long silence settled between his subordinates as they glanced at his drawing, unsure of what to say.

"Please, tell me that's not what I think it is..." Koga mumbled, facepalming in frustration.

"After Usopp joined us we now have five people! So, we need our own mark!"

Seeing his captain's idiotic grin, the chronicler sighed.

"That's.. our mark?" Zoro pointed at it, mouth open a bit. Something that resembled a skull with what looked a straw hat...

"What do you think? Nice, isn't it?"

"You're asking my sincere opinion?" Koga grumbled. "It's horrible. I refuse to sail with that mark."

"Booo, you're not nice, Koga." Luffy pouted at him, but then grinned at the others, waiting for their thoughts.

"A pirate flag is supposed to be the symbol of terror and death..."

"I certainly do feel terror." Nami agreed, with a thoughtful expression on her face. "The terror of your talent."

Usopp smirked while waving his finger at the rubber-brained idiot, as if he were scolding a child.

"You should have discussed this with me first. How could you forget this genius painter?"

"Genius painter?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"I've had fifty years of experience at painting on the walls! When it comes to painting no one does it better than me!" He lied proudly, pointing at himself and making everyone sweatdrop –except the rubbery idiot, of course.

"Incredible, fifty years!"

"So, you're an old man." Zoro smirked.

"Maybe he already had five or six grandchildren." Nami also teased with a grin on her own face.

"That's even more incredible!" By then, the captain's eyes were sparkling with tiny stars.

"Hey..." Usopp mumbled.

A bit later, the long-nosed boy had finished a pirate flag... With a few modifications...

"THAT'S NOT OUR PIRATE MARK!" Luffy and Zoro shouted at him while punching the sides of his head.

After a few arguments, he finally agreed on keeping with the original idea. On the black flag, he painted a skull wearing Luffy's characteristic straw hat, and behind it the crossbones. It was certainly way better than the captain's attempt, and Koga smiled at the Straw Hat pirates' new jolly roger.

"Well, that's how it should be." Usopp said as he finished painting.

"That's really good." Nami commented with a smile.

"I like it!" Luffy also praised it.

"So this is going to be our mark from now on." Zoro commented, looking at the flag.

Koga smiled and nodded at Usopp, wordlessly thanking his hard job... and also for freeing them from Luffy's terrorific mark. Picking up his notes and logbook, he climbed up to the crow's nest as the rubber captain ordered the long-nosed boy to draw the mark also on the sails.

Settling himself on the wooden floor the best he could considering the little space he had, the chronicler put the large book on his crossed legs and opened it to the first page. He collected his notes and began writing them down on the notebook, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, ignoring Usopp's and Luffy's yellings down on the deck.

He was beginning to write down the arrival of Kuro's pirates at the long-nosed's island before he heard someone climbing up the rope ladder up to the crow's nest, and raised his head just in time to see Zoro popping his head.

"Hey." He greeted him, a plate of food on his hand, earning a nod in response. "We called for you, but I suppose you didn't hear us."

"I was busy." Koga looked down at his logbook and continued writing while the swordsman put the plate on the floor. "Thanks."

"No problem." The swordsman then noticed something. "Oi... Is that a paper airplane?"

His question made the blond glance at the side. With one of his notes, he had made a paper airplane, yes. It was a symbol, a pretty important one, that connected him to his past... and also to pretty painful memories. He shook his head as his eyes darkened a bit.

"Yeah, it is." The blond answered, before coming back to his task. "I'll bring back the plate when I finish this. Thanks again, Zoro."

"Uh, yeah. No problem."

Not knowing what else to say, the swordsman left him alone. Once he finished writing down everything –yes, including his passing-out because of the sake– Koga ate the food Zoro had brought him, leaving the meat for Luffy and finishing the vegetables, looking absentmindedly at the small airplane in his fingers.

The chronicler still remembered their song:

 _Little plane flying in the wind_

 _Don't stop your voyage_

 _On the cliff above the sea_

 _A little kid's seeing you_

 _And amidst the storm_

 _Your victorious wings_

 _Will bring you back_

 _To me._

It was only a small part, but still, that song connected him with Yuuto, Karen and the kids from the orphanage. He had been his second-in-command, with Yuuto being his captain... But everything crumbled down. That day, everything disappeared, consumed by fire and drowned in blood. A cold, deadly claw gripped Koga's heart as he put a hand over his chest, his eyes firmly shut.

'I should've died that day instead of everyone else.' He grimly thought, his other hand unconsciously grasping _Sankaoken_ 's hilt. 'I don't have the right to live... Right, Karen?'

Silence was the only thing that answered him. Sighing deeply, Koga lifted his paper airplane and, while humming the song on his head, threw it at the wind's mercy, watching it disappear amidst the sea waves and the clouded sky. If anyone down at the deck noticed him doing that, he didn't commented it.

Once the little paper airplane vanished from his view, Koga looked at the horizon, arms resting on the rail... and saw something.

"Land ho!" He shouted, instantly calling everyone's attention.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for today! Pretty short, I know, but Gaimon's adventures will cover one of my chaps, that will be number 10! Let's keep going like this, shall we? ^^ Well, feed the evil hungry review monster! Pretty please?**


	10. Dream

**10\. Dream**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Hi! You know, I've been considering giving you some little information about Koga (favorite color, food, type of island, that kind of stuff). Would you like me to put it or no?**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, haha! Koga doesn't have any alcohol tolerance, at all xD And don't you worry, Koga's having doubts, but he wants to accomplish his dream (and help Luffy reach his).**

 **-Guest: That's actually a good idea, but I don't want the crew to know too much about Koga's past (they don't know exactly why Zoro wants to become the greatest swordsman, only that he had made a promise to a friend).**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"WOOHOO, an island!"

Luffy, Usopp, Zoro and Nami got out from the kitchen just as Koga jumped to the deck with his stuff under one arm and the empty plate on the other. He left the logbook on the boys' room and the plate on the kitchen before joining his companions on the bow of the ship, just as the navigator was explaining something to the other boys.

"... the Legendary Treasure island." She stated.

Koga observed the island ahead. It was covered with dark thick clouds, a thunder occasionally illuminating it with a resonating noise.

"Legendary Treasure island..." Usopp mused, before realization dawned on his face. "I've heard of it before!"

"Yes, it's famous among pirates." Nami nodded. "And it has a strange rumor about it."

"Rumor?" Luffy echoed in confusion.

A mischiveous look appeared on the female's face.

"Whoever goes close to that island, faces God's anger."

A thunder immediately cracked right after she said that sinister sentence, landing just next to Merry, waves rocking it back and forth. Usopp screamed as he dropped down and held onto the railing.

"Could the legends be true?! Is this God's anger?!"

"This sounds interesting!" Luffy jumped up and down the deck, excited beyond words.

Ignoring everyone else, Koga went past his captain, arms against the railing beside the sheep-head, and squinted his bicolored eyes at the thundering island. Not that he wanted to spoil everyone's –or rather Nami's– mood, but there was something definitely weird in that island... Weird, not dangerous. Should he tell the others about it?

 _Nah, let them find out themselves._

'Huh. Whatever.'

Following Luffy's orders, their course shifted towards the island, Nami's face drawing a huge satisfied smile. Usopp helped Zoro with the sails, tears running down his face in terror as the thunders and lightning cracked around them.

As they finally docked in the island, only a rather dense forest greeted them. Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Zoro and Koga hopped off Merry. Once his feet touched firm ground, the chronicler looked around to assess possible dangers; when his intuition remained silent –at least, for now– he paid attention to everyone else as Nami mentioned his name.

"So, let's find this legendary treasure!" Her eyes turned like Beli, making Usopp and Koga sweatdrop at this. Luffy, of course, was blissfully oblivious at what was going on as he looked at the forest in excitement, repeating the word 'Adventure' over and over again.

 _He's kinda creepy._

'You're even creepier, and I'm not complaining.'

"Let's go!" Nami pointed at the forest in a heroic pose. "Koga, find the treasure with your intuition!"

"... Find it yourself, I'm not a dog." He replied, with a deadpanned expression on his face. But he led the way through the forest nonetheless, following the barely visible path. He could feel Nami's eyes on the back, sending daggers on his direction dangerously.

'I can't exactly feel any treasure around here.' The chronicler thought, before looking over his shoulder at the navigator. 'Better not tell her. She's gonna kill me if she finds out about that.'

Usopp was jumping at every weird noise the forest was making, always hiding behind a bored-looking Zoro. Luffy was beaming in excitement, of course, and Nami, though weary about her surroundings, was mentally counting the money they'd find.

"This is a strange island." Usopp's shaky voice reached Koga's ears.

"Is it?" The swordsman commented, seemingly not caring having the coward sharpshooter at his back.

"Its said that there's unimaginable treasure somewhere on this island." Nami revealed with a huge smile on her face. "Many pirates came here. But before any of them could even find the treasure, they were scared away."

 _Someone's watching us._

Yeah, his intuition was beginning to tingle, dragging his attention away from the crew. But for some reason, he didn't exactly feel any danger coming from the person watching them, only wariness and caution. An understandable reaction, considering they were pirates searching a legendary treasure. But then again, why wasn't he –or she– attacking them?

"Don't scare me like that!" Usopp's startled shout at Nami brought him back to the present, and Koga then realized he had continued walking while the others had stopped.

"We're not alone." He declared as he went back, hands on his pockets.

"WHAT?!"

"But..." The chronicler looked around frowning. "I don't sense any danger. Whoever this person is, he doesn't want to kill us. He's... watching. For the moment."

Just then, Zoro yawned and decided to take a nap against a tree.

"What do you think you're doing, moron?!" Usopp yelled, legs shaking violently. "You're going to upset God!"

"I don't believe in God." He muttered, sleepy already. "And besides, Koga said he doesn't feel any danger. You should trust his intuition."

Koga felt something fluttering on his stomach, something pleasant, that made him cover a smirk and a slight blush under his scarf. It helped that he was ahead of the guys.

"Well, okay, but..." Usopp looked at the back of his bicolor-eyed companion.

"Don't worry!" Luffy grinned widely, swinging an arm over Koga's shoulders and making him stop. "Koga's the best preventing dangers!"

"Shut up, you idiot." The chronicler mumbled, punching him in the head. "And I want my personal space back."

Just then, a strange animal approached them both, making them blink. It had the body of a snake, but its head was of a rabbit's. It slithered towards Koga and Luffy, hissing dangerously, and both of them cocked their heads to the side.

"A rabbit?" Luffy wondered.

"More a snake, no?" Koga crouched on the floor, curious.

Usopp then yelled at the top of his lungs, making the three of them bolt and look around in fright.

"What?! Don't scare me like that!" Nami panicked.

"I– I just wanted to dance a little to lighten up the atmosphere!" He laughed shakily.

Koga decided not to tell him about the strange dog-chicken that was approaching him from behind and was beginning to lick his hand. He smirked at how freaked out both Usopp and Nami became (yeah, he had also perceived the strange hybrid of bear and bat coming near the navigator).

"This... This is..." Nami, on top of the sharpshooter's back, looked around to notice the multiple red eyes surrounding them.

But Koga never felt any sense of danger. Why, he wondered.

" **Get out of here**."

"Who's there?!" Luffy yelled, looking around searching the owner of that ghostly voice.

" **Get out of here!** " The voice demanded once more. " **I am the Guardian God of this forest. Leave immediately if you want to save your lives.** "

"Guardian God?" The rubber teen asked.

"He's a liar." Koga muttered to his captain, hand approaching _Sankaoken'_ s hilt. "Get out or I'll make you."

A brief silence.

" **You're challenging a God?** "

"I'm challenging someone who _proclaimed_ to be a God. And I can tell you're scared. If you really were a God, you shouldn't be scared of humans like us."

"He's right..." Nami realized, eyes hardening in suspicion.

"What a weird guy." Luffy commented.

" **What did you say, straw hat boy?!** "

More strange hybrid animals emerged from the bushes, surrounding them. Koga's grip on _Sankaoken_ hardened, though he absolutely despised hurting an animal... No matter how weird-looking it might look.

" **All the humans that came here for the treasure, this is their form after being transformed by me**!"

Usopp yelled near Koga's ear –who flinched at how noisy he was– and knelt in a praying pose, comic tears rolling down his face. "So you really are a God!"

"Dude, you're hopeless. He's a human." The chronicler rubbed his ear.

'Next time, I'll stand far _far_ from him.' He promised to himself. 'Or else, I'll be deaf.'

A big lion-pig jumped over Luffy and bit him on the face, stretching it. The voice, as well as the rest of the animals, freaked out at this, and the rubber idiot explained he had eaten a Devil Fruit.

'So did I, but I have absolutely no intention on saying it just yet.'

"Back when you were a pirate?!" Nami suddenly exclaimed, catching the invisible voice's small slip-up.

" **That's... That's not it! I'm not reminiscing the past or anything! I don't want to hear about the past!** "

Koga tried to locate the voice's owner with his intuition, but there were too many animals to exactly pinpoint it. Wooden spears began lunging towards them, making Usopp, Nami and Luffy dodge them while Zoro was still sleeping– and miraculously, remained unscathed as the spears didn't reach him.

Knowing the others would be just fine without him, the blond young man decided to trust his intuition once more and disappeared among the trees, knocking out the few animals that tried to stop him with the flat end of his rusty katana. He didn't believe those were exactly "God's judgement"; well, he didn't believe in God in the first place. But better not distracting himself with theology for now.

Crouching on the floor, hiding behind the thick bushes, he distinguished a dark form watching his companions– who were currently being assaulted by giant boulders. The dark figure was surprisingly small and had a weird form too, but he knew by his voice that it was undoubtedly human; he was cursing loudly at how Luffy and the others were evading his traps, that he was controlling from his hideout.

"Don't move!" The strange figure yelled in fright, seeing something and reaching out for a gun. "I'm telling you not to move!"

 **BANG!**

"Hey. Bullets don't work on him." Nami revealed soon afterwards.

Koga breathed in relief as no one had been injured, and moved silently behind the small weird guy, who had dropped the gun in shock and was stuttering something about all of them being monsters.

"Oi, that's not nice." The chronicler commented, making the false God jump and spin around, discovering him. "Please don't shoot at my captain again."

Just then, up close, he noticed the strange appearance of the character before him. The first he noticed was the green afro hairstyle covering the stranger's head. Then a black beard, a chubby face and a big mouth. And then, he realized why the guy was so small; his body was stuck on a treasure chest, and it had adopted its form.

While Koga was observing the false God, Luffy and the others caught up with him and also looked at him.

"A bush?" The rubber teen cocked his head to the side.

"He's a man." Koga sweatdropped, looking at his captain.

"A bushman!"

"Idiot..." Nami and Usopp muttered, the chronicler silently agreeing with them.

"I'll– I'll forgive you this time!"

Bushman tried to get away, but Luffy held the chest; the man kept running without noticing it and stretching the captain's arm. Then, he lung forwards and slammed into him, sending both of them flying and stopping a few good meters away from the remaining Straw Hat pirates, who were cringing and wishing to choke the rubbery idiot. Deciding Zoro would be fine without them –even sleeping, he managed to have enough good luck to avoid sevearl wooden spears–, the three of them went after the duo.

After checking out both of them –or, more precisely, Bushman– were okay, they brought them to a small clearing, the strange animals surrounding them and licking the man's hand. Bushman, who revealed his name was Gaimon, told them he had used the animals to scare away the pirates that were after his precious treasure.

"Are you a boxed son?" Luffy asked, stupidly and also grinning.

"Yeah, since I was little because I was a precious little master... That's not possible!" Gaimon snapped at the rubbery idot. "I can't even get out of this box. I've been stuck in it for twenty years..."

"Twenty years?" Nami exclaimed.

"You've been living alone for twenty years?" Usopp asked then.

"I wouldn't say exactly alone."

Koga's voice made them look at him, to find him surrounded by some weird animals that were sniffing him and allowing him pet them. He seemed relaxed, smirking at a small lamb-rabbit that was brave enough to lick his outstreched hand and being rewarded with a few scratches behind its ear.

"I've never seen them so easily attracted to strangers." Gaimon commented, mouth agape at the display before him.

"Animals seem to like me." He shrugged. "In a way, they're even better than most humans."

"... You're right. I wasn't alone. But still, I passed twenty years of my life in this island, away from humans. Look at how my hair and beard have grown. Even my eyebrows joined together. It's been twenty years since I last spoke with people. Do you understand my position?"

Usopp and Nami looked at him with pity and sadness written all over their faces, but Luffy and Koga remained emotionless.

"Why? Idiot." Luffy stated his opinion rather bluntly.

"Who are you calling idiot?!" Gaimon snapped at him again, rather angrily.

Koga heard bushes moving and turned his head to see Zoro emerging from them, yawning and rubbing his green head.

"What? You're all over here?" He commented lazily as he sat down.

"Even with all that commotion you could still sleep?" Nami sweatdropped, looking at the swordsman as he looked at her in confusion.

"I think he would be sleeping even in a giant storm, Nami." Koga said from his spot surrounded by the animals.

Zoro rubbed his eyes and then noticed Gaimon. He stared at him for a long time.

"What's with that?!" He yelled, falling off the rock he had been sitting on.

"Notice sooner." The navigator scolded him.

"He's a man who lives in a box." Explained Luffy in his stupid way.

"Are you a boxed son?"

Koga rolled his eyes in mild amusement as Zoro asked the same thing as his captain, with Gaimon answering exactly the same thing. It was funny, seeing how those two were so close it seemed both of them were communicating telepathically. Not that he believed in that.

Luffy rose from his spot and grabbed Gaimon by his head.

"Zoro, Koga, lend me a hand!"

Both first mate and chronicler looked at each other; the green-haired teen shrugged, and both of them also went to help his captain getting Gaimon out of his treasure chest.

"Wait wait wait!" Gaimon was panicking. "Don't do it! Stop it!"

"It's true, you can't get out." Luffy commented as the three of them let go of the bushman, who sighed in relief. "Zoro, cut the box!"

"Are you crazy?! My body has fit this treasure box perfectly! If you break the box, my body will be done for!"

"What a chatter-box." Zoro commented, letting go of his katana's hilt.

"Anyway, just who are you guys? You're nothing like other pirates that came here."

"I'm Luffy. I'm the man that will become the Pirate King. I'm going to the Grand Line to get the legendary treasure, One Piece."

Koga smiled at his captain's confidence at stating his dream. And also smirked at Gaimon's sheer surprise, mouth agape, as he looked at the black-haired teen.

"One Piece? You're not planning on going to the Grand Line, are you?"

"We even have a map." Luffy showed him the map that they took from Buggy the Clown.

"Don't underestimate it!" Gaimon exclaimed, coming out from his shock and pointing at the map, as if he was pointing at the Grand Line itself. "It's a hell's coffin. I've seen pirates coming back from the Grand Line, they were spiritless like the undead. Whether something horrible has happened to them, whether they met a terrifying monster, not one of them was able to say anything!" Luffy and the others kept watching him intensely. "Furthermore, there are so many rumors about One Piece that no one knows the truth anymore. The Great Pirate Era has lasted for more than twenty years now. One Piece is no longer a legend, but a dream within a dream."

There was a little silence after his speech, and soon afterwards, both Luffy and him were head-to-head looking at the map of the Grand Line. Neither of them were able to read maps, and that realization made them laugh together.

"Is this how pirates talk amongst themselves?" Nami sighed in annoyance. "Anyway, when we get to the Grand Line, we'll just get as much as possible and leave as soon as possible."

"I'm sure we'll find One Piece. I have good luck." Luffy grinned widely.

"Where did you get such confidence?"

"I'll definitely find it and show it to you!"

"I give up." Nami threw her hands up in defeat, while Gaimon looked at the rubbery captain.

"He'll need all that confidence in the Grand Line." Koga grimly stated, his face serious as he crouched on the ground to pet the animals again. "It'll keep him strong."

"You resemble..." Gaimon began getting their attention. "Your face is exactly like mine, like a twin!"

"Where is the resemblance?!" The navigator snapped at him.

"I knew it! That one day, our dreams would come true! We were like that from the very beginning!"

" _We_?" Luffy caught the plural.

"In order to find treasure, losing your life didn't matter. That passion changed my life. It was twenty years ago, back when landed on this island with my comrades as a pirate."

Gaimon began telling them about him and his crew's arrival to that island, attracted like many others by the rumors of great treasures, but even with the help of two-hundred men they couldn't find anything. In a month, they only discovered an empty treasure box, and that fact discouraged them greatly. The captain, annoyed of finding the rumors to be untrue, ordered his crew to gather at the ship and leave, but one of the crewmembers –Gaimon, ever hopeful– continued searching on a top of a cliff, always thinking on finding the legendary treasure.

When he finally reached the cliff top, he found treasure chests lying right there. Beaming in happiness, he called for his crewmates, but no one heard him. His foot slipped and he fell down the cliff, with so much disfortune that he landed just on the empty treasure box, trapping his body. Even in his current state, Gaimon managed to get to the shore in time to see the sails of the ship far on the horizon, not realizing they had left a crewmember behind on that island. At first, he was shocked and hurt, but tried to cheer himself up by thinking he had the treasure all for himself; but then, he realized that, stuck in the box, he couldn't climb the cliff up to the treasure's hideout, nor get out of the box himself.

Alone, with strange animals as only companions, he then realized that he was going to be stuck forever... In a box, and on the island.

"Ever since then, that one glance at those treasure chests hasn't left my mind. So, whenever pirates came here, I use these guys to scare them away." He petted one of the hybrids with a smile. "Those are mine!"

"That's right. They're yours." Affirmed Luffy, that had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout all the narration. Nami raised her head as in determination.

"Gaimon-san, I understand. I'll help you get that treasure."

"Really?" Gaimon asked in disbelief, and the black-haired teen nodded in assurance.

"Could it be..." Usopp muttered.

"Aren't you a thief who robs to pirates?" Luffy asked the navigator, who snapped at him.

"That's rude! Even I get emotionally moved!"

Koga pursed his lips in a thin line, unsure of what to do or say. He was almost a hundred percent convinced that there was no trace of treasure on the island, but Gaimon had been guarding it for almost twenty years. It seemed unfair to him to reveal it so happily; it'd break the poor man's heart. He decided not to tell him –or anyone in the crew– anything, resolving on helping them finding the treasure.

With the animals' help, soon the crew and Gaimon were at the cliff. The box-man was almost crying in happiness and emotion, something that made Usopp, Zoro and Nami smile at him in understanding.

"All right! Gomu gomu no... Rocket!" Luffy's arms stretched as he grabbed the edge of the cliff and rocketed up, landing on top of the cliff. Usopp cheered for him as he disappeared behind the cliff.

"So? Did you find it?" Nami yelled, urging an answer from her captain.

A few moments of silence. Neither Luffy nor the treasure appeared, making the crew wonder what he was doing up there.

"Luffy!" Usopp and the navigator called for him once again. "What's going on?"

Koga glanced to Gaimon discreetly, seeing him lose his cheeriness upon realizing something was wrong. The chronicler gulped and then looked to the side, unable to see him face-to-face.

Finally, Luffy appeared holding a treasure box. Immediately, everyone cheered up at seeing him, but Koga remained looking at the ground.

"I got them! Five treasure boxes!" Luffy yelled.

"Got... them... I can finally get my treasure! Treasure!" Gaimon cheered, as well as the animals around him. "Can you hurry and get them down here?!"

"NO!"

Everyone but the blond young man eyed him in disbelief.

"What?!"

"I don't want to give them to you!" The rubbery idiot shouted with a grin.

'He knows already.' Koga sighed inwardly and crouched on the ground to pet one of the hybrids that approached him. 'Poor Gaimon...'

"What are you saying, Luffy?!" Nami yelled at him, looking as pissed off as Usopp. "Stop joking around!"

"Hand them over, all of them! They're not yours, they're Gaimon-san's!"

"Calm down, both of you." Koga decided to say something. Both the navigator and the sharpshooter looked at him in disbelief, while Zoro only narrowed his eyes. "He's doing what is correct."

"It's fine." Gaimon's voice was trembling for the tears he was trying to retain as he smiled up to Luffy. "You're really a good boy, Straw Hat."

"What are you saying?" Nami was beyond confusion right now.

"I thought about it, even though it's hard to even think about it. There's nothing inside, isn't that right?"

Luffy approached them and sat down, all five treasure chests behind him open to reveal they were empty.

"That's right, they're empty." The captain said.

"No way. The treasure you've guarded for twenty years... is nothing but empty boxes." Nami's voice was soaked in pity and sadness for the poor ex-pirate.

"It's something that often happens with treasures. Someone takes them, but people still keep searching for it. That's the trial of pirates. Wasting your life, risking it, only to get nothing in the end. There are many pirates like that."

"That's not entirely true." Koga said softly, still petting the hybrid lamb-rabbit without looking up. "Your life isn't wasted. Your adventures trying to find that treasure, everything you went through, the people you met, the things you saw, your greetings and goodbyes, the trials you've faced and won... Every one of those memories you hold should be as cherished and revered as a real treasure, as one of gold and silver." He looked up at Gaimon with a small smile. "I think you're only wasting your life when you throw away everything you've experienced to get that treasure. You've been stuck on a box for twenty years, guarding a treasure that didn't even exist in the first place. But... Not everything is bad, isn't it?"

"Koga..." Nami muttered, looking at the chronicler as he rose to his feet, the lamb-rabbit never leaving his side.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Don't be sad, Bushman! You got lucky we came here in the 20th year. If no one came here in a nother thirty years, you could have ended up dead."

"That guy..." Usopp seemed moved by Koga's and Luffy's attempts to cheering up the man.

"You just got sidetracked. All that's left now is One Piece. Become a pirate with us once again!"

"Straw Hat... You're inviting me..." Gaimon looked surprised at the black-haired teen. "Up until now, no one wanted to even talk to me after seeing my condition. I don't know how long has it been since I've trusted anyone. Thank you."

Nami and Usopp got emotional –of course– as Zoro simply smiled at him, with Koga imitating him.

At sunset, after reloading their ship with fruit and meat enough for the five of them to last a few days, the Straw Hat pirate crew were already on board, watching Gaimon surrounded by the hybrid animals.

"Are you sure you want to stay on this island, Bushman?" Luffy tried once more to convince him to join his crew, but the box-man simply shook his head with a smile.

"Even though there is no treasure, there are other things on this island for me to protect." He stated, making Koga grin.

"Other things?" Nami and Usopp asked in unison.

"I've lived with these guys. For twenty years, we've been together through hard and happy times." Everyone smiled at the revelation. "Now that I know there is no treasure, I feel free for the first time in twenty years. I can finally live my life the way I want to. To be honest, I began enjoying the life in the box."

"I see. That's bad. Because Bushman is so interesting." Luffy said with his characteristic grin.

"The strange creatures are your true companions, right?" Zoro asked knowingly.

"Though Bushman is the strangest one."

"Hey!" Gaimon yelled at him, before grinning once more, letting that rude remark slip up.

"Maybe there's no gold and silver treasure." Koga remarked with a hidden smile on his scarf. "But there are other kind of treasures, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right." The box-man petted the sad lamb-rabbit that had taken a liking for the chronicler of the Straw Hat crew.

The ship set sail a few minutes later. Everyone bid their goodbyes to Gaimon.

"Straw Hat... Work hard for you and me. If it's you, I'm sure you can do it. Find that legendary treasure, One Piece! Then you can buy the world!" Gaimon exclaimed with teary eyes, waving at them.

 **xXxThat NightxXx**

Koga was writing down their adventures in the crew's logbook, under the light of the big bright moon and the soft glimmering stars, back against the railing. Gaimon was a good guy, and he was sure he would fare well in that island. He wasn't alone, after all; those animals would take good care of him.

"Nice speech you gave back there."

Having perceived her presence long before she had even got out of her cabinet, the chronicler raised his head to see Nami hovering over him, trying to read what he had written.

"I was only quoting what my grandfather told me once." Koga shrugged, putting down his pen and closing the logbook, his task already done.

"Your grandfather?" She decided to sit down at his side, and he didn't mind. As long as she didn't get too close to him, that is.

"Yeah. He told me that every memory has to be preserved and treated as a treasure, because they make us who we are. Good and bad memories, everything is important. Everything makes us unique."

"Is that why you decided to be a chronicler?" The navigator inquired.

"In a way, yeah. He inspired me to begin writing. He taught me to seek for new experiences to tell and write down in my book."

The red-haired girl looked at him. It was the first time the chronicler was willing to tell something about himself.

"Your grandfather seems quite wise." She commented softly, earning a quiet nod. "What happened to him?"

"I dunno. He's still in my homeland, as far as I know."

"Your homeland?" He didn't answer that question. "How do you know he's still alive?"

"My intuition tells me so." He shrugged.

"Does your intuition ever fail? It's not normal to rely so much in some gut feeling."

That seemed to trigger something in Koga, who turned sharply his head at her, staring at her with his bicolored eyes shining dimly in the dark. Nami realized it and gulped, wide-eyed.

"The only moment I didn't hear what you call my 'gut feeling', someone dear to me died." He snapped almost angrily, raising to his feet and carrying his logbook to the crow's nest without even looking back.

Trying to calm down, Koga breathed heavily and gazed up at the stars, quietly glimmering. His grandfather once told him that those silent lights were the dead's souls, watching over the living, like guardian angels.

'Please, watch over me, Karen.'

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Have to say, I've been quite tempted to skip this chapter and move onto Baratie's Arc, but I simply ADORE poor Gaimon and his strange animals xD But I admit that this chapter is far from satisfying me. Personally, I don't like it.**

 **Well, next chapter, we'll move to the Baratie's Arc, and Luffy and the others will meet Johnny and Yosaku! What a pair of morons xD See ya, love you lots, please feed the angry review monster, pretty please?**


	11. Baratie

**11\. Baratie**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **I'm sorry, I'm spacing out too much. I'm supposed to be uploading much faster but damn writer's block's in my way to inspiration.**

 **There's a thing I wanted to warn you about, and it is that I'll change the summary (maybe) and the title (definitely) of my fic so as to be more fitting to its content. Just for you to know.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Thanks! Gaimon's arc was sincerely more difficult to adapt, and the result still doesn't convince me in the slightest. Yeah, Koga also carries some pretty heavy weight on his shoulders, I'm afraid :'( You'll see, but not soon (I have to build up his relationship with the Straw Hats first). Hahaha, I totally agree with you, they're awesome! I think Oda should mention them or at least let us know what happened to them after the Time-Skip, just like with the CP9 members.**

 **-alexc123: Yeah, poor Koga. Even I'm feeling pity for him, and I know ALL his story.**

 **-Sujishi: Haha, thanks for your comment, it brought a huge smile to my face! ^^ Don't you worry, English is not my native language either. ^^**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: Yeah, super sucky.**

 **-Guest: Thanks! Here's another chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

A brand new day, and the Straw Hat crew was deadly hungry. Again.

And thanks to that rubber-brained moron they had for captain. His bottomless stomach was going to kill them from starvation if they didn't lock the fridge or put traps in the kitchen. Or also, the person who kept watch that night (mainly Zoro or Koga) had to kick him out of the fridge before their meager provisions Gaimon had provided them with disappeared.

With nothing to do except watching the horizon in search of an island, Koga yawned out of boredom in his post in the crow's nest, a place he had been lately occupying more and more. Elbows against the railing and eyes barely open because of sleepiness, the chronicler was paying almost none attention to his surroundings.

That was why he almost jumped a few good feet in the air when suddenly, a loud booming noise startled him fully awake.

 **BOOM!**

'What the...?' He looked around and frowned when he saw nothing that seemed to be attacking them. Then he averted his gaze at the deck, and an irk mark appeared on his forehead as he catched a glimpse of a certain rubber-brained idiot playing with the ship's cannon.

"Moron." He mumbled, breathing deeply to calm his momentarily rapid heartbeats. That cannonball had seriously startled him, and the blond reprimanded himself for letting his guard down.

"Oi, Luffy, what are you doing?" Zoro asked, approaching his captain.

"Oh, I'm testing out our cannon!" The captain answered with a cheeky smile.

A soft 'thud!' sounded behind the swordsman, and turned his head to see Koga standing to his feet after jumping from the crow's nest. The chronicler stiffled a yawn again, and for a moment, the green-haired teen wondered when was the last time his companion had a good night's sleep.

"And what are you aiming at, the air?" He managed to say through his yawn, mild sarcasm covering his voice.

"Of course not!" Luffy pouted, before pointing at a large rock in the distance, a good 200 meters away from the Merry. "That's my objective!"

The blond merely sighed and shook his head. Usopp, who previously had been daydreaming the whole day with one of his fairy-tale adventures (in which, of course, he was the main protagonist) quickly caught up with them.

"Step aside, Luffy." He boasted, taking the lighter from his captain's hand. "Watch a professional!"

 **BOOM!**

Koga winced at the noise and picked his left ear, inwardly cursing both idiots. Just when he wanted a little silence and peace in that God forsaken ship...

"Tell me when those idiots are done." He told Zoro as his steps drove him to the kitchen in search of something for his growing headache.

He barely registered the swordsman's nod or Luffy and Usopp's surprised exclamations, deeply concentrated on keeping the pulses on his head at bay the best he could. Maybe a soft chamomile tea would do something for it. He had to remind his captain to go search for a doctor soon.

As he stepped on the kitchen, Nami looked up from her position at the table, maps spread on the wood, and with a cup of coffee.

"Hey." She softly greeted him.

They hadn't seen each other that morning at breakfast; the chronicler had purposefully skipped it, giving the excuse of not being hungry and that he was tired. Last night's conversation, the one that brought Koga's deceased friend to light, had left a cold sensation in the blond's heart, and he felt something close to anger towards the navigator. Of course, he tried to suppress it –because his whole human soul told him she wasn't to blame, as she didn't know anything about him– but nevertheless, he had practically avoided her.

"... Hey." His gruff greeting left his lips despite his silent anger.

Deciding to ignore her, Koga went to the kitchen, grabbing a small bag of chamomile and put water to boil. Not even five minutes later, he was sipping on a cup of hot chamomile tea that made wonders to his aching head, a relieved sigh leaving his lips.

"Um... Koga?" Nami's hesitant voice reached his ears, and he looked over his shoulder, indicating the navigator she had his attention. She was still seated surrounded by her maps, but a frown was darkening her face. "Look, I... I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday. With... your friend and all that."

"... Did you kill my friend or what?"

"What...? Of course not!"

"Then what are you apologizing for?"

An irk mark grew on her forehead, wiping away the frown instantly.

"Is that difficult to simply accept an apology? Here I was, worried of having wounded your feelings, and you simply...! Argh! You're so damn weird!"

He couldn't help but to draw a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, I know." He simply answered, sipping again on his tea. "Don't worry. It's in the past now."

Whatever answer the navigator was going to give him, it went lost as Luffy, Usopp and Zoro stormed in the kitchen, hungry as starving wolves. His mood visibly lifted and his head considerably better, Koga smirked at Nami's shouts at the captain and long-nosed teen, blaming them –and mainly the former– for wiping away all their food. Shaking his head in mild amusement, the blond searched on the cupboards and threw some cheese at the starving captain, mostly to shut him up. But the navigator shouted at him for handing him a piece of food that quickly disappeared on the rubber-brained captain's stomach.

Luffy then told Nami and Koga –as they weren't present, and after surviving an attempt of strangling from his navigator– that Usopp was going to be from then on their sharpshooter, something that had been pretty evident from the chronicler's eyes.

"Okay, but if you ever chicken out on your duties, I'll be the captain." Usopp decided.

Other captains perhaps would have angered with such impertinence from the newly named sharpshooter's proclamation; hell, Koga had seen captains _whipping_ their subordinates for less. But the time he had shared with the Straw Hat pirates taught him that Luffy was special.

"Okay." He nonchalantly accepted, shrugging. "Hey, I had an idea! There's still one more position we need to fill before entering the Grand Line!"

"Right, and we have such a nice kitchen." Nami commented, glancing at said kitchen.

"It's important personnel for any long trip." Zoro nodded.

"Right! It's one person that a pirate ship absolutely must have!" Luffy raised his finger and grinned like the moron he was. "A musician!"

"I knew it..." Koga grinned despite his captain's thick skull.

"Are you an idiot?!"

"What do you think sailing is?" The navigator demanded to know.

"I actually thought that you were going to say something smart for once." Usopp sweatdropped.

"That happens only once in his lifetime, I suppose." The chronicler shrugged.

Disappointed at his subordinates' refusal, Luffy whimpered something about a musician being necessary in every pirate crew, before Koga's intuition began tingling, making his smiling face somber abruptly. His head turned to the closed door just seconds before a loud shout came from outside:

"Come out you damn pirates!" A loud voice demanded, startling the others. "I'm going to slaughter all of you!"

'Well, too late for warnings I suppose.'

Loud bangs reached everyone's ears coming from the deck. Fearing someone was destroying their Merry, Luffy lunged towards the door and slammed it open, yelling, "Hey, just who are you?!"

Koga peered the situation from the rounded window, and saw a young man wearing a pair of sunglasses, light pants, blue jacket and a shirt underneath it. His skin had a darker tone than his own, and on his left cheek he had a tattoo, the kanji for 'Sea'. He was wielding a one-edged sword and was madly swinging it, only stopping when Luffy went out of the kitchen.

"Who am I? It doesn't matter..." The guy launched himself forward, his sword drawing an arc towards Luffy's head and breaking the railing on the deck as the captain jumped down. "Who I am!"

"How many opponents are there?" Zoro asked Koga, not moving from his spot leaning up against the wall, one leg laid on the ground, the other pulled up to his chest.

"Just one." He answered, while cocking his head to the side. 'But my intuition feels two. Odd. Where's the other one? And why it didn't work earlier?'

"Luffy can handle it himself." The swordsman decided before yawning.

Yeah. He was right. Even as if he was feeling another person's presence, Luffy was more than enough to take both of them down without anyone's assistance. Arms folded, his bicolored eyes never left the fight, with Usopp and Nami imitating him; he noticed the stranger's furious swings and angered shouts. He was surely a skilled swordsman –not as skillful as Zoro himself, but had great potential.

Not that he knew much about swordsmen and their techniques.

"... You killed my partner!"

That simple phrase, so familiar with one he had heard in his long buried deep past, perked his attention back to the fight. His heart began beating rapidly as he shook his head, trying to bury the memories once more –something he had practiced and mastered over the years.

"Partner?" Luffy kept dodging the guy's furious slashes. "What do you mean, partner? I don't know what's going on!" He then grabbed the man by the sides of his head "But, don't damage our ship!"

He picked him up, flinging him over his shoulder and slamming him into the wall. The stranger slid down it, collapsing onto the ground, while the rubber teen sat cross-legged not far from him.

"What were you talking about anyway?"

Zoro then walked out of the kitchen, opening the door and assessing the guy, as if trying to recognize him.

"Hey you. Aren't you Johnny?" He asked, brow furrowed.

"Who is it? Calling my name with no respect!" The guy launched himself to his feet, ready to fight, but stopped in his tracks as he noticed the green-haired swordsman. "Zoro-aniki! Is that really you?"

"Where's Yosaku, isn't he usually with you?"

Johnny's shock and surprise quickly changed to upset.

"He's... Yosaku is..."

* * *

"Sick!" Several voices exclaimed at once. Everyone, sans Koga, who simply arched an eyebrow.

Nami, Usopp and Koga had also emerged from the kitchen upon realizing Zoro knew the guy. Johnny was sitting on the deck, legs crossed and his face against his palm looking distressed. His partner, a man wearing a black shirt with a long green coat, red headger and plaid yellow shorts over unshaven legs –ew, was sprawled in front of him, looking sickly pale and with bloody bandages wrapped tightly around his stomach.

"He was perfectly fine up until a while ago..." Johnny weakly explained, while Zoro put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Then he grew pale and began losing consciousness. I have no clue why. I just don't know what to do anymore... I was trying to at least get him some rest on top of that rock... But all of a sudden, a ship fired a cannonball at us!"

'A cannonball?' The bicolor-eyed young man glanced at Usopp and Luffy, whose faces had instantly horrified looks as they realized what their reckless actions had triggered.

"I'm sorry!" Both of them bowed down and apologized.

"If all the problems could be solved with an apology, we wouldn't need the police! Isn't that right?" Johnny exclaimed, before turning his eyes to Zoro. "Aniki, is he... going to die?"

But the swordsman didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"Are you stupid?" Nami finally snapped with an exasperated huff, kneeling down in front of Yosaku.

"What?" Zoro demanded, turning his head to the navigator.

But she ignored him as her fingers pulled out Yosaku's tongue and checked his eye.

"What are you doing to my buddy?" Johnny exclaimed, spitting a bit and causing the ginger-heared girl to move away to avoid the saliva.

"Luffy, Usopp!" She called, mostly ignoring the guy's demandings. "There are some limes in the storage, aren't there?" At the lack of a response, her head turned sharply to shot an angry look at both of them, who jumped in fright. "Are you listening? Bring 'em to me, right now!"

Both captain and sharpshooter jumped with an "Aye, aye!" They ran at the door leading to the storage getting stuck on the doorframe in their desperation to not suffer Nami's rage. Once the two of them returned, they started to squeeze the limes onto Yosaku's face.

"So, is it scurvy?" Koga commented, glancing at Nami.

"Scurvy?" Johnny asked, confused and seemingly unfamiliar with the term.

"We've got him in time. He should recover in a few days." Nami assured him.

"Is that true Aneki? I am really grateful!" He thanked her and once again spat as he talked. Luffy and Usopp tried to make the unconscious Yosaku drink the lime juice.

"Stop spitting all over me, please. In the past, it was an incurable disease that plagued sailors. But now, it's just a minor problem caused by the lack of Vitamin C. In the past, ships couldn't carry enough fresh fruit to avoid it."

"Oi, he has to drink the juice, not swallow them whole." Koga commented to Usopp and Luffy, who were stuffing Yosaku's mouth full with lime. "You're going to choke him."

"Come on, drink up." Unsurprisingly, both of them ignored him, and the chronicler let out an exasperated sigh, being imitated by the navigator.

"He should be fine now." Satisfied, the long-nosed teen stepped back.

"You sure are something." Luffy looked up at his navigator and chronicler, impressed at their knowledge. "You're like doctors."

"That was common knowledge, you moron." Koga sweatdropped.

"You should have at the very least known what this was!" The girl snapped at them, growing shark-like teeth due to her anger. "It could happen to you sooner or later too, you know!"

Suddenly, Yosaku's skin recovered his usual color and sprang to his feet, seemingly healed. He and Johnny linked arms and began dancing merrily.

"It's working! He's recovering! Welcome back, partner!"

"YOU DON'T RECOVER THAT QUICKLY!" Nami snapped at the two, while Koga sighed and shook his head, mumbling "Idiots" under his breath. Both of them stopped dancing abruptly and faced the pirates, sitting down.

"Sorry for the late introductions. The name's Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku. We're bounty hunters. Zoro-aniki used to be our companion in the past. Nice to meet you all!"

"Bounty hunters?" Koga arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be trying to hunt us instead of introducing yourselves?"

"Yeah, but Zoro-aniki is with you, and we can't attack someone who used to be nakama." Explained Johnny to the chronicler. Whether he had noticed his strange eyes or not, he never mentioned it. "Though I'm surprised to see the Pirate Hunter become a pirate himself."

"I guess." He held up a hand to Johnny and hauled him to his feet, doing the same for Yosaku.

 **Thump!**

"And down he goes again."

Koga's remark went unnoticed as Johnny cried out for his already passed out companion. It had been too soon for him to play around, and Nami had warned them.

The crew let Yosaku use the infirmary's bed, while they went back to the kitchen, with Johnny following.

"Let this be a lesson for all of us." Nami commented, with good reason.

"Yeah. These kind of things can happen on long trips." Zoro nodded, fully agreeing.

"He would've died for sure if he hadn't come across us." Usopp also stated. " We need someone to think about our diet and see to it that we stay healthy."

"Diet, huh? I get it!" Luffy exclaimed. "We need a sea cook!"

"Finally, some common sense in that rubbery brain." Koga thanked the heavens above.

"If you're looking for such a cook..." Everyone turned their heads towards Johnny, "I know where you could go."

"Yeah, yeah, that's the spirit! Where would that be?"

"But it's pretty close to the Grand Line. And the man that Aniki's been hunting for, Hawk-Eye, is around there too." Koga glanced at Zoro, who grinned in excitement as his hand gripped the hilt of one of his katana, the white one. "Its direction is... North-Northeast." Pointing at the direction with a finger, Johnny grinned as well as the others. "Our direction is... The Floating Restaurant, Baratie!"

"ALL RIGHT!" All of them sans Koga –again– shouted in excitement, pumping their fists in the air.

Two or three hours later, Johnny called for them upon seeing their destiny. They all got out from the kitchen and gawked at the odd-looking restaurant. Wasn't that like a... giant fish? Luffy seemed to agree with his thoughts, considering his droolings. Well, whatever it looked like, as long as he had some food on his stomach again, he didn't care.

While his companions, Johnny and a recently recovered Yosaku –this time for good– were making funny comments about the restaurant, Koga's intuition tingled softly in his mind. His head turned to the left as a giant ship emerged like an apparition at their side, the word 'MARINES' written produly across its sail.

"The Marines." Koga called out, making them turn.

"When did it...?" Luffy's mouth had a funny 'O' shape because of his surprise.

"They're not going to attack us, are they...?" Usopp stuttered, eyes wide as a pair of plates.

"Tch, I smell trouble." Zoro muttered.

"So do I." The chronicler agreed. "Someone's coming out."

And indeed, someone did come out. A pink-haired man, dressed in an expensive-looking suit, looked down on them in mild arrogance. His left eye had a scar underneath, and his hands iron knuckles with bolts attached to them.

"I've never seen your pirate flag before." He stated. "I'm Marine Lieutenant, Iron Fist Fullbody. Who is your captain? Show yourself!"

Both Luffy and Usopp stepped forward, the former presenting himself as the captain and the latter as the sniper. Koga smirked under his scarf at this.

"Our pirate mark was just made yesterday." Explained Luffy with a goofy smile on his face.

"I painted it on the sails!" Usopp added.

"What's with you people?" The Marine Lieutenant mocked them with a smirk on his own, before averting his eyes and noticing something hiding behind the storage room's door. "I've seen those two before, though. You claim to be pirate hunters, don't you?"

Both Johnny and Yosaku grew anger at his insult, stepping out of their corner indignantly.

'Five minutes of interaction with this guy and I already dislike him.' The chronicler groaned inwardly, eyeing Fullbody as he continued mocking the two pirate hunters. They both decided not to let his insults slide and jumped to defeat him, but they were defeated almost instantly.

"It was hair thin..." Koga heard them mutter under their breath.

"You two are really weak." Luffy commented plainly, sinking their morale even more.

"We'll get him easily." Grunted Johnny, a few papers scattered over the deck around him because of his fall.

"As usual, it was hair thin..."

"What's with you two?" Zoro sighed, sweatdropping at their idiocy.

A feminine voice called out to Fullbody, drawing his attention and setting their course to the Baratie. The Lieutenant agreed with his partner and, putting an arm over the woman's shoulders, ordered his subordinates to sink the Merry.

'How easily is to order someone else to kill a human being. How casual and simple, as if ordering a good wine or a delicious meal. Life is now so undervalued...'

When had he started to think that way? How depressive...

Leaving the Marines' problem to the others, Koga turned his head and noticed an eerily silent Nami crouched on the ground beside Johnny, a hand strongly gripping a sheet. Since her back was towards him, he couldn't see her face, but the slight tremors running throughout her body told him something was very wrong with her. Johnny and Yosaku seemed terrified at the face the girl was showing. His brow furrowed in mild worry, the blond approached her...

"Oi, the cannon is pointing at us!" Usopp yelled, hands gripping the sides of his face.

 **BOOM!**

"Gomu gomu no..."

'Oh, shit, this is bad...'

Surely, the cannonball didn't damage the Going Merry or the crew... But it exploded against the top deck of the restaurant. Zoro and Nami (the latter having miraculously recovered from whatever had been happening to her while staring at that sheet) shouted at him with shark-like teeth and angry veins throbbing on their foreheads as Koga looked at the sky searching for some divine patience coming down from heavens.

Not even five minutes later, some brute-looking chefs arrived and demanded 'the presence of the responsible of such attack to their beloved restaurant'. When Luffy showed up with his goofy grin again on his face –seriously, he was such a thick-headed brat– the chefs grabbed him and disappeared with him inside the Baratie, to talk to the owner, to apologize and, maybe, to repay the damages.

And there they were, waiting for their captain in the Merry. But, as Zoro began napping again and Usopp looking at the restaurant wordlessly, Koga couldn't help but feel that something had changed in Nami. A subtle, but for his intuition notorious change in the navigator's demeanor; more guarded, with an edge full of hatred and sadness that worried him –though he refused to recognize it.

Remembering the possible cause of her change, Koga pushed himself off the railing and went looking for Johnny and Yosaku; he found them in the infirmary, sulking, both of them with angry looks on their faces. The chronicler knocked on the door to call their attention, them raising their heads to him in confusion.

"Koga-aniki?" Johnny tilted his head; the blond had never approached them willingly, preferring to watch in silence their interactions with the other members of the crew. "Is there a problem?"

"No." He nonchalantly lied. "But I've been wondering... Could I take a look at those wanted sheets?"

"Uh... Yeah, why not." Even more confused, Johnny shared a look with his partner before handing the sheets to Koga. The chronicler took them with a nod and began shuffling them, seemingly looking for something.

They were all pirates. Some of them had an elevated bounty on their heads, but others were fairly low; most of them had a red cross painted on their faces.

"Oh, that's..." Yosaku suddenly commented, making Koga stop and look at him with a raised eyebrow. The pirate hunter pointed at the sheet in his hand: 'Arlong, Wanted Dead or Alive; 20,000,000 Berri'. That was quite a huge bounty. The picture showed a gyojin with saw-shaped nose, a long angular jaw and thin, fierce eyes and a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

"Arlong? What about him?" Koga asked.

"When Nami-aneki looked at his picture, she had such a scary face..." Yosaku nodded at his partner's words, a shiver coming through his spine at the memory. "I mean, she's already scary when she's angry, but... You know, it seemed like she really wanted to kill Arlong."

"Hm... I've heard of him. He's the pirate with the highest bounty on the East Blue, isn't he? And he's a gyojin."

"Exactly! You know him too, Koga-aniki?"

"Not personally, but rumors travel fast. And he's an awfully famous topic." Koga evaluated Arlong's picture and reached a logical conclusion. "I don't like him. He's got that look on his face..."

Not finishing the sentence, the chronicler shook his head as the other two looked at him again confused.

On the deck, Nami called for them to come out and eat something at the Baratie. Everyone agreed with the idea, though Johnny and Yosaku told them they were good and decided to guard their ship.

Inside the restaurant, almost all the tables were already occupied, but the waiter that served them managed to get them a seat; when Usopp and Nami asked about what happened earlier, he explained that Luffy was going to have to work as a chore boy in the Baratie for a whole year to cover the bills on repairing the hole that the cannonball caused. In Koga's opinion, Fullbody was also to blame, but since he was a customer and that it was a pirate's word against a Marine's, it was pretty obvious who would win the discussion.

The meal was indeed delicious; in fact, the chronicler didn't remember having such a good spicy curry in his entire life. It was flavory, and spicy enough. And the fish was also excellent.

"Ahh, it's good to have proper food in my stomach once more!" Zoro exclaimed, his hand palming his full belly.

"Indeed." Koga replied, smiling under his scarf, putting down his fork, the plate polished clean.

Nami was also finishing her dishes with a satisfied smirk.

"I've never tasted anything so delicious before!" The orange-haired girl sipped on her glass of wine. "And their wine selection is also excellent."

"Do you think we'll get a cook from this restaurant?" The sniper asked his companions in excitement, still eating.

"Possibly, but first Luffy has to pay his debt to the restaurant's owner."

The chronicler hummed in agreement at the green-haired statement. A full year as the chore boy of the Baratie gave them plenty of time for recruiting a cook, but he was sincerely doubting his impatient captain was willing to work for that amount of time.

"Oi, guys!" A familiar voice called for them. He was wearing a white apron and was carrying a bucket full of water and a mop.

"Hello, chore boy." Grinned Nami as the stunned captain pirate approached them quickly.

"That's not fair guys!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at them. "You eating while I'm slaving here, that's mean!"

"Who's the idiot that bounced the cannonball towards the Baratie's top deck?" Koga retorted with also a smirk on his face.

"That was an accident! And it wasn't completely my fault!"

"Chore boy, quiet over there!" A blonde waiter dressed in a black suit yelled while he was pouring wine for a woman in another table.

"Why shouldn't we enjoy our meal, Luffy? I mean, the food's not bad here." Zoro glanced casually away, the rubber-brained idiot taking advantage of his distraction and dropping a boogie into the swordsman's glass of water.

At this, Nami and Usopp started snickering and holding their laughter the best they could with hands over their mouths, while Koga simply shook his head with a smile at his captain's childish actions. Zoro, seemingly unaware of the 'contaminated' water, took the glass and held it close to his mouth.

"But I feel bad for you..." Just as everyone –sans Koga, because his intuition told him otherwise– thought he was going to drink that water, the swordsman grabbed Luffy's head and forced him to drink the water while yelling, "SO YOU DRINK IT!"

The navigator and the sniper roared in laughter as Luffy choked in the contaminated water; the green-haired teen, having achieved what he wanted, also laughed with them. Amidst the joy, the chronicler noticed that they were attracting a lot of attention because of the fuss they were making, and couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a gush of wind went past him and right towards Nami, and he turned his head just in time to see the same blonde waiter practically over the red-haired girl, his only visible eye transformed in a beating heart and a stupid grin on his face.

'A womanizer, huh?' Koga sweatdropped.

Apart from that, the chronicler evaluated him, and noticed that he had a slim figure, with long legs; his blond hair –that was darker than his own hair, that seemed almost white– was brushed over the left side of his face, effectively covering his left grey-blue eye. His right eyebrow, much to Koga's amusement, formed a spiral at the outer end. His black suit had underneath an equally black tie and a dark blue shirt.

The guy was babbling something about him becoming a pirate if it meant sailing with her, but an obstacle was standing in his way, just when someone approached them again.

"And that obstacle would be me, right?"

He was an elderly-looking man with blonde-colored hair under a extra-long chef's hat, a mustache braided and tied with light blue ribbons on each end and a beard covering his jaw. He wore a chef's uniform, with a blue ascot and a white apron; he was missing his right leg, substituting it with a peg leg.

Koga looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and surprise. What in hell was _he_ doing here? And what happened to him?

"You..." He muttered wide-eyed, earning a few confused stares from his companions and the chef himself. "You're Red-Leg Zeff..."

A/N: And that's it! Koga knows Zeff!

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 **I'm not going to put much into this Author Note, except one tiny little thing... Please leave reviews to the hungry monster, or else I won't update anymore!... I mean it.**


	12. Problems

**12\. Problems**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Oh. My. Gawd. Isshou is the BEST! Love 'im so much!**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Thanks! I love that you're so supportive! ^^ Yeah, Koga had the intuition –yet again –of what is troubling Nami so much. Yeah, he knows him, now you'll see why... and another little tiny secret of his xD Thanks! I wasn't sure of leaving it in a cliffhanger, but I'm glad it worked ^^ -kash890: Hahaha, a joke, a joke my friend! Though it's true that I want more reviews for my story, they really make my day. ^^ -alexc123: Yeah, I'm evil xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

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"You know me, kid?" Zeff asked Koga, who had regained his cool though was still glancing at the elder man with mild surprise.

"Well, not personally." He admitted. "But you were quite famous in the Grand Line. You survived a whole year there, didn't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothing, just that it is impressive. Though, I didn't know you left the piracy to become a chef in a restaurant, or even own one."

The implicit question was evident in Koga's voice, and the chef simply crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing him closely. The scrutiny incomodated him, but decided to stay put.

"Stuff happens, kid. That's all you need to know. And you..." His eyes averted then to Sanji. "This is an opportunity you don't want to pass up, Sanji." The blond cook whirled around and glared at him. "I have no need to keep you here."

Shock crossed through the younger chef's face, before being replaced by a silent anger.

"What's that supposed to mean, old man?" He hissed dangerously.

'This is going to be bad...'

"You fight with customers all the time, you flirt with any woman under eighty who comes in here... And you're a terrible chef."

Soft snickers from the other chefs reached the chronicler's ears as he raised an eyebrow at what Zeff said. From what he had heard, Red-Leg Zeff wasn't exactly someone to let anyone under his command out of pity; all those who followed him were able to get a hold on themselves, both in and out of battle. No one was exactly useless.

So, either Zeff was exaggerating Sanji's defects... or he was plainly lying about his skills to throw him away.

From what he was able to deduce, Luffy was more than likely invited Sanji to join his crew, and the chef had obviously refused. And whatever his reasons were to refuse, they were probably related to him being in the restaurant. Zeff obviously knew that, and probably his reasons to stay, and was trying to demoralize him –by making feel useless in his restaurant –to provoke the blond's renounce.

But nothing seemed to work, judging Sanji's irated expression and his clenched jaw as he gripped his boss' collar.

"I'll let everything else you said slide, but I won't let you insult my cooking!" He snapped. "I'm staying here and that's final! Got it you geezer?"

Without changing his deadpan expression, the old man threw him across the room and landed on the pirates' table with a loud crash; Zoro, Nami, Koga and Usopp were quick enough to save their food, but the table was helplessly toppled over. Sanji supported his body on the broken table, eyes aflame in anger.

"I don't care what you say... I'm not leaving until you're dead and gone!"

Zeff let out a scoff and began walking away, his peg leg making a 'tack, tack!' sound on the floor.

"Please, I've got a hundred years left in me to kick your ass."

The blond cook sighed and muttered something under his breath, before getting startled because of Luffy's sudden apparition.

"See?!" The rubber-brained idiot grinned as he put a hand over the cook's shoulder. "He said it's cool, now you can join my crew!"

"Shut up!" Sanji yelled at him, before readjusting the table and flirting with Nami once more.

At seeing this, Koga sweatdropped; it seemed that, with a female companion around, the dude was simply unable to be furious for more than three seconds. His mood swings were even weirder than Luffy's, and that was saying a lot.

"Why?" Luffy whimpered pathetically, earning a glare from his chronicler.

"You practically force everyone to join us, moron." He raised an eyebrow as realization struck him. "So you want him to join us?"

"Yeah!" His downcasted expression dawned in glee. "He fed a really hungry pirate! He's a cool guy!"

"... Huh."

"You, chore-boy!" Sanji then took Luffy by the front of his red vest and began dragging him to the kichen. "Back to the kitchen, you've got work to do!"

"Ah, no fair!"

"See you later, chore-boy!" Usopp and Nami beamed in unison, with Koga and Zoro drawing amused smirks at their captain's disappointed expression.

 **xXxFour Days LaterxXx**

Koga got out of the men's cabin yawning under his scarf. He had changed into other clothes, like a sleeveless, black waistcoat that he had left open and untucked, partially exposing his bare chest, white knee-length loose trousers and his brown leather boots. His light blue scarf was already around his neck and Sankaoken on his waist.

It had been four days since they arrived at the Baratie and Luffy had become the chefs' chore-boy. Four days full of antics and fights with the other chefs, specially Zeff and Sanji. They had lost count on how many plates the rubber-brained boy had broken, or how many meals had disappeared in that bottomless stomach he had. The owner had warned him to increase the amount of work, but it was like Luffy was unable to maintain himself out of trouble.

Averting his gaze from the mist-covered horizon, he noticed a lonely figure standing beside the head-figure of the Merry. As he approached quietly, he recognized Nami's red hair.

"Something on your mind?" The girl practically jumped a foot in the air with a squeal before turning sharply.

"Oh, it's you." She sighed in relief before sending daggers at him. "Don't sneak on me, that's creepy."

He simply raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, before lowering his gaze to notice something in Nami's hand; a paper sheet.

"Arlong, huh?" Nami inhaled sharply body as tense as a blade. "Quite an objective you chose. You have a grudge against him?"

"... I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. I don't know what's your story with Arlong..." Koga eyed her while resting his elbows on the railing; she was still tense and refused to meet his gaze. "But I can tell it's not a pretty story. I won't force you to tell me what's going on, but you can count on us. You know that, right?"

The girl let out a shaky sigh, crossing her arms, eyes shadowed by the bangs of her hair.

'She's closed.' The chronicler realized. 'She won't accept our help until she's ready.'

Behind them, Zoro, Usopp and the two pirate hunters emerged from wherever they had been, claiming how hungry they were– well, except the swordsman, who simply sighed in annoyance. Turning his head to look at them, Koga hid a fond smile with his scarf.

"They're hopeless idiots..." He mumbled, earning a questioning glare from Nami. "They make my head about to explode. But they're good guys. All of them. Don't you agree?"

"..."

"Oi, Nami, Koga!" Usopp called for them, waving a hand along with Johnny and Yosaku while Zoro merely raised an eyebrow at them. "Let's have breakfast, I'm starving!"

Koga merely smirked while pushing himself off the railing and shoving his hands on his pants pockets. Usopp patted his shoulder –earning a soft scowl. The sharpshooter was startled a bit, but quickly recovered as he and the two pirate hunters went ahead.

"What was that about?" Zoro murmured to Koga, motioning to Nami with his head.

"It's nothing." He shrugged it off.

A loud shriek then broke the quiet atmosphere as Usopp pointed at something amidst the fog, something big, and dark, that was approaching them. The pirate crew and the pirate hunters discovered in surprise that it was a huge galleon ship, almost triple the size of the ocean-going restaurant, with the figurehead of a sabertooth tiger; it seemed it had been through a tornado or a tsunami, seeing how wrecked it was. Though it was barely noticeable because of how shredded they were, its giant sails had the symbol of a skull flanked by a pair of hourglasses. The huge rail was decorated with large gashes.

"Huh. Seems we have guests." Zoro commented.

"Yeah. Shall we see if something interesting happens?" Koga smirked to the swordsman, who answered with a scoff.

"I wonder what they want." He didn't look interested in those pirates.

"This is horrible!" Usopp shrieked, with comical tears running down his face. "We have to leave now!"

"Aniki! Let's leave, we don't want to die!" Johnny begged his ex-companion.

"The ship's got a lot of beatings." Ignoring the terrified pirate hunter, the first mate squinted his eyes to the giant ship to evaluate the damage. "But it doesn't look like any human did that. A tornado maybe?"

"... That's the Grand Line's doing, I'm afraid."

Though he had barely muttered it under his breath, everyone heard Koga perfectly, and turned towards him; he had a deadly serious expression on his face, and his left hand was gripping the hilt of his katana with extreme force, turning his knuckles in white.

"How do you know that?" Nami asked him quietly.

As if emerging from some dark memory, the chronicler blinked once before shaking his head and start walking towards the restaurant. The others glanced at each other in confusion before following him; well, mainly Usopp and Zoro went after him, Nami and the pirate hunters were left behind to guard the Merry.

Once inside the Baratie, the first they noticed were the total absence of customers and the group of chefs –Luffy being among them –that were facing two people at the entrance of the restaurant. The chefs were incredibly tense, ready to jump over the two 'customers'.

One man was a relatively thin man with short, scruffy hair, a scruffy beard, and a slight mustache, with dark circles under his eyes, wearing an open gray jacket with a red sea-serpent desing on each side with a green shirt underneath, gray pants matching the jacket, a gray headband with blue stripes design, and two spherical earrings on each ear.

The other man, who was being supported by his companion, was noticeably larger and muscular, with short cut gray air and long sideburns, with a gauze wrapped around his head. He was wearing a fur-lined coat over a yellow vest with black spots-like motifs; around his thick neck there was a big golden chain. His attire ended with light-purple pants and black shoes. He seemed extremely weak and starving.

"That's..." Mumbled a chef, wielding what looked like a giant spoon. "That's... Don Krieg..."

'Don Krieg?' Koga narrowed his eyes at the large man.

"Please..." Krieg mumbled weakly. "I need food and drink... We have money, we can pay... Please, I'm begging you... I don't know how long has it been since I've last eaten..."

His subordinate, by the looks of it, quickly turned his head to the side, ashamed of seeing his superior in such pathetic state.

"W-what's with him?" One of the cooks named Carne asked in disbelief.

"He doesn't look very dreadful to me." Another one, Patty, commented. "Is this really the most dreadful pirate, Don Krieg?"

Noticing a rustle of movement among the chefs that were still muttering among themselves, Sanji caught a glimpse of Sanji disappearing into the kitchen. He blinked and then smirked under his scarf, realizing what he was going to do. Meanwhile, the chefs denied any kind of service to the starving Krieg, even as they claimed they had enough money to pay for the food that time.

'It's really pathetic, but there's something off about this.' Koga thought, not leaving his eyes wander from Krieg's defeated figure on the ground. 'He's dangerous. He's a wolf disguised as a sheep.'

Even as his subordinate began also pleading for the chefs' help, they remained unfazed by his captain's suffering, refusing to feed him and regain his strength. On the one hand, the chronicler agreed with them; who knew what was Krieg capable of? But, on the other hand, he couldn't help but feel pity for the obviously starving man, that had passed through an ordeal.

Fortunately, there were still kind souls among the chefs, as he noticed Sanji carrying a large bowl full of delicious food, kicking Patty on the face to move him out of his way and placing it in front of the two mouth-agaped pirates.

"San... Sanji-san..." Krieg's subordinate muttered.

"Here, Gin. Let him have it."

"Thanks!" Krieg thanked him and began wolfing the food down, while Gin stared at the blond-haired cook teary-eyed. He had not only saved him but also his captain, who wasn't exactly a saint.

"Oi, Sanji, take that food away from him!" Carne ran down to the slim man, who simply ignored him. "Don't you know what kind of person he is? He's the king of the East Blue, the sneakiest pirate of them all! It all began in the prison, this guy pretended to be one of the Marines! He killed the captain of his ship and took over that ship to become a pirate! Sometimes, he'd raise a Marine flag and enter a harbor, then he'd attack the city and other docked ships! Or he'd pretend to surrender adn then make a surprise attack! He'll do anything to win! That's how he got to where he is now!"

'All of that won't serve him in the Grand Line.' Koga thought, narrowing his eyes at the still eating Krieg. 'It's useless to sneak away from the pirates that had been navigating those seas in years. They'd notice you either way. The Grand Line _is_ their territory.'

Carne tried once more to convince Sanji to take the food away from Krieg, but he was still unmoving, quietly smoking a cigarette. Only when the large pirate suddenly stood up and slammed his arm against Sanji's neck sending him flying; his body collided with the floor and skidded to a ahlt a bit further away from Krieg, unmoving and with his cigarette on the ground as well.

"Sanji!" Carne and the other chefs called for him.

Gin looked at Sanji's body, disbelief and surprise crossing his features, before turning sharply to his captain.

"Aren't you acting different from what you promised, Don Krieg?!" He exclaimed, standing up as well. " You promised that you'd never hurt these people, so I took you here! Plus, that man saved our lives...!"

His voice was cut off by a scream of pain as Krieg's hand closed around his shoulder and squeezed tightly, crushing the bones underneath.

"Yeah, it was good." Krieg's voice was different, no longer begging but triumphant, as he dropped his subordinate to the ground. "I feel re-energized now."

When the deceiving pirate Don turned his maddening look to the chefs, they tensed up even more as Sanji continued not moving from his spot where he landed.

"Isn't this a nice restaurant?" Krieg looked around him with a satisfied smirk before stating with arms spread either side of him. "I'LL TAKE IT!"

'... I doubt Zeff or the blond cook would be too pleased with that.'

And indeed, Sanji was moving, slowly sitting up with a smirk on his face.

"So, that's why you came." He breathed out.

"My ship's ruined." Krieg said, while Patty recovered from Sanji's kick and began panicking upon seeing the Don up and around. "I want a new one. Leave after you've gotten your things."

As the chefs debated whether to feel scared shitless of him or deeply annoyed, Gin tried to reason with his captain once more.

"Don Krieg... That's not what you promised."

Krieg ignored him while pointing his thumb behind him, towards his wrecked galleon ship. He told that in that ship, over a hundred men were starving and injured, and he wanted the chefs to prepare food and water for those hundred men right away. Of course, Carne and the others refused to aid them.

"Refuse? Don't misunderstand me. I'm not ordering food. I'm giving you an order. Nobody... Ever... Disobeys me!" Krieg breathed out so hard that puffs of smoke came out of his mouth like a bull.

"Sanji-san..." Gin muttered, grabbing his injured shoulder. "Sanji-san, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You bastard! Look at what you've done!" Patty yelled at Sanji, while the blond cook simply watched Gin and stood up. He turned around still wordlessly and began walking towards the kitchen.

"I've gotta prepare food for a hundred men."

Sanji declared that as he removed the blood on his chin, but the other cooks surrounded him and pointed their kitchen utensils at him, daring him to take one more step without their permission. Patty decided at that moment to slam his face against the wooden floor, before turning towards Krieg holding a weird lobster-shaped cannon launcher under the stairway and shot it towards the Don.

But when the cloud of dust lifted, it revealed Krieg's figure, unscathed... and with a golden armor that had been hidden underneath his shirt. The armor opened to reveal several firearms pointed at them and began shooting madly at the chefs. Fortunately, Luffy saved them with his 'Gomu gomu no Balloon'.

Just then Zeff arrived carrying a large sack, claiming it to be food and water enough for a hundred starving men. At first, Krieg seemed surprised that someone actually listened to his demands.

"Owner Zeff!" Several cooks chorused as one upon seeing their boss about to help a dangerous criminal.

"Z... Zeff, is it?" Krieg mumbled, wide-eyed, eyeing the back of the peg-legged man who was walking away.

"They'll take over the restaurant only if they've got the guts. Isn't that right?" Zeff glanced sideways at the unmoving Don, still struck by finding such legend in a simple restaurant. "Mr. Couldn't-Get-Through-The-Grand-Line?"

The cooks mumbled between them, and Koga smirked upon seeing his suspicions confirmed. Indeed, the terrible state in which the ship and the crew were in was because of the Grand Line.

"Even the King of the East Blue... With his fifty ship fleet couldn't get through?" Carne murmured in shock, drawing the chronicler's attention.

"Numbers mean nothing if his people's not qualified enough." He murmured, earning Zoro and Usopp's attention. "He can have over fifty thousand men, if they're not strong, they'll be slaughtered in the Grand Line."

"Just how is it that you know so much about the Grand Line?" Usopp hissed at him, still terrified of Krieg.

Koga closed his bicolored eyes and shook his head.

"Red-Leg Zeff. I know that you're the only man that came alive from the Grand Line." Most of the cooks dropped their jaws at that statement. "You must have kept a journal of that voyage... Hand it over!"

Zeff narrowed his eyes for a single moment.

"EH?! You have been also in the Grand Line, old man?" Luffy then asked in excitement, looking at the boss.

"Kinda... Indeed, I have the journal, but I'm not going to give it to you. That journal isn't just mine, it's the pride of my entire crew." Krieg's confident smirk disappeared. "It's far too valuable for the likes of you."

"Fools!" He hissed, before raising his voice in a roar. "No one can defy me! You've seen that I'm the strongest of all! TAKE EVERYTHING FROM HERE, ASSEMBLE ANOTHER ARMADA, CAPTURE ONE PIECE AND BE THE RULER OF THE ENTIRE OCEAN!"

'Uh oh.' Koga couldn't help but to smirk when Luffy's goofy expression dropped to a deadly serious one.

"Hold on right there!" He exclaimed, instantly dragging everyone's attention to him. " _I'm_ gonna be the King of the Pirates, and _my crew_ is gonna find One Piece!"

"Chore boy, stay out of this!" Patty called to him in sincere worry for him. "He'll kill ya!"

"I can't do that. Leaving things as they are."

"What did you say, brat?" Krieg asked, almost spitting the words. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that..."

"You don't have to. I'm just announcing the truth."

"This isn't a game, kid."

"You took those words right out of my mouth."

Koga smirked as his elbow rested on the railing of the staircase Usopp, Zoro and he were observing the scene.

"Time to fight, eh Luffy?" Inquired the swordsman from his right, the long-nosed boy hiding behind him. "I guess I'll have to lend you a hand."

Luffy turned his head and noticed the three of them in the staircase.

"Zoro, Koga, Usopp!" The captain blinked at seeing them. "It's okay, just sit and watch."

"Oh, okay... That's too bad then.. If you don't need us, there's nothing we can do about it..." Usopp quivered, making Koga sweatdrop at him.

"Hahahaha! Are _those_ your men? 3 guys! A little thin isn't it?" Krieg laughed at them.

"Well, you've entered the Grand Line and didn't last even a week in there with your mighty fleet." Koga couldn't help but to point out in a monotone voice. The Don dropped his smile again and glared angrily at him, but the chronicler simply cocked his head to the side, unfazed by its fierceness. "We may be few, but we're certainly more powerful than you and your... How many people you said you had? Oh, yeah. Over a hundred men that returned hungry, and gravely injured."

"Besides, you got it wrong!" Luckily, Luffy called again Krieg's attention to him, and he held two fingers out. "I've got two more!"

"Hey, why do you keep counting me in?!" Sanji yelled from the floor in outrage and frustration.

"Just give it up." Koga shrugged, and the cook glared at him. "If he wants you to join, he'll be pestering you until you do. Believe, we've been through that." Zoro and Usopp sighed and nodded at the same time, fully agreeing with him.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Luffy pouted. "I'm not like that."

"Liar." Swordsman, sharpshooter and chronicler declared at the same time, sweatdropping.

Meanwhile, Krieg and Zeff had had a little duel with their gazes, and the Don was the first in yielding. Hiding again his firearms in his golden armor, he threw the great sack over his shoulder and went to the restaurant's entrance, glancing over his shoulder at the remaining chefs and the pirate crew.

"I'll deal with you guys later." He stated in a monotone voice. "First I'll feed my men. For those who don't wish to die, you'd better not be here when I return. The only things I want is the logbook and this ship. However, if you really want to throw your loves away, I'll have to go out of my way, but I'll be happy to send you to the bottom of the ocean." Before disappearing he let out a final warning: "Keep that in mind."

Silence could be cut with a knife because of the huge tension it held. Gin was still kneeling on the floor, clenching his injured shoulder, gritting his teeth in what seemed disbelief.

As for Koga, he had already decided on joining in whatever fight, so he drew his rusty katana a bit, only leaving out two or three centimeters of the battered edge. It had been way too long without hearing _Sankaoken_ talking in his head, and he was seriously beginning to worry. The demon wasn't exactly fond of long silences; scratch that, he wasn't fond of silence. His dislikeness of being tied to Koga was always evident, and the demon was always trying to make sure the human understood that.

If _Sankaoken_ was silent, it was because he was gathering as much strength as he could. The only time he was like this, he even incarnated himself in in this world from the World of Demons– wherever that were.

His eyes narrowed as his hand gripped the hilt a bit more forcefully, unsure of what to do. Every time he had tried ot contact him mentally, the demon would always ignore him. He wasn't even sure if the demon was able to hear him from wherever he was.

Well, not that he needed a demon's strength yet. At least, not until he was going to comfront a more formidable foe.

Returning the katana to its scabbard, the chronicler breathed through his nose, closing his eyes, while his ears barely registered a story of hunger and loneliness. He came back to reality just as the cooks resolved to stay there protecting the Baratie alongside their boss and Sanji.

"What are you all doing?!" Gin exclaimed, slamming his hands on the wooden floor. "Didn't you see how strong our leader is?!"

"Oi, Gin." Sanji stopped his attempt to prevent a bloodshed. "Feeding the hungry is what being a cook is all about. However..." He placed his feet on the table leg and in one swign motion stood it as it should. "Now that your captain is all filled up, he's nothing more than a plunderer. Whatever I do to your pals, don't come bitching at me. I'll kill anybody who tries to take this restaurant. Even you! Got it?"

"Heh." Patty laughed as the slim pirate gulped at the blond's serious expression. "You saved his life just so you could kill him off. You're so thoughtful, Sanji."

"Shut up, you shitty cook."

"See?" Luffy beamed at his companions. "Didn't I tell you that he was something?"

"Who cares about him now! Let's just get the hell out of here!" Usopp panicked.

"Calm down! Even though he's Krieg, he's all battered up." Zoro assured the sniper... with little success.

"Hm? Gin!" The combat commander looked at the rubber boy in confusion. "You said once before that you knew nothing about the Grand Line, right? But you've been there, haven't you?"

"The truth is... I don't know anything. What happened at the Grand Line on the seventh day..." He gulped, eyes wide in terror. "Was it a dream... or reality? It's still fresh in my eyes... It was unbelievable... Just one man... Destroyed a whole fleet of fifty ships!"

A single man, huh? Koga ignored Usopp's scream and the chef's cries at that surprising reveal, focusing his eyes on the scared narrator.

"It all happened so suddenly. He showed up out of nowhere, and started sinking our ships one after another. If a storm hadn't come along, our maiden ship would've been destroyed too. I have no idea how many of my mates' ships survived, but it was too scary for me to accept it all. I don't want to even think about what happened! That man...! His stare pierces through you, like the eyes of a hawk!"

"What did you say?!" Zoro exclaimed, eyes wide from the mention of the flying predator bird.

"... Dracule Mihawk, huh?" Everyone's eyes fell on Koga, who stood arms crossed over his chest and not looking at anywhere in particular. "You were lucky; I've never heard of anyone escaping from his sword."

"Eh? You know the guy?" Luffy asked him.

"That's the man Zoro has been been looking for." His bicolored eyes went to the swordsman, who was shaking with battlelust.

"Yeah, that's the one." He replied, grinning. "I sailed across the oceans in search of him."

"Maybe he had some kind of grudge against you?" Sanji asked Gin as he lighted another cigarette. Seriously, how many of those disgusting things was he going to light?

"Not that I know of."

"Perhaps you just disturbed his nap." Zeff guessed.

"Or he was just killing time." Koga shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Cut the crap! Why in the world would he destroy our entire fleet just for that?!"

"There are lots of people in the Grand Line that would kill for less, Gin." The bicolor-eyed young man lifted his scarf up to his nose. "Stuff like this happen every day. You just had so much bad luck to be in the path of one of the most powerful men in the world."

Everyone looked at him with the same question running through their minds, but only Sanji was curious enough to voice it: "And how do you know?"

"... Well it would be pathetic not knowing the most basic things about my homeland."

"Your home– YOU WERE BORN IN THE GRAND LINE!"

Everyone except Zeff yelled, making Koga cringe and put his hands over his ears in annoyance. The old boss simply looked at him with a little more interest in his eyes.

"Jeez, you're loud. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?!" Usopp exclaimed beside him, and the chronicler sighed inwardly, counting from ten to avoid punching him in the face.

"Either way, it's been five years since I abandoned the Grand Line." His face hardened, distant eyes fixed in the opposite wall. "But I can assure you, it's a hard place to be, even more _live_ in. Kids had to learn to grow fast or die in the attempt; those who failed, either broke or simply vanished in the roaring seas. Adults had to stand and fight or bow in surrender." Koga breathed heavily before shaking his head and resting his back on the wall of the staircase.

"And you, kid?" Zeff asked, earning everyone's attention. The chronicler raised an eyebrow at him in question. "Did you break? Did you surrender?"

The blond young man closed his eyes, chin resting on his chest, and then looked up with a huge grin on his face, full of determination and eyes hard as steel. Those who knew him well, such as Zoro and Luffy, were surprised to see him show any kind of emotion so openly, without hiding it under his trademark scarf.

"... I'd rather die than bow my head." He stated, his hoarse voice for once clear as water.

"Heh. Seems your experience in the Grand Line, albeit unpleasant, served you to grow stronger." Zeff also smirked.

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, isn't it, Zeff-san?"

Luffy grinned widely and threw both fists in the air: "I'm so pumped up! I was hoping the Grand Line would be like this!"

"Can't you be more concerned about our safety?!" Usopp yelled in terror, teeth becoming shark-like.

"Oi, it's not that my island's the only one like this." Koga shrugged. "Sure, there are better and worse islands, but the same is everywhere, you know? Even here in the East Blue."

"Now my destination will really be the Grand Line!"

Leaning against the wall beside Koga, Zoro continued with an excited grin on his own face: "That man... I can definitely meet him there."

"Are you morons?!" Sanji yelled, earning a glare from the three pirates. "You must be those kind who are eager to die!"

"I've already seen how death looks like, and I'm not afraid of it." The chronicler said nonchalantly.

"Same goes for me. But that's none of your business. When I decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I threw away the rest of my life. I'm the only one who can say that I'm an idiot."

"Me too, me too!" Luffy chorused excitedly.

"As a man of the sea, same here!" Usopp, showing a surprising brave side, also claimed. Though Zoro hit him on the head with the tip of his sheath with a 'Cut the lying' to him, something that earned a hidden smile from the chronicler as he watched it.

Sanji shook his head, muttering 'Fools' under his breath, visibly debating with himself. Zeff also smiled at that strange crew with impossible dreams. They were pretty different from each other, but it was precisely those distinctions that let them be so united; even the quiet blond young man who merely looked from afar the joy of his companions, had a fond smile on his scarred face and a soft gleam on his bicolored eyes.

"Hey, hey!" Patty cut out all the Straw Hat crew's shouts. "Do you bastards realize what's going on here? Don Krieg's ship is right in front of the restaurant! Do all the talking after we're all out of this mess!"

Suddenly, everyone could hear a loud battlecry coming from the battered galleon ship, telling them Krieg's minion's recovery was complete and that they were going to attack them at any minute.

"Here they come, I can hear them!" One of the chefs exclaimed.

"We won't let them through!" Another one resolved, gripping his weapon tightly. "Cause this is our restaurant!"

Just when the chefs were about to launch themselves to the incoming pirates, Koga's intuition began tingling furiously.

"WAIT, DON'T MOVE!" He cried out, effectively halting the cooks, who turned to him in confusion...

 **SLISH! SLASH!**

Out of nowhere, or that it seemed, Krieg's galleon ship split in half, sending pirates flying to the sea! It started to sink as the Baratie started to shake violently and everyone tried to keep a hold onto something, their stunned eyes fixed on the disappearing galleon.

"Go hoist the anchor or we'll get pulled under with them!" Zeff yelled, as the cook he had pointed quickly went to obey the order.

"Nami and the others are still out there!" Luffy exclaimed, suddenly remembering, and with the others in tow, he got out of the restaurant, frantically looking for the Merry.

"Aniki!" Two familiar voices cried out from the sea.

"Johnny, Yosaku!" Luffy went to them and got them out of the water with Zoro's help. "Where's the ship, where's Nami?"

"We're sorry, Aniki! She left!"

"Nami-aneki... She left and took all the treasures!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Luffy, Usopp and Zoro yelled in unison, while Koga, standing behind them, also narrowed his eyes in surprise.

'So, she had decided to do this alone...' He thought, before eyeing his surprisingly meditative captain. 'But the rubber-brained idiot won't let her go that easily.'

"Goddammit!" Shouted Zoro in fury, punching the wall in frustration. "She took advantage of us!"

"That ship was given by Kaya!" Usopp yelled also very angry.

And the chronicler merely bit his lower lip, unsure of what to say or do.

"You guys have still your ship?" Luffy turned to the pirate hunters, and after their nod, he began barking orders. Just like a real captain. "You guys and Usopp go fetch Nami with the ship."

"Never mind." The swordsman grumbled, still hurt by the navigator's betrayal. "Just let it go. There's no need to chase that woman."

"There has to be another reason for her to abandon us so suddenly." Koga decided to say something, interrupting Luffy.

"Other than rob us and betray us, you say?" The first mate snapped at him, and the bicolor-eyed young man narrowed his eyes at him, momentarily annoyed by his tone.

"It's your intuition telling you that, right?" Said their captain, and Koga nodded wordlessly. "I can't be without her as my navigator. She's the only one for that job."

A tense silence fell betwen the captain and his crew, until Zoro gave up with a sigh.

"Fine. What a pain-in-the-ass captain..."

Turning his head towards the water in front of the restaurant, the problem finally solved, Koga noticed what looked like a small coffin boat with two giant candles lighted in green flames. In the boat, a man with a giant cross behind him was seated idly. The chronicler's throat suddenly went dry at the sheer power that man was emanating.

"It's him..." Zeff mumbled, earning a bewildered nod from the bicolor-eyed young man. It had been a really long time since he had felt this impotence before a man.

From afar, he could finally notice his features; he was tall and lean, with black hair, a short beard, mustache and sideburns that pointed upwards. His eyes ressembled those of a hawk's, thus his nickname, and was slightly brighter than his own left one. He was dressed in a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume and a long open black coat with no shirt underneath, with red flower patterned sleeves and collar. His pants were light purple held up by a decorated bell and tucked inside overly large boots.

Behind him, the pirate hunters finished getting their boat ready. Luffy explained he couldn't leave because of his debt to Zeff and because he hadn't recruited a cook for the ship yet.

Without Koga noticing, Zoro had separated himself from the others and had positioned himself beside the chronicler to watch in silent daze at the sinister-looking man.

"It can't be..." He muttered. "He is... He's here..."

"Zoro, who the heck is he?" Luffy asked, worried for his swordsman's strange behavior.

"Dracule Hawk-Eyes Mihawk." Koga answered instead, eyes and face extremely serious. "The World's Strongest Swordsman."

"If he's a swordsman, then where's his sword?"

"On his back." The chronicler pointed to the cross behind Mihawk. "The best sword ever crafted by mortal hands. He destroyed the galleon ship with that sword."

"WHAT?!" Everyone except Zeff yelled in unison.

One of the defeated pirates floating in the sea pulled out two guns and fired them at the swordsman.

What happened then, not even Koga's enhanced sight could catch completely, so fast the man was moving. The chronicler held his breath sharply upon seeing such skill and strength united in a sole body. He had always known that there were powerful monsters in the four seas and in the Grand Line, but that sheer demonstration was simply crazy!

"What?!" The pirate yelled stunned. "I'm sure I was right on target!"

Behind him, Zoro walked on a floating wood, eyes fixed on Mihawk.

"I've never seen such a graceful skill."

"A sword with power alone is not powerful." Mihawk replied. His tone was the crude representation of utter boredom and crude power that was pouring from his pores without a second's interruption.

"And that ship had been cut apart with that sword too?"

"Of course."

"I've been sailing the seas to face you." Smiling, the green-haired swordsman grabbed the piece of cloth tied on his right bicep and began wrapping it around his head, showing how serious he was.

"... What is your mission?"

"To be the best."

"...Fool." Mihawk shrugged, albeit before he had shown a little interest.

"I heard you're here to kill time, eh? Then let's have a duel, shall we?"

Koga closed his eyes with a pained expression; he was beginning to sense how it was going to end it all, just by hearing Mihawk's voice. All his being was screaming at him to stop the fight before it began, but he felt that this was what Zoro needed to become even stronger. He had no right to stand in his way, to stop this fight.

"Oi!" Usopp called out from the pirate hunters' ship. "Things are getting worse! Luffy, Koga! Going Merry is about to be gone from our sights! Oi! Luffy! Koga!"

Though it was difficult to him, the chronicler managed to imitate Luffy's neutral expression on his own face as both continued watching the upcoming battle between their first mate and the World's Strongest Swordsman.

"Duel? From such a pitiful weakling." Mihawk stated coldly, vanishing for a moment before reappearing in front of Zoro, who continued pointing at him with his white katana. "If you really were a fine swordsman, you should be able to judge the difference between our skills. Challenging me... Are you that brave? Or reckless?"

'I'd say reckless, but Zoro wouldn't listen to me if I try to stop him.' Koga bitterly thought, feeling impotent for a moment.

"This is for my own ambition... And a promise to my fallen friend." Zoro firmly declared before gently grasping the hilt of his white katana with his teeth, drawing out the other two swords.

'A promise to... a fallen friend, huh?' Koga closed his eyes for a moment, Karen's face fleetingly appearing amidst the darkness of his eyelids. 'I suppose I can understand that.'

"A duel between Hawk-Eyes versus Pirate Hunter Zoro. What kind of duel will it be?" Patty asked around, voice already straining because of the tension in the air.

"No one can win against Aniki!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Aniki's the best!" Yosaku also cheered on his mate.

Koga swallowed upon seeing Mihawk pulling at the crucifix necklace to reveal a tiny dagger. Zoro's face contorted in anger and annoyance upon seeing himself being underestimated. After spitting some angry words at the mighty swordsman, he launched himself forwards, katanas already to strike him down with his signature attack, 'Oni Giri' (Demon Slice).

How great was his shock, and everyone else's, when Mihawk stopped the three katanas effortlessly with his tiny blade, keeping him still and wide eyed. He couldn't understand how far away their powers were, and with a shout he tried to slice Mihawk again, but he blocked it and pushed back, making the green-haired teen fall down.

The chronicler bit his lower lip under his scarf upon seeing the desperation in Zoro's dark eyes as he launched himself at the older man over and over again, only to be stopped or avoided. More than a duel, it was plainly a game, in which Mihawk was letting Zoro play like the cat played with the mouse before hunting it down. No matter how hard he tried to slice him or even make him a slight scratch, their power difference was so huge nothing seemed to work. Not even his most powerful attacks landed on the World's Strongest Swordsman's body.

He was invincible. Practically a monster.

And then, breathing hard between pants, Zoro stopped, clearly tired; in front of him, Mihawk was just still standing there, not even a drop of sweat on his forehead.

"If I could just defeat this man..." The green-haired teen stepped forward, his footing shaky and his slash sloppy and slow, allowing Mihawk to simply step out of the way; unable to control his body any longer, his rival fell down, panting heavily.

"Why do you seek ultimate power, you weakling?" Mihawk asked, his eyes and tone cold as ice.

"Aniki's a weakling, you say?!" Yosaku jumped, ready to attack. "You bastard...!"

"I'll teach you a thing or two!" Johnny also yelled.

However, Koga and Luffy restrained them and pulled them back to the Baratie.

"Stop, Yosaku, Johnny! Don't interfere!" The captain exclaimed. "Just hang on...!"

"Luffy...?" Usopp questioned, seeing his pained expression, as well as Koga's.

"This is his fight." The chronicler managed to say through gritted teeth, brow furrowed in concentration to refrain himself. "We can't step in his way, just... stay low."

Behind them, Zoro had managed to stand up, his focus solely in the unmoving rival in front of him. He tried to execute 'Tora Gari', but instead of blocking the katanas, Mihawk evaded them and stabbed him in the chest, rather close to the heart.

Blood dripped down as the crew, Johnny and Yosaku watched in horror and shock.

"Do you wish to go through your heart?" Mihawk asked. "Why won't you step back?"

"I don't know..." Zoro answered between pants. "I'm not sure why myself. But, if I were to take even one step back, I believe that all those important oaths, promises and many deals 'til now, will all go to waste. And I will never be able to return before you, ever again."

"Yes. And that's called 'losing'."

Zoro barked a short laughter. "That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means death?"

"Death may be better!"

Others would've hesitated at stating such thing, but the swordsman's determination was set. Something flickered in Mihawk's golden eyes as he pushed out the dagger and observed the kid before him that he was starting to see as a soon-to-be rival.

"Kid, state your name." He demanded.

"Roronoa Zoro." The green-haired teen answered as he held his two swords at an angle just a little bigger than ninety degrees, about to execute a new move.

"I'll remember that." Surprising everyone, Mihawk guarded his tiny dagger and pulled out the black sword at his back. "It's been a while since I've seen such strong will. As a reward, a gesture to a fellow swordsman, I will wield this 'Black Sword', the most powerful sword in the world, to end your life."

'Zoro has impressed him!' Koga thought in shock, wide-eyed.

"I appreciate your offer." Zoro thanked him, and he really meant it. "Santoryuu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai!"

The young swordsman slashed at the older one that was holding his own giant black sword in a wide arc. For a second that lasted an eternity, nothing happened... until a gash suddenly appeared on his chest and his other two swords in his hands shattered like frozen glass shards. Wordlessly accepting his defeat, he sheathed his remaining white katana, stood up and turned around, holding his arms apart.

"What now?" Mihawk was visibly confused at the other's actions.

"Attacking from behind is a shameless act among swordsmen." Zoro stated with a determined smirk. In that gesture, Koga could see that, even if he had lost, the green-haired teen was able to accept it. He accepted that he wasn't ready to challenge the best, yet.

"Well said."

Mihawk slashed the black sword across his chest, leaving him to drop to the waters in a heap of body and blood.

"ZORO!"

Even as Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku yelled for their comrade, no one's voice was louder than Luffy's, who gritted his teeth in fury and launched himself towards Mihawk's floating platform with an outstretched arm. Koga's eyes were wide in shock, his voice failing him and his throat constricting as he watched the two pirate hunters going after Zoro's drowning body.

His feelings were a whirlwind in his mind. Fury; at Mihawk, at Zoro's recklessness, at himself for not stopping him. Shock; at seeing a comrade ready to sacrifice his own life to accomplish his dream, even as it seemed idiotic. Sadness; at having had the intuition of Zoro's defeat.

He could've stopped it. But he hadn't.

Johnny and Yosaku emerged from the water, an unmoving Zoro between them. Koga and Usopp rushed towards the boat and hoasted him up, sprawling him into the deck; the chronicler put an ear over the swordsman's bloody chest and listened.

. **.. Thump... Thump...**

'Thank heavens above.' It was weak, but it was definitely there. The bicolor-eyed young man breathed in relief and nodded to the sharpshooter.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled from afar.

"He's still alive!" Koga exclaimed, relief soaking his hoarse voice.

The green-haired teen coughed up blood, and that seemed to confirm it.

"It's still too early for you to die." To them floated Mihawk's voice. "My name is Dracule Mihawk! Find your true self, true world, become stronger! No matter how long it will take, I will await you in my strongest form! Surpass this sword, surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

"You earned his respect, you idiot." Koga muttered with a shaky voice, cutting his white shirt to clean better his wounds –even as the sea water had cleaned them already, he wanted to make sure. "But you better stay alive if you want to fight against him once more, you hear me?"

As if hearing him, Zoro raised his white katana up to the skies. Luffy called out to him.

"Luffy, can you hear me?" His strained and hoarse voice didn't let him raise his voice too much, but the eerie silence let the captain hear him perfectly. "Sorry for worrying you. If I don't become the World's Greatest Swordsman you'd be in a dilemma now, right?"

He coughed up blood, and Johnny and Yosaku called for him to rest; however, Koga told them to stay silent, because he felt this was something the swordsman felt he needed to do. When the chronicler looked down at his companion, he saw something he'd never thought in seeing on him.

Tears. Streaming down his face.

"I will... I will never... LOSE AGAIN!" He cried out. "Until I defeat him, and become the greatest swordsman, I will never be defeated anymore! Any problem with that... PIRATE KING?!"

And, even with worry clouding all his thoughts, even with painful memories nagging at the back of his mind threatening to become his nightmares once more, Koga couldn't help but to smile in pride at his first mate. No one would defeat him ever again, he was sure of that.

"None!" Luffy simply replied after laughing a bit, worry completely out of his face and mind.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! A pretty long chapter, but I didn't want to cut Zoro's fight against Mihawk.**

 **Well, feed the evil hungry review monster, boys and girls! I'm not repeating myself yet again!**

 **P.D: What do you think about the new title and summary?**


	13. Persecution

**13\. Persecution**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, he was born in the Grand Line, but not in the New World. Though his birthplace was quite close to Sabaody Archipelago (yay, mega-spoiler xD). And no, he doesn't know any Yonko except from rumors (though he wanted to meet Whitebeard, you'll know why when the Straw Hat crew reaches Alabasta). Thanks! ^^ Koga deeply appreciates his companions even though he's not quite good at expressing it verbally. And also, thanks for supporting my new title and summary! I had the impression the old ones didn't attract many readers so I wanted to change them a bit.**

 **-Ikaros Light: It is true that the old title was more adequate according to Koga's past, but it didn't grasp completely all of this fic's essence, which was what I wanted to achieve. And about Koga's Devil Fruit abilities, don't worry, he'll use them in Arlong's fight ^^ He'll be VERY pissed off hehe.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

With a sigh, Koga finally finished wrapping gauze around Zoro's torso, minding his huge wound, while Usopp and Johnny supported him by his shoulders.

It had been over an hour since they departed from the Baratie, by their captain's orders of bringing back Nami and Merry at whatever cost. They had promised to do so, though the situation in the floating restaurant was frankly pretty bad, with Krieg and his pirates about to fight the cooks.

But still, as bad as it looked, Koga simply felt that te situation was entirely different from when Zoro fought Mihawk. At that instant, he had understood his companion would lose against such a monster; they both were simply at two different levels. With Luffy and the others' situation, however, it wasn't that hopeless, because even if Krieg had the most powerful Armada in the East Blue, this was still the weakest of the four seas; Krieg's strength was nothing compared with the Grand Line's.

'In other words, if he doesn't win, he's not suited enough to go to the Grand Line yet.' He thought.

"Will Aniki be okay?" Asked Johnny in worry at Koga, helping him get comfortable in the hard wood of the boat. The swordsman was blissfully snoring out loud, recovering his strength by napping.

"He's as stubborn as a mule. He won't die that easily." The chronicler simply answered, watching his bloodstained hands for a brief moment with a somewhat pained expression on his face.

"Koga...?" He blinked and looked at a puzzled Usopp, who had noticed his look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just... My head's in another place, I suppose."

Being careful in not moving the boat too much, the blond young man washed his hands in the sea water. Well, what was done was done. Zoro was alive, and Mihawk had a new rival to play with –so to speak.

Eventually, the swordsman regained consciousness. Koga told them all about what he had felt about Nami and her apparent obsession with Arlong; out of all of them, only the first mate seemed to trust in his intuition. Johnny then talked about Arlong Park, the Fishmen's hideout, and supposed Nami was heading that way.

While navigating, Koga noticed Zoro with his gaze fixed in the ocean. He looked much better now, less pale and was breathing a lot better, but his grip on his white katana was vicious. Frowning slightly in worry, the blond chronicler approached the first mate and sat beside him; the green-haired teen continued looking at the horizon, but when he talked, it was directed to his companion:

"I lost to Hawk-Eyes."

"Yes, you did." Koga simply answered.

Zoro closed his eyes with a sigh, resting his head against the wood wall behind him.

"I promised a friend that I would become the World's Greatest Swordsman. She died, and I promised her I would be the best, that my name would be famous around the world." He raised his white katana, loosening his grip a bit. "With Wado-Ichimonji, I'll become the best. I'm not giving up on my dream."

The blond smirked under his scarf, eyeing the katana in the swordsman's hand.

"Good. But do be careful next time, alright? That idiot needs his first-mate at his side."

Zoro snorted but then smiled too. A heavy burden over his shoulders was lifted then, the weight of his loss against Mihawk relieved, but not forgotten. Their fight would be something they had to remember, to gain more strength. Next time the two of them would be face-to-face again, no one would know who would become winner.

But that time was yet far from them, Koga felt that. Right then, Zoro was bearing a slash made by Mihawk himself across his chest, an invaluable token that showed the World's Greatest Swordsman's respect to its bearer. Even being already famous with his works as pirate hunter, his fight against Dracule Hawk-Eyes Mihawk would surely boost his fame around the world.

"Zoro-aniki, Koga-aniki, Usopp-aniki, I can see Arlong Park!"

Johnny's voice dragged Koga out of his deep thoughts, both his and Zoro's head raised to meet a large island just before them. As Usopp and the pirate hunter freaked out at the impressive building on the coastline near the ocean, the chronicler stood up to watch the approaching island with a grave expression on his face, his hand gripping _Sankaoken_ by its hilt.

'Nami's here somewhere.' He thought, brows furrowed. 'And Arlong and his fishmen too.'

From his side he heard a small whimper, and turned his head to find a terror-struck Usopp gripping his right arm, watching Arlong Park as if he was nearing the devil's den itself.

"I really hope Nami's actually here..." He mumbled terrified to the chronicler, who raised an eyebrow.

"She is... I think."

"You think?" Johnny looked at him sweatdropping, before shaking his head. "Anyway, let's check for the Going Merry before we do anything stupid."

His intuition began tingling slightly, barely a whisper in his mind, that made him look around with a wary expression on his face.

"Let's fight." He heard Zoro's voice from beside him, on his feet and a hand gripping his only katana.

"I just said we shouldn't do anything stupid!" Johnny squeaked, growing shark-like teeth while glaring at his ex-companion in anger.

"You with me, Koga?" Zoro asked him, glaring at him from the corner of his eye.

The chronicler breathed heavily, and then gripped Sankaoken firmly.

"What a pain..." He mumbled. "Fine, but I'll fight first, you're still gravely injured."

The swordsman snorted, none of them noticing the sharpshooter and the pirate hunter approaching them from behind with two hammers in their hands. "I can kill more Fishmen than you do, freaky eyes."

"Oh? is that a challenge, shitty swordsman?" A smirk was playing in both their faces.

 **BONK BONK! THUD THUD!**

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **I try to use my intuition in perceiving where Yuuto's going to attack me.**

 **My nine-year-old body is slightly more muscular though it preserves its slim figure; my messy blond hair's beginning to reach my chin. I'm only wearing loose black pants that reach my ankles; both my chest and feet are completely bare. On my back, some slashes are beginning to turn into pinkish scars.**

 **My eyes are closed as I use my intuition to its limits, but still, Yuuto's katana manages to reach me; only because of my reflexes and the fleeting noise his feet made behind me, I manage to jump out of the way, the blade digging in the ground. I roll on the ground and stand on my feet in a jump just in time to see Yuuto getting his sword out of the ground.**

 **"Dammit, you're good!" He protests, kicking the grass. He's slightly smaller than me, but the freckles and the warm and friendly smile are still as ever.**

 **"What are you saying?" I reply, brushing the dirt off my pants. "I couldn't feel you at all. And why the hell are you using a real katana?"**

 **"Oi, it's old and rusty!" Sure it is, but it still has a pretty sharp edge. "I found it on Ojii-san's room!"**

 **"Jii-san's gonna skin you alive, you dumbass!"**

 **"Mind your business, bleachy hair!"**

 **"What did you say, Dalmatian face?!"**

 **Our foreheads collide forcefully, our faces identical in rage; the atmosphere around us fuming and distorting.**

 **"This time I'm gonna feel you come!" I shout, pushing him on the chest and making him stumble a bit.**

 **"FINE!"**

 **xXxSome hours laterxXx**

 **"WHAT WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING?!"**

 **Jii-san's furious shouts don't stop him from nursing my huge gash across my face, bloody and slightly swollen. Every time I feel the soft tug of the needle in my skin and closing my gash, I wince in pain, making Karen, seating on my bed beside me, grip my hand a bit harder.**

 **"Taking that rusty katana from my room, and using it to some stupid training...! I assumed you both were old enough to not do these stupid things!"**

 **"I already said I'm sorry, Ojii-san!" Yuuto complains.**

 **"QUIET, YOU!" My little brother flinches at Jiisan's snap. "Seriously, both of you are going to kill me! And you!" Even injured, I can't get away from his fury. "You're his older brother, why did you let him carry such a dangerous weapon?!"**

 **I bite my lip and look away, not knowing what to say. Karen has been silently watching our verbal exchange, wide-eyed, deeply worried as the needle is slowly closing my wound. I hear Jii-san's sigh just as he finished sewing it, and begins wrapping it with gauze, making me look as a mummy.**

 **"Both of you are going to kill me one day." Jii-san mutters under his breath again, before shooting a steely glance at Yuuto. "Get your sister out. Now."**

 **"Uh... Yeah. Come on, Karen-chan."**

 **"But Bo-nii..." She tries to protest, still holding my hand.**

 **"I'm fine." I answer, trying to smile at her without feeling pain because of the wound on my face.**

 **Karen nods, though full of doubts, and follows her brother quietly out of the room; she's beginning to feel a bit weak on her legs, but doesn't need any help yet to move freely. Once both are out, Jii-san stands up and, after checking his grandsons aren't eavesdropping, closes the door and sits on my bed. Lots of bloody gauzes and cotton are scattered on the mattress.**

 **"This was dangerous, Koga." Jii-san says quietly. I wordlessly nod, and he sighs again. "Why were you doing this?"**

 **"I was checking out something. I... I found out my intuition doesn't work on you, or Karen, or Yuuto, and I was trying to find out if there was a way of fixing it."**

 **"By making your brother swing a rusty katana at your face?" He arches an eyebrow.**

 **My cheeks feel warm in shame. I'm aware it wasn't exactly a brilliant idea, but I couldn't think of anything better than that.**

 **Besides, it has been Yuuto's idea, not mine.**

 **"... So, your intuition doesn't work on us?" I nod again. "It's indeed strange."**

 **"Every time Yuuto attacked me, I couldn't predict where he was coming from. I could get away because he did some noises and because I'm fast, but not because of my intuition. I couldn't feel even where the attack was coming from."**

 **"Hm... Maybe it is because you know us as your family, or maybe it is because you trust us."**

 **"... Maybe."**

 **"Next time you're going to do something like this, make sure to tell me first, alright? This wound will surely leave a scar on your face."**

 **"Okay."**

* * *

Pain erupted on his skull as he regained consciousness. Groaning, he cursed under his breath. Surely the one who drove him unconscious was Usopp, because he earned his trust; people he trusted, he couldn't feel their intentions of attacking him. In a way, should they betray him, he wouldn't feel them come; that was why he was so wary and cautious about meeting new people and sharing his past with them.

Though he didn't bother to open his eyes yet, he felt that he was surrounded by enemies, and he couldn't move his arms, tied on his back, sitting on the ground. Some muffled noises reached his ears faintly, and after he overcame his pain, he distinguished Zoro's voice coming from his left and Nami's in front of both of them, along with one he didn't recognize.

'So, we're in trouble. Duh.'

"Are these human friends of yours, Nami?" An unknown deep voice made him open his eyes wincing because of the brightness and the dull ache on his skull. Squinting his bicolored eyes, he looked up slowly and saw Nami standing in front of Zoro at his left and a giant fishman behind her. Up close, Arlong was even more gigantic than he had imagined.

"As if." She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "They're just idiots who thought I was their friend before I robbed them blind." His ears registered her movements as she walked in front of the swordsman and knelt before him. "You both followed me all the way out here without knowing that? You really are stupid."

"So, this is who you really are." Zoro stated softly, his voice absolutely monotone. "You know, Koga here trusted you. He thought something was wrong."

It seemed neither of them noticed him waking up.

"Huh. He's an idiot, and so are you. It was all an act, and you bought the whole show." From the corner of his eye, Koga saw her moving and bringing her left arm forward, revealing a tattoo. "I'm a pirate, and Arlong's navigator."

'Arlong's navigator?'

His brows furrowed together in slight confusion as everything related to Nami flashed through his mind. Her hatred towards all kind of pirates had seemed rather genuine to him. Hell, even after getting to know Luffy, she was still on guard around them all. Had she really been tricking them?

... No. He didn't think so.

"Shahahahahahahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "She had you completely fooled! She's cold-blooded! She even betrayed her family for money!"

A sharp intake of breath was all he needed to confirm his thoughts, and he calmly closed his eyes. Now that he knew Nami wasn't going to kill them, he could as well ease a bit of his headache.

"If I were you, I'd just admit defeat."

Zoro scoffed beside Koga. He didn't believe what Nami had said earlier.

"I don't need to. I never had much trust in her to begin with."

The chronicler had to contain a snort, not wanting to let the fishmen know he was awake.

Everything else, he barely registered it in his mind. To prove the navigator that she still cared for them, Zoro had to jump underwater; and as he had planned, she saved him of course. But still, the red-haired girl was furious at how risky his action had been, considering that she had almost revealed herself as a possible traitor of Arlong and company.

Only when Koga felt a pair of strong hands gripping his arms and hauling him onto someone's shoulder, he realized his mind had drifted off a little while ago, leaving his aching head at ease while paying little to no attention to his surroundings. It had been dangerous, of course, but he had trusted Nami in keeping both Zoro and himself alive. And judging the gruntings beside him as they were dropped rather forcefully to the ground, he had been right in trusting her.

His body stirring a bit, he groaned as his bicolored eyes opened, only to find a very dark room with absolutely no furniture, a steel door closed in the wall opposite of his and a tiny window almost at the top of the room providing a little light in.

"You're awake." Zoro grunted from beside him; he was tied with thick ropes around his torso and his hands on his back, the bandages on his chest were slightly covered in blood. "Finally. You had a good nap?"

"... I was awake." Koga surveyed himself and noticed his bindings were the same as Zoro's. And of course, both of them were unarmed.

"And you didn't do anything?"

"I had the impression I weren't needed in the conversation." He shrugged. "You know where my katana is?"

"Beats me. Probably in another room."

Koga gulped. If he hadn't noticed the effects of being separated from his katana yet, it meant it wasn't that far from them. Next room, maybe.

"What happened after you jumped into the water?" The chronicler asked his companion, mostly because he was bored doing nothing.

"Usopp's in trouble, and Nami's a traitor. That's what happened."

"Well, she did save you from drowning." He then blinked and glanced at the swordsman in confusion. "Wait a sec, Usopp's in trouble?"

"Yeah, that idiot managed to attract the attention of the fishmen. That giant shark fish, Arlong, went after him."

"... Great."

Suddenly, Zoro shushed him as he glanced at the closed door, body tense as a blade. When the door opened, they distinguished a familiar figure standing there.

"Hey, Nami." Koga greeted with a smirk hidden on his scarf.

But she glared at him with a harsh look on his face, approaching them silently. On her hand, a dagger flickered, cutting the ropes restraining them. She then threw their katanas at them while she was going out of the room, telling them to get away from there and out of her business if they wanted to stay alive.

Zoro grabbed his white katana, throwing _Sankaoken_ to Koga while glaring at him with a knowing look. The blond young man smirked.

"Let's wreak havoc."

 **xXxSome time laterxXx**

Zoro let out a loud yawn, seated upon a white chair that looked like a throne. He seemed completely at ease, arms crossed behind his head and one leg sitting horizontally upon the other. Koga stood glaring at the bodies around them, his rusty katana unsheathed over his shoulder. It was evident that those fishmen weren't all of Arlong's forces. They were ridiculously weak, even being fishmen.

"So... We should get moving." The chronicler stated, sheathing his katana.

"Huh?"

He sighed deeply. "... Usopp. Problems. Rescue him?"

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose we should move."

The problem was, where was Usopp? For all they know, he could be in the complete opposite side of the island. And knowing how fast that idiot could run, there was no way they could reach him.

If only there was some kind of sign to guide them...

"Oh, oh, oh, this one's awesome!"

Slightly startled by the sudden unknown voice booming from behind a wall, both Zoro and Koga looked at each other and resolved to investigate. As they approached the wall, they could distinguish three fishing poles occasionally jerking, and the voice was becoming clearer.

"Even I, a member of Arlong's elite, Hachi-Hatchan can't pull it up! It must be a super great fish! I don't know where you've come from, but your gusto is East Blue's best..." The middle fish pole then pulled upward, revealing a pair of striped pants with the bottom portion of a person in them. "Wh... what the..? oh, it was myself."

Koga sweatdropped as the line snapped. Was that 'a member of Arlong's elite'? When he looked at Zoro, he also had a 'What the hell?' expression on his face, but then he shrugged and both peered over the top of the wall, using a small statue for support. On the other side of the wall was a pink-skinned man with a long trumpet-like mouth, and six muscled and tentacle-like arms coming from his torso; his greyish hair had a star-like hairstyle.

"Truly my gusto is East Blue's best." He said, before peering to the side with an inquisitive look. "Anything strange?"

"Yeah, definitely strange." Zoro answered nonchalantly, while Koga nodded.

The octopus fishman swirled his head towards them with a surprised look on his face, noticing the humans behind him for the first time.

"Huh? Who the heck are you?!" He shouted, teeth clenched and eyes wide; the chronicler opened his mouth to answer him when his attitude suddenly changed, turning like a kid who needs to introduce himself. "M-me? I'm Hatchan, please call me Hachi."

'This guy is like Luffy.' The blond sweatdropped.

"We're Arlong's guests." The lie went out of his mouth quite easily, earning a surprised look from the swordsman; he turned towards the havoc they created –that was being unnoticed by Hatchan, fortunately.

"I guess we are."

"Ah... But, you know Arlong-san's not here right now, right?"

"Oh? So that's why we couldn't find him..." Keeping his façade, Koga turned to Zoro before glancing again at the fishman. "And where could he be?"

"He's currently in Cocoyashi, chasing some weird long-nosed guy... They say there are two other uppity humans caught and held here though." Hatchan explained right away, scratching his trumpet-mouth. Wasn't he suspicious of them being possible those humans? "Arlong-san should still be there, so hop in here." He gestured towards the floating jar near him. "I'll take you right to him, swordsman and bicolor-eyes."

'Huh. He's even easier to fool than Usopp and Luffy.' Koga thought, jumping into the jar with Zoro at his side. 'I've never expected to be carried by my soon-to-be enemy towards my crew. Destiny sure is weird.'

The ride was short, and it was also surprisingly fun. Because of his Devil Fruit weakness, the chronicler was normally unable to enjoy being so close to the sea, but feeling the wind rushing and howling in his ears, shaking his hair everywhere and almost tearing off his scarf from his neck... It was certainly a breathtaking experience, one he wouldn't mind on repeating again.

Not even ten minutes later, Hatchan stopped on a dock, unstrapping the jar from his back after Koga and Zoro had hopped off the jar. The fishman indicated them –more or less– where they could find Arlong, and returned to Arlong Park after saying goodbye to the 'guests'.

As they walked forward, Hatchan called to them again: "Oi! I never got your names! My name? It's Hatchan! Come again!" And then disappeared, leaving the other two sweatdropping.

"Strange guy..." Zoro commented with a smile.

"Indeed..."

As they were running, following a path surrounded by trees everywhere, Koga then felt a sudden tug on his stomach, and stopped on his tracks; ignoring Zoro's confused questions, he looked around with a wary look on his face, wondering what was...

 **CRASH!**

"HEY, ZORO, KOGA!"

Out of nowhere, a green-striped boat came barreling through the forst and caught poor Zoro right on the bow, dragging him through a path of destruction with thundering noises that made Koga cringe and cover his ears with his hands. After everything calmed down, he followed the swath of destruction the boat caused from landing into a batch of rice patties, seeing the dust settle as it crashed headfirst into a nearby hill. The first-mate's furious shouts could be heard everywhere as he jogged along to catch up to the crew.

There they all were. Luffy's idiotic grin was already on his face even though he was apologizing to his irated swordsman, with Sanji calmly glaring at them. Yosaku was emerging from the debris too, though he was much calmer than his ex-partner.

Zoro noticed Koga at the side of the boat, and stood up from the debris with a furious expression on his face.

"You could have warned me that something was going on, you IDIOT!" He shouted, mere centimeters separating their faces, his teeth becoming shark-like.

Unfazed by his companion, the chronicler sighed as his hand pushed the swordsman's face away from his.

"Personal space." He deadpanned. "And I was about to tell you."

"LIAR!"

"You shouldn't be shouting like this; your wounds could reopen."

"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

Fortunately, though Koga wasn't going to admit it even to himself, Luffy decided to butt into their argument.

"Oi, Zoro, Koga, where are Usopp and Johnny?" Their captain asked.

Zoro's face turned normal again at the question, blinking.

"Usopp...? That's right! This isn't time to be messing around! He was caught by Arlong. If we don't hurry, he'll be killed!"

"He's dead."

The broken, battered, yet familiar voice came from behind them, and they all swirled around to discover a dirty and brusied Johnny falling to his knees.

"What?" Luffy asked, his voice and face showing confusion, as well as everyone else's faces.

"It's too late... Usopp-aniki is dead... He was killed!" Johnny punched the ground, tears streaming down his face as he talked. "He was killed... BY NAMI-ANEKI!"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Sorry for the delay, and also for how lame is Koga in this chapter, but I wasn't in the mood of writing ALL the conversation between Arlong, Zoro and Nami, with the plus of adding a conversation for Koga. That was simply too much, so I simply put him to sleep xD**

 **Anyways, here is some little information about Koga that maybe you wanted to know (also, I modified some data about him, sorry about the confusion):**

 **SARUGAKI KOGA:**

 **-Age: 24**

 **-Height: 5'8''**

 **-Weight: 165 lbs**

 **-Eyes: Heterochromatic (right one silver, left one gold)**

 **-Hair: Pale blond, almost white**

 **-Birthday: Oct 1st**

 **-Birthplace: Kukkuri Island, Grand Line**

 **-Family: Father (Dead), Mother (Dead) Adoptive grandfather (Rujash: Alive), Younger adoptive brother (Yuuto: Alive?), Younger adoptive sister (Karen: Dead)**

 **-Powers: Kaizen Kaizen Fruit/Demon Sword Sankaoken/Wrestling**

 **-Animal representing him: Tiger**

 **-Color: Golden**

 **-Favorite Island Type: Autumn on a Summer Island**

 **-Favorite foods: Spicy curry and all kinds of fruit**

 **-In One Piece family, what is Koga? Eldest son**

 **-Numbers representing him: 11, 65**

 **-How does he smell like: Ink and Fresh Rain**

 **-His most preciated treasure: His pale blue scarf**

 **... Please feed the hungry beast. That's all. I mean it.**


	14. Nojiko

**14\. Nojiko**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: At this rate, Koga's every power will have a flaw xD Nah, you're right; the intuition doesn't work in people he usually trusts– it doesn't make any sense to keep an eye on those who are supposed to watch your back right? And also, I did it so to explain something that happened in Koga's past. Yeah, I'm pretending to make a brotherly bond between Zoro and Koga, since both of them are pretty similar.**

 **-Miguemaster: Thanks! I intend to reach as far as I can, don't worry! I didn't think yet of any situation in the New World for Koga while the whole rest I have some glimpses on how I can introduce him in the SH adventures, but I'll figure something out.**

 **-shirsong: Haha, yeah finally someone notices the demon's absence! He sometimes leaves without notice and reappears with the same as if nothing happened xD Thanks for the advice, I also think that I'm doing Koga a little bit too cool; I hope with this chap I'll change your mind ;) And about the demon joining the SH crew... I'm sorry but it's highly unlikely. Soon I'll explain why. Koga is the only OC that will join the SH crew, though I'll keep in mind your idea in case I change my mind. ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

A short silence. No one moved, or even breathed, as five sets of stupefied eyes looked at the sobbing pirate hunter kneeling on the floor. Even Koga, whose intuition was practically shouting him that wasn't true, had a difficult time not questioning himself if there was something that was remotely authentic.

"Yes..." Johnny, trying to control his sobbings, sat cross-legged on the ground. "It's horrible. That woman's a witch! In order to obtain some hidden treasure in Cocoyashi Village for herself, she was kissing up to Arlong!" His hand rested on the ground in front of him to support himself as he bent over. "And for that purpose, she killed without thinking about it... She's a rotten-hearted low-life! We've been fooled this entire time!"

Before Koga could stop him, Luffy lurched forward past him –making his straw hat fly from his head– and grabbed a hold on Johnny's collar, looking at him straight in the eye and shouting: "BASTARD! Say that one more time and I'll kill you!"

"Stop it, Luffy." Zoro interjected, regaining his cool somehow. "This has nothing to do with Johnny."

Knowing it was useless to make their captain listen to them, the chronicler simply sighed and crouched to pick up Luffy's hat. It'd be a shame if it would fly away, and besides, it was his captain's greatest treasure; he was more than ready to protect other people's treasures.

"You don't have to believe me... But I saw it with my own eyes! I saw what she did to Usopp-aniki!" The pirate hunter cried out.

'Was this what that strange gut drop meant?' The chronicler wondered, frowning at the sobbing pirate hunter. 'But... That wasn't exactly one of my intuition's tinglings. It was... different, somehow. But then... what does it mean?'

"You're making up crap!" The rubber teen shook poor Johnny, who tried to control his sobbings. "There's no way Nami would kill Usopp! We're nakama!"

The pirate hunter tried to say something, but a voice, unwelcoming and cold, cut off whatever what he was going to stutter.

"Who's nakama, Luffy?"

"Nami!" Recognizing instantly the voice, the captain dropped Johnny to the ground and turned to face her.

Everyone looked at her too, Zoro with suspicion evident in his eyes, Yosaku and Johnny accusingly and Sanji... Well, as expected from him.

But Koga viewed her closely, a blank expression on his face. Sure, her look was one expected from a cold-blooded witch perfectly capable of killing someone without feeling any remorse, but... Why was she wearing only one glove on her left hand? What was she trying to hide?

And why did she bother to come to them and order them to get away from the island?

"Why are you here?" She asked coldly.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy went to Koga and retrieved his straw hat from him, putting it on his head. "You're our nakama! We came to get you!"

"You're all a big problem."

"Huh?"

"Nakama? Don't make me laugh! You're just a pathetic bunch of people cooperating with each other."

"Damn you!" Johnny choked out between sobs. "You killed him! I saw it with my own eyes! How dare you... How dare you kill Usopp-aniki!"

But, even with the hatred the pirate hunter was emanating, Nami remained unfazed as she continued to glare at them with cold eyes.

"So what?" She asked, crossing his arms over her chest while holding her staff on her gloved hand. "Why not kill me as revenge?"

"What?!" Johnny gritted his teeth in anger.

"I'll tell you this much: right now, Arlong wants to kill 'Roronoa Zoro and the guy with weird eyes'. All because Zoro and Koga went and did something stupid. You guys may have these monster-like powers, but you're no match for real monsters. Hang around this island long enough, and you guys will be killed for sure."

The blond young man sighed deeply and loudly, attracting everyone's attention, and began walking towards the navigator. Unsure of his intentions, she eyed him with her body still as a stick, ready for everything.

"Maybe Arlong's the strongest monster here in East Blue." He conceived softly, the lower half of his face hidden under the scarf and his hands on his pocket pants. "But personally, I've seen even worse in the Grand Line. I already told you to trust us, didn't I?" She narrowed her deep brown eyes. "I've got a couple of questions for you, Nami. If you're really our enemy, why are you here telling us to leave instead of letting Arlong and his fishmen kill us?"

"I'm not gonna live with your blood in my hands." The girl hissed, eyes sparkling with anger. He was beginning to get into her core. "If you stay, it's your own decision, not mine."

"Oh? And why didn't you kill Zoro and I when we were prisoners?" He stopped in front of her, towering over her with his superior height.

"Oi, bastard!" Koga heard Sanji behind him. "Leave Nami-san alone!"

"Stop." Zoro's voice was unwavering, and the chronicler supposed he was stopping the cook physically too, not only verbally. "Just trust him in this."

Both Nami and Koga glanced at each other straight in the eye, both unmoving and completely still. Seeing that the navigator wasn't going to answer, he sighed and lifted his scarf up to his nose.

"... Why are you wearing only one glove?"

Her eyes became even more harsh and suspicious, the hand gripping her staff slightly shaking.

"I couldn't find the other one." She snapped. "It's not your business."

"Huh." He smirked. "You know my intuition, right? You know it's normally right. So, I'm gonna use it: Usopp is alive, and you used your left hand –the one you had covered, to 'stab' him and save him." Nami narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "And that, with the fact that you're here to tell us to get away from this island, and also that you didn't kill us... All of that tells me that you're an even worse liar than Usopp and... that you still care for us a great deal."

 **SLAM!**

With lightning-like speed, a mere blur impossible to follow with sight, the staff swung around and struck Koga right at his face, dropping him to the ground. Zoro, Sanji and the two pirate hunters watched it with astonishment, while Luffy simply stood with a blank expression on his face.

'OW THAT HURTS!' Koga yelled in his mind, his left cheek exploding with a blinding pain and sending him excrutiating waves. With his right hand he gingerly touched it, wincing in pain as he felt the swollen face, and with his tongue he checked that every tooth was on its place on his mouth; fortunately, they were. As he stood up, he spat to the side, leaving a small drip of blood on the ground.

"Well, it doesn't concern me though." Nami talked as nothing had happened. "Get yourselves killed. I'm past it."

Sanji's eye turned a weird heart-shaped eye as he glared at the red-haired navigator. "Her cool look is still so charming!" He waved a hand at her, grinning. "Hi, Nami-san! It's me, it's me, remember me? Let's go on a cruise together!"

"You stay out of this! You'll just complicate things!" Snarled Zoro as Koga positioned himself beside the swordsman, still rubbing a bit his pained cheek with a grimace.

"Agreed." The chronicler muttered.

The cook glared at the two of them, his eye turning back to normal.

"My love is always a hurricane!" Both the green-haired teen and the blond young man looked at each other and sighed in unison. "Oi! Listen to me when I'm talking!"

"Where is Usopp?" Zoro asked Nami, who returned him a blank look.

"At the bottom of the sea."

That triggered something in the swordsman, that lunged forwards with his hand on his katana, but both Sanji and Koga stood in his way.

"Out of the way."

"She's lying." The chronicler simply stated, glancing at her from over his shoulder.

And the navigator gritted her teeth in anger. "I suggest you leave this island. You outsiders quit sticking your nose into this island's business."

But nobody moved.

"You still don't get it, do you? The only reason I got close to you is for the money, nothing else. Now that you guys have nothing, you're of no use to me. I'll return the ship, so why don't you go find a navigator and head to the Grand Line? Go find One Piece or whatever." She pointed at them with her staff sharply. "Just get the hell out of here! You're a bother!"

The area was silent, until Luffy suddenly closed his eyes and fell back on the ground with a soft 'thud'.

"Luffy-aniki?" Johnny asked in confusion.

"I'm going to sleep." The raven-haired pirate crossed his arms behind his head, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Sleep? Right now? In the middle of the road?"

"I don't feel like leaving the island. I don't care what's happening here. I'm a bit sleepy, so I'm sleeping."

Zoro facepalmed while Koga simply sighed. He noticed Nami turning her head away and gripping her left hand tightly.

"Do whatever you want! Go ahead and DIE!" She snapped before turning around and running off.

The chronicler couldn't help but feel a little of pity towards her. Whatever was what happened to her, it forced her to betray her companions. He ignored as Johnny and Yosaku bid their goodbyes to the crew, and ruffled his hair as he questioned himself what to do respecting the navigator, and how they could help her.

'Well, whatever we do, I'll make sure to save this.' He rubbed his still aching cheek with a grimace. 'Note to self: don't piss her off ever again.'

"Hey, why was Nami-san crying back then?"

Sanji's question brought Koga back from his thoughts.

"That woman... crying?" Zoro also asked with indifference.

"She was crying in her heart."

The swordsman scoffed. "That woman doesn't have a heart. And if she's crying... Is she crying tears of guilt for killing Usopp?"

"Usopp's alive." Koga interrupted whatever Sanji was going to say. Mostly because he wanted to avoid any more discussions; Usopp's and Nami's blows had only brought a pretty shitty headache, and those two's antics were only going to worsen it.

"And how do you know that?" The cook asked, his swirled eyebrow raised at him. He had yet another cigarette on his lips.

"... My intuition tells me so. Usopp's alive, I know it."

"Speaking of which..." Zoro glared at him with a bit of worry in his dark eyes. "Why didn't you avoid Nami's blow?"

"Honestly? I didn't see it coming. My intuition doesn't work in people I trust."

"Then..."

"Whether my intuition works or not is not the main problem here." The chronicler interrupted again, his patience beginning to disappear. "Now we have to figure out what to do."

"Dunno... Nami didn't kill him. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah. I think that's good, isn't it?"

"I suppose. I made that little servant lose it once today; she may have killed him in a fit of rage."

Sanji blinked and then turned to the swordsman, his visible eye flaming.

"Little servant?" He piped up, while Zoro looked at him uninterested. "What's that about Nami-san's chest?!"

Koga sighed as both of them began fighting once again –the cook with well-aimed kicks and the swordsman with, well, his katana– and decided to intervene before they ended up killing each other; he was quite sure that Luffy would want his two crewmates still in one piece.

"Alright, you two, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" He roared, also butting in their fight with his sheathed katana–much to their surprise.

 **BLAM!**

Suddenly, the three combatants' attack –Sanji's foot and Zoro's and Koga's sheathed katanas smashed someone's head. The chronicler lifted his head confused at what had stopped them, and then smiled when he noticed who it was.

"Oh, Usopp! Long time no see."

"He's... still alive?"

"Nope. I think he's dead now."

"You think so?"

just as they retired their respective weapons from poor Usopp's face, dropping him to the ground. At the same time they did this, Luffy decided to wake up from his nap and noticed his long-nosed friend on the dirt, pretty beaten up.

"USOPP!" He cried out, crawling to his side. "DID NAMI DO THIS TO YOU?!"

"Uh... Not exactly." Sanji spoke up, lifting a hand leisurely. "That was actually me and them." He pointed at Zoro and Koga.

"It was you!" The swordsman snapped angrily.

"I was only trying to stop you two!" The blond young man squinted his bicolored eyes at the cook, who simply ignored him.

Recovered partly from the involuntary beating, Usopp opened his eyes and saw Luffy in front of him. "Luffy, you're here!" He breathed in relief.

"Hey, I'm here too, remember me? From the restaurant?" Sanji added in, waving a hand at him.

"I SHOULD KILL YOU GUYS!" The sniper yelled angrily.

"For the last time, I was only trying to...! You know what, nevermind." Koga sighed deeply while ruffling his blond hair, exasperated. "More importantly, Usopp, explain what happened at Arlong Park."

Leaving the subject aside for the moment, the sharpshooter told them how Nami bluffed and staged his death so he could escape by stabbing her own hand and dropping him to the water; a good strategy to avoid uncomfortable questions about their relationship and the navigator's possible treachery. Turned out, Koga's intuition had been right– not that the chronicler was satisfied about that; confirming his thoughts had always left a bittersweet sensation in him.

 _Hello, shitty owner. Missed me?_

'What the...' His eyes widened as he looked down at the katana at his waist. ' _Sankaoken_?'

 _Huh. So you still remember this old demon, aye? I've been out for... two, three days maybe?_

'What the hell were you doing? What are you plotting?'

 _Oh, so much distrust in your old buddy... Ten years in this useless body of yours, and you still treat me like that... I'm wounded._

'Stop giving me that crap. Tell me everything you've done.'

 _What, you think only by ordering me to "tell you everything I've done" I'll tell you just because? I may be inside your body, but I'm not your pet._

'No, you're a damn parasyte.'

"Koga!"

Gasping in surprise, Koga blinked and raised his head to see Zoro, Sanji and Usopp watching him with puzzled looks on their faces. They seemed like they have been discussing something, considering their grave expressions.

"... What?"

"Don't you 'What?' me, you shitty freak-eyes." Sanji snapped, raising a cigarette to his mouth. "You were spacing out on us."

"What did you say about my eyes, ero-cook?!" He roared, colliding his forehead against the cook's in annoyance; other insults, he could pass, but everything about his eyes or hair, well... They were taboo subjects.

"Come on, you guys, stop already!" Usopp separated them– with a little bit of effort since both of them were way stronger than himself. "We were talking about what we're gonna do now. She must have some hidden motive for hanging around a bunch of fishmen."

"So now what? We destroy Arlong Park?" Asked Zoro, his only katana upon his shoulder.

Koga sweatdropped at his companion's battlelust. He had just fought against a monster and now he wanted to fight against a bunch of fishmen?

 _That, or he's a monster himself._

... Oh, how he had missed _Sankaoken_ 's shitty remarks. Note the sarcasm.

 _Hey, I know you missed me. You can't fool me._

"Whoa whoa, hold on!" Usopp waved his hands frantically at the swordsman. "Don't you think we should find out what's up with Nami?"

"It doesn't matter."

The sudden voice made him spin around, curious. There, coming from the same path Nami disappeared earlier, a young woman with light blue hair and tanned skin was approaching them with a scowl on her face– that slightly reminded the chronicler to the navigator. Her right arm and chest had a tattoo, and was wearing a beige sleeveless shirt, blue trousers and purple sandals.

"No matter what you do, Arlong's rule won't come to an end." Her voice had a taint of sadness that was barely noticeable.

"Nojiko!" Usopp called her, wide-eyed.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked as he pointed at the older woman.

"That's Nami's older sis." The sniper explained briefly.

Sanji's visible eye then turned into a heart. "Na– Nami-san's older sister?! She's so pretty!"

"Here we go again." Koga sighed in defeat, making the cook snap at him with a 'Huh?' and the two of them began glaring at each other once more with pissed-off expressions.

"What do you mean, 'It doesn't matter'?" Zoro demanded to know, an eyebrow raised at Nojiko.

"Do us a favor. Don't meddle with this village's business anymore. Leave Nami alone. I'll tell you the reason why."

"The reason?" Sanji separated from the chronicler, who huffed and looked at the woman with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You mean, why she stays with the fishmen?" Usopp inquired.

"Yes. Once you hear the reason, you must leave this place."

"Well, at least we'll find out what the hell is going on here." The bicolor-eyed young man shrugged.

"I'll pass." Luffy simply declined, beginning to walk away in the direction Nojiko and Nami came from earlier. "I don't care about her past."

'He doesn't care...?' Koga frowned as Usopp and Sanji wondered where he was going, and the captain simply answered to 'take a walk'. Was he always like this? Would he react like this when he found out about his chronicler's past? He had considered hiding it from the crew, but... Luffy and the others had done so much for him, he felt indebted to them.

Up to the remaining Straw Hat crew, Sanji, Usopp and Koga stated they wanted to know about Nami's past. Zoro had promised to listen too, but he had fallen asleep at the shade of a tree barely seconds after that promise.

And after sighing and muttering something to herself, Nojiko told them about what happened eight years ago. How, when being young, a woman called Bell-mere took the at that time blue-haired kid and a baby Nami, when everything was peaceful, with no trace of fishmen that would ruin their lives. Bell-mere, though being a rude ex-marine with no trace of having a good mother's genes, took both girls as their own kids.

Even as a kid, Nami revealed herself being a genius with drawing maps, and Bell-mere and her older sister encouraged her to chase her dream of drawing a map of the world. For a few blissful years, too few, the three of them were happy. Event though they barely had enough money to sustent themselves, they were united. They were true family.

Koga couldn't help but to draw a fond smile on his face as he heard about Nami's family. In a way, it was rather similar to his own. Both he and the navigator were adopted and were encouraged by their elders to pursue their dreams at whatever cost.

But, unfortunately, Nami's story didn't have a exactly a happy ending. Arlong and his crew arrived, and with him, everything changed for the worse. The fishmen killed Bell-mere, left Genzo –Cocoyashi village's mayor– heavily scarred, and forced everyone in the village to pay exorbitant taxes to the fishmen in exchange of their very lives. And not satisfied with that, once Arlong knew about Nami's surprising abilities of navigation and cartography, he kidnapped her and forced her to work for him ever since.

And that wasn't all. Nami made a final deal with Arlong, promising to gather up to a hundred million Beli in exchange of Cocoyashi village and all its residents.

 _A hundred million Beli?_ In his mind, the demon let out a loud whistle. _That girl has balls. You sure I can't flirt with her?_

Koga, momentarily dumbfounded by the navigator's story, blinked as he heard Sankaoken's voice in his head.

'Are you kidding?' He frowned. 'Of course not!'

 _Oh, I didn't notice she's yours. I'm sorry pal. I'm not gonna stand in your way._

'Wh– she's not _mine_ you shitty degenerate! Nor anybody else's!'

 _You're pretty egotistical you know? She's not yours but you won't let anybody have her?_

"... You fucking demon."

"Huh?" Usopp turned to him. "Did you say something?"

"... No."

"Are you okay? Your face's all red."

"It's nothing. I'm perfectly okay."

The sniper raised an unconvinced eyebrow to him, but decided to let it be. Much to the chronicler's relief.

"For a ten-year-old girl to decide to fight alone and struggle to survive..." Nojiko murmured, fortunately too trapped in her story to notice Koga and Usopp's exchange. "Do you understand how hard it must have been?"

"For a deal that would free her village. That girl..." The long-nosed boy was genuinely impressed by Nami's courage.

Sanji let out a frustrated shout as he raised his arms to the sky. "Whoever makes Nami-san suffer, I'm gonna...!"

 **BONK!**

"Onee-chan, why...?"

Both chronicler and sharshooter watched in bewilderment and surprise how Nojiko's punch to Sanji resembled a bit too much certain navigator's punch...

"Because I'm telling you not to interfere. If you guys keep claiming that you are her comrades, the pirates are gonna doubt her loyalty, and all her hard work for these eight years will be all for naught!" She pointed a threatening finger at them. "Don't make it any harder than it already is. She is fighting on her own. Knowing there are people who call her 'nakama' is the most painful thing for her."

Koga's eyebrows knitted together. He could certainly understand her dilemma. Something quite similar was crossing through his mind from time to time...

Before leaving, Nojiko reminded the pirates of leaving the island and stay out of everyone's, and Nami's most of all, business if they wanted to stay alive. For long moments, Sanji, Usopp, Koga and Zoro –at long last awake, though nobody saw him waking up– stood there in silence. Certainly, Nojiko had asked them to leave as soon as they heard about Nami's reasons to stay with Arlong and the fishmen.

But even as they had listened to all of her story, Koga knew what his captain's words would be. They had to retrieve Nami and Merry, at all costs. If that involved getting in the way of a few fishmen– at least he was more than willing to fight.

Not that he was the only one with those determined thoughts.

"Okay!" The chronicler almost jumped a foot in the air as Usopp suddenly exclaimed in a rather positive voice, standing up from his position in the ground. "Let's go meet up with Luffy as soon as possible!"

Koga, who had been standing all the time while listening to Nojiko's story, agreed with him and stood silently by him.

"Oi, Sanji, what are you doing?"

At the sharpshooter's confused question, the blond young man turned his head to find the cook still seating, picking his cigar pack out of one of his pockets.

"I'm cherishing this happiness." He simply replied with a surprisingly serious tone.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The chronicler could almost see the interrogation mark above the long-nosed boy's head.

"Nami-san has suffered a lot. Much more than anybody." He lit a cigarette and put it on his mouth. "And I'm going to take away all that suffering. Is there anything better than that?"

"For me, there is: a way to stop that crappy dandy shit of yours and began moving your ass." Koga snapped in a rather rude way.

Of course, that served to raise the cook to his feet in a dark blur and bring his forehead forcefully against the chronicler's once more. "You got a problem, shitty freak-eyes?!"

"You're not going to solve anything just standing here, you crappy cook!"

"Sanji, Koga, stop it already!" Usopp tried to separate them while Zoro simply stood there watching. "HELP ME STOP THEM ZORO!" The sharpshooter yelled at him, his teeth becoming shark-like.

After a few swearings –that the author of this fic's not willing to describe– both combatants stopped their quarrel and, along with Zoro and Usopp, began walking down the path in search of Luffy and hopefully Nami. Along the way, Koga's intuition began tingling about Nojiko and an uneasy feeling about the navigator bothered him greatly; however, he revealed nothing of these to his companions, as he was sure they didn't need any more motivations to fight against Arlong and their crew.

Even as slowly as they were walking, their ears caught screams and yells coming from Cocoyashi village, their destination. A voice, so full of sadness, desperation and hopelessness, that each one of them felt a silent compassion towards her; compassion, however, that also held admiration for the navigator's strength and willpower.

Each one of them separated to wait for their captain as he stood behind a self-injured Nami, who was stabbing her forearm repeatedly while crying out Arlong's name. Unlike the other members of the Straw Hat crew, Koga watched as Luffy finally stopped Nami's hand holding the bloody knife, an unusual harshness showing in his bicolored eyes as his hand gripping _Sankaoken_ 's sheath trembled slightly.

"Luffy..." Nami stuttered between tears, her voice weak because of her crying and shouts. A last desperate call. "Help me..."

'She's finally ready to let us help her with this...' Koga thought, closing his eyes for a moment and raising his scarf up to his nose. 'I only hope it isn't too late.'

He reopened his eyes in time to see his captain taking his treasured straw hat off and placing it over his navigator's head, before walking away from her and in the crew's direction. She glanced back at him in confusion at not receiving an answer.

"OF COURSE!"

Luffy's shout reached the heavens above and the hell underneath their feet. Despite the situation's seriousness, Koga couldn't help but to feel his heart becoming on fire, having heard exactly the words he wanted to listen.

"Let's go." His captain's dark eyes were blazing with a fire that matched even hell's itself.

And Zoro, Koga, Usopp and Sanji answered in unison, ready for anything. "Right."

They marched in a straight line. On the left end Koga, with his bicolored eyes harsh and cold and gripping _Sankaoken_ tightly by its hilt, still strapped at his waist; at his side strode Zoro, with his Wado-Ichimonji over his shoulder and his free hand on his pants pocket; Luffy was at the center of the line, menacing dark eyes threatening to bury everything in their way; Sanji was maintaining his cool by walking with his hands on his pants pockets and a lit cigarette on his mouth; and in the far right, just opposite to Koga, strode a proudly unshaking –for the moment– Usopp, goggles upon his eyes.

The five Straw Hat crewmembers marched proudly and emanating a powerful aura impossible to ignore, reaching Arlong Park with adrenaline already coursing through their veins. The entrance was swarming with a large crowd of villagers, but two familiar-looking pirate hunters –looking somewhat even more bloodied and dirtied than the last time they saw the couple– were standing in the villagers' way, apparently waiting for them to appear.

"Out of the way." Luffy commanded in a rather uncharacteristic cold voice, and the crowd opened a clean path to him immediately.

The rubber boy raised a single fist while his crew waited behind him, the confused villagers around them all.

 **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

And in but three blows, the massive gates were opened with a huge cloud of dust.

 _Toc, toc, anybody home? Huhu, this is gonna be fun._

"Which one is Arlong?"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Next chap, we'll commence with the fight of Straw Hat crew against Arlong's! I've been waiting for this for too long!**

 **Now, next chap I'm gonna include a new OC, this time utterly evil, to fight against Koga. And considering that my first time describing OCS I'm not very good at them, well... Please be patient with me. ^^ Feed the hungry beast. I mean it. Ciao! ^^**


	15. Fishmen

**15\. Fishmen**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hahahaha, I loved writing it! I'm glad you liked it ^^ Yeah, Koga and his demon share a sort of hate-super hate relationship, not very easy to cope, and giving Sankaoken's personality... Well, you know xD Thanks! I didn't decide the name for the baddie yet, I'm having problems deciding xD And I have to admit, I'm not very satisfied because, now that I'm reading the chap over, I realize that the baddie's suspiciously like Koga. In a way. Well, please read it and let me know what you think.**

 **-ChunkyFunkyMunky (review from chap 3): I'm sorry for disappointing you, I only wanted to add something entirely new to the One Piece universe, since –as far as I know– had entered the whole "weapon-transforming-into-another-weapon" thingie. I just wanted to be original. Still, again, I'm sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

As strange as it sounded, Koga had the feeling like the scene before him was happening to another person, so distant and uncaring he felt inside. Everything was passing through a filter. The only thing he could perceive perfectly was bloodlust, and cold. A freezing cold covering everything; his heart felt cold, his limbs frozen, and his head no longer canalized rational thoughts.

Still, when Luffy punched Arlong right in the face and sending him flying into a wall, the chronicler couldn't help but to smirk under his scarf, his bicolored eyes harsh and cold. He was itching to start fighting with someone –anyone.

So, when the other fishmen saw how their leader was sent flying and rushed towards the raven-haired boy, he followed Sanji; the cook was a flurry of kicks as he sent the weaklings flying alongside with the chronicler, who merely sucker-punched everyone standing in his path.

"Out of the way you weaklings!" They exclaimed at the same time.

Arlong looked furious as the two of them beat his kin, but made no move. The rest of the fishmen, however, seemed rather shocked and angered in equal parts.

"Honestly, bursting in just like that..." Sanji complained, joining Luffy.

The blond-haired chronicler noticed a fishman trying to stand up and, with unwavering cold eyes, kicked him right in the temple, throwing him to the ground unconscious.

"Down you go." He snapped, walking to Luffy's other side.

"Since when did I say I was worried about you?" Sanji was saying to the captain in a deadpan voice. "I'm just telling you not to hog all the prey."

"Oh, okay."

"U– uh, I don't really mind if you hog them all." Usopp stuttered from behind Koga, his long nose pointed at the sky for whatever reason.

"That's some bravery you've got there." Zoro commented with a slight tone of mock on his voice, at Sanji's side.

Ignoring his companion's somewhat idle chatter, the chronicler settled his bicolored eyes in the fishmen around them; the majority recognized the green-haired teen and himself from the beating of before, whereas some viewed Usopp with shock in their faces –as they had assumed he had died by Nami's hands, thus confirming the navigator's betrayal. Even Luffy's face was familiar to them.

Detecting some sudden movement, the blond's attention was driven towards Arlong, who was moving to sit more comfortably against the rocks, a cold threatening aura of murder surrounding him.

"Pirates, huh?" He murmured, quieting everyone down effectively. "So, that's how you're all related. Your goal from the very beginning was only to get Nami, is that it?" Luffy's hard glare and stoic silence was enough answer to the fishman, who began laughing harshly. "SHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! But what can five measly humans do?!"

"Beat the shit out of you." Came Koga's voice like a deadly omen, his harsh bicolored eyes boring into the fishman's while gripping the hilt of his katana tightly.

"Huh. You're funny, human." Arlong's eyes assessed him with... something in his pupils. "But be careful. You shouldn't be so cocky, or it'll be your death."

"I'm not. I'm only stating the truth. Right, captain?"

"Right!" He nodded vigorously, steam pouring from his nostrils like an angered bull.

"Is that so?" Hatchan approached the limit of the pool with an angered irk mark on his pink forehead. "You idiots! As if Arlong-san would fight the likes of you! I'll turn you all into fish food!"

Then, using his odd-shaped mouth, the octopus made a horn-like sound that reminded Koga of a high-pitched trumpet, calling out: "Come out, Mohmoo!"

That seemed to trigger something in the watching villagers, who began to freak out –along with Usopp, of course, who began to cling on the chronicler's body with a frightened yelp: "W-w-w-what's going on?! Could it be the monster from the Grand Line that destroyed Gosa?!"

'From the Grand Line?' Koga's eyebrow furrowed as the water behind the octopus began to ripple.

"Come out, Mohmoo!"

A giant creature then burst out from the water, and the chronicler blinked at it. It reminded him a bit of a cow, with green spots throughout its body, a big round nose with a gold nose ring and cow-esque face and horns, but its legs reminded him of a seal. But it seemed to have had a rough time, judging the large bump on its head and the tears that were about to shed from its large eyes.

"Moo..." It moo-ed pathetically.

"Oh, a Sea Cow." He commented after recognizing it.

"A S-s-s-sea Cow?" Usopp muttered, still clinging on him tightly, eyes not wandering from the gigantic creature.

"It's a creature from the Grand Line, classified as a 'Type A' creature, a 'Big Friendly'. It's very obedient to whoever controls it, but it's a giant coward."

Mohmoo looked down at them with teary eyes and froze as Luffy and Sanji, for whatever reason, stared back at him unimpressed at its gigantic form.

"Oh, him?" Luffy asked with his arms crossed.

"So he is one of them, huh?" Sanji said in a nonchalant façade.

 _Obviously, if it listened to the fishmen, it's with them._

'Duh.'

After a last plaintive 'Moo', the poor thing whimpered as it turned around and began to swim away, refusing to fight them, ignoring Hatchan's orders to come back.

"Mohmoo..." Arlong's dangerously low voice stopped it right in its tracks. "The hell do you think you're doing? Well, if you're going to run away I ain't gonna try and stop you, but..."

The threat, though subtle, was undeniably there. And that silent promise was what made Mohmoo have a sudden change of heart as it spun around, fury blazing in its eyes as it roared: "MOOOOO!"

"IT'S COMING FOR US!" Usopp yelled in fear making Koga cringe at the loud tone. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS FRIENDLY AND A COWARD!"

"But I also said it's loyal to whoever owns it." He replied, his right hand unsheathing his rusty katana.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?!"

"All right!" Cried Arlong's men, gripping their respective weapons. "Follow Mohmoo's lead! Let's show these inferior humans not to mess with us!"

Zoro, Sanji and Koga –the latter after getting Usopp off his back, literally– all stood in a combat stance, but Luffy stepped in front of them and said, "Leave them to me!" before planting both his feet in the concrete and spinning his upper torso around like a screw.

"He's... got a plan, right?" Sanji asked with a doubtful tone in his voice.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Zoro was also wary about what his captain was going to do.

"You're not the only one." Koga began stepping away from the rubber-brained teen, just for good measure, as he watched his arms stretching to grab the Sea Cow's horns. The four of them cleared the scene as Luffy tightened his grip on the cow and began spinning the cow around and around, knocking away an remaining fishmen before throwing the cow out to the sea, destroying more of Arlong Park in the process.

"I didn't come here to fight small fry!" He yelled vehemently, spinning around to face Arlong and pointing at him. "The one I came to beat up is you!"

Arlong smiled, but with an excited undertone that sent shivers through Koga's spine for some reason. He had passed from dangerously pissed off to an equally dangerous excitement.

"Oh, excellent." The fishman captain answered. "I was thinking of killing you myself as well."

As the others were berating Luffy for the absurdity –though unexpectedly effective– of his attack, Koga examined the remaining fishmen that were still standing, apart from Arlong himself. He already knew Hatchan, but there were three others that he didn't know: one that looked like a ray fishman dressed in a dark blue gi and a black belt, hair tied in a straight ponytail and a tattoo of a sun in the right side of his chest; another one that, honestly, he didn't know what it was, muscular, blue skinned and with thick lips, with Arlong's tattoo over his right shoulder, and was wearing a necklace, a stroped blue vest, dark brown leather pants and sandals. The last one, who was standing a bit away from his companions, had a lean figure just like his, but his skin was white and black striped, huge odd-looking spines protruding from his spine and along the length of his arms and his lower jaw was larger than his top one. He seemed bored and unamused at the Straw Hat pirates' antics; he was wearing a pair of black leather pants and a cowboy hat on his head.

"Looks like the main force is out to meet us." Zoro said with a smirk on his face, standing right next to Koga.

"If this is how it was going to turn out, we should have just fought from the start." Sighed the stingray fishman and then looked at an unmoving Arlong. "Arlong-san, please just sit right there."

"If we let you fight while that much enraged, all of Arlong Park will be destroyed, _chu_." The weird fishman with thick lips agreed.

"We'll take care of this mess." The black-and-white fishman said with a cavernous voice, before continuing with a low tone. "And then I'll take a nap. I'm tired."

"You're always tired." Deadpanned the stingray, and the other simply shrugged carelessly.

Hatchan then inhaled heavily, bending over. "Shikai Zero..."

"That octopus is up to something." Stated Zoro in a bored manner, not moving away.

"First boil octopus in salt water, slice it up, and add some olive oil and paprika to make an excellent side dish whilst drinking." Sanji muttered as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"That sounds delicious." Koga smirked, raising his rusty katana. "Though, these are fishmen, not only fish. Doesn't it count as cannibalism?"

"Does it? I've no idea."

"Umm buys, I'm in a bit of a pickle..."

"TAKOHACHI BLACK!"

The octopus shot a huge jet of black ink towards them. Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and Koga all dived out of the way in time and turned back... only to see a familiar figure covered from head to toe in black ink.

"You dumbass!" Zoro screamed at him. "Why didn't you dodge that?!"

"AHH!" Luffy cried out, bringing his hands up to his eyes and thus expanding the ink. "I can't see anything!"

"Luffy, watch out!"

Hatchan was picking up a giant piece of debris and threw it right at Luffy's unmoving form, but luckily, Sanji broke it with the mere force of his outstretched leg.

"Argh, jeez. Looks like I've chosen to follow a dumbass for my captain." The cook sighed in annoyance.

"Nice one, Sanji!" Said captain beamed as if nothing happened.

"You idiot." Koga bumped him lightly in the head with a tick of anger in his forehead.

"But, it's still a hundred times better than being in a pirate crew that would harm a lady!" Declared the blond cook, glaring sharply at the fishmen.

The stingray scoffed, "For a human, you're not half bad, but a pirate going around shouting chivalrous lines? How half-assed."

"Heh. Would you like to test how half assed my chivalry really is, Mr Fish? Despite what you may think, I've spent half my life as a pirate."

"It seems you fools don't understand the level we fishmen are on."

As the conversation continued, Koga glared around him and noticed Usopp trying to get Luffy out of the concrete by grabbing him under the arms and pulling him back. But unfortunately, thanks to the raven-haired teen's Devil Fruit, all his legs were doing was stretching endlessly, no matter how hard the sharpshooter was pulling. Of course, it didn't help that, instead of giving his companion a hand, the captain was lazily picking his nose.

'Damn idiot.' He thought, sighing in defeat.

"You think you can just horse around at Arlong Park?!" Hatchan snapped at Luffy and Usopp, picking up another large piece of rock, making the long-nosed teen to scream in terror and pull his captain even harder to no avail.

Koga was about to jump in the way, but Zoro beat him to it; he suddenly appeared behind the octopus and said: "Hey octopus. Those guys are busy right now. Why don't you play with me instead?"

Hatchan turned around and noticed the swordsman glaring calmly at him.

"Nyu! Roronoa Zoro! That's right, I forgot! How dare you device me before!"

And with that, the octopus swung the rock at Zoro instead, but he dodged it easily.

"Not only that, but you and your friend cut down my brethren too!"

"I don't care about ancient history. It doesn't matter for what reason you want to kill me, the situation is different now..." Zoro smirked as he pulled his katana out of its sheath. "You guys aren't going to be doing the killing. It's us who are going to kill you!"

Koga smirked lightly, and then looked at the unmoving and seemingly bored black and white fishman, who yawned loudly. The chronicler blinked and then cocked his head to the side just as the fishman noticed his stare.

"What?" He deadpanned, rather harshly and unamused.

"... Are you a zebra?"

 **THUMP!**

... What a dramatic fall. The fishman's foot twitched in the air as his face was struck by pure shock. And then, just as sudden, he jumped back to his feet, his already menacing teeth becoming even fiercer.

"I'M NOT A ZEBRA YOU IDIOT!" He yelled. "I'M A LIONFISH FISHMAN!"

"... Huh. Are you really?" The blond chronicler ruffled his hair. "My apologies then. You just looked like a zebraman of some sort with some weird spines."

"... I'm definitely going to _kill you_ human." He growled, dark eyes boring into his bicolored ones with such hate and fury that _Sankaoken_ purred in delight.

 _This time you chose well, my dear host._

Uh oh. that was bad. Whenever his demon didn't insult him, bloodshed was assured.

His grip on his katana tightened suddenly as the thick-lipped fishman flashed past him in a rage, following Usopp, and watched as the sharpshooter fled from the scene with that fishman right on his heels. Was he really going to be alright?

... He would. The blond should stop mistrusting everyone.

From his position beside Sanji, who was smoking non-stop, Koga tensed again his fingers around _Sankaoken_ 's hilt as Arlong stood up from the rubble and began advancing towards them.

"Arlong-san, I've already asked you not to fight." The stingray fishman reminded him calmly.

"There's no need for a rampage." The lionfish agreed, still glaring murderously at the chronicler.

But Arlong simply continued walking towards the Straw Hat crew, answering: "I ain't going to."

"I'm gonna kick your..." Luffy brought back his fist before flinging it at Arlong. "ASS!"

The enemy captain merely dodged it by moving his head to the side and caught his wrist. "Do you honestly think you can win against us?"

"And what if we do?" Sanji asked him, watching him warily.

"You bet I think so, you idiot! Now let go of my hand!"

"Nobody hurts one of ours and leaves unpunished." Koga affirmed with a dark tone on his voice.

But Arlong's smile made him shudder, as he watched him bending down before the raven-haired teen and digging his hand into the ground, making everyone gap in surprise. He then lifted up his cargo up above his head, a huge slab of rock still attached to Luffy's feet.

"Why don't we play a game?" He laughed evilly.

Koga's intuition began tingling like crazy, making his bicolored eyes widen in shock.

"No, _STOP_!"

His body moved almost on his own, following his silent orders. The katana morphed into his trusty brass knuckles, and with a roar, he launched himself at Arlong. The fishman seemed surprised for a moment at the speed of his reaction, but quickly drew an evil smile to his face as he merely lifted a foot and slammed it against the chronicler's chest; because of the impulse he had driven to his legs, the impact against the fishman's foot felt like colliding against a thick wall. He flew backwards, past the lionfish fishman –who merely stepped aside to let him pass, and collided against the wall, great chunks of debris and stone falling upon him.

"Koga!" Luffy, Zoro and Sanji called out to him, only silence answering them.

"Bastard!" The straw hat captain drew back his hand again. "Gomu gomu no... Pist– GAAAH!"

Arlong had bitten the arm, thus avoiding being hit, but the raven-haired teen counterattacked with a bite on his own on Arlong's arm.

"Useless." Sighed the stingray fishman, shaking his head.

Cursing both loudly and mentally, feeling his chest constricted and being unable to breathe properly, Koga emerged from the debris just in time to see Arlong, with an evil laugh, throwing Luffy to the sea, making his eyes widen again.

"LUFFY!" Zoro yelled, eyes as wide as his.

"You bastard!" The cook snarled as he gritted his teeth in frustration, before charging forward the sea. "I'll go s–!"

"Wait, you idiot!" Koga cried out with ragged breaths, and everyone turned to look at him in surprise; apart from grasping his chest in pain, he seemed rather alright. "Don't act so rashly. Going into the sea is exactly what these guys want. They're fishmen, remember? They're freakily strong out of water, but under it, they're just _monsters_."

After recovering from his surprise, Zoro nodded, seriousness written all over his face. "Koga's right. There's only one way to save Luffy right now!"

"You mean, we have to beat these guys to a pulp on land first and then jump into the sea?" Sanji questioned as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Fine by me."

"Let's do it!"

"Right!" The other two answered, as the fishmen began talking idly between them.

"How many seconds do you think he'll last? That rubberman." Arlong wondered with an evil smile crossing his lips.

"Ah, so this is the game that you were talking about."

"I see."

"Shahahahahaha!" Arlong laughed once again, and Koga raised an eyebrow. Was he having a laughing fit?

"The fish is yours." Zoro said to Sanji.

"You've got the octopus. Koga, you take care of that zebra fish."

"I'M A LIONFISH YOU BASTARD!"

"Roger. Oi, zebra fish, come at me already."

" _You_..." If looks could kill, the chronicler should be underground, so murderous and hateful the lionfish glared at him.

His intuition began tingling just as the lionfish suddenly appeared just in front of his face, catching him completely off-guard. The fishman's hands closed around his neck and dragged him flying towards the gap in the wall... and sending both of them to the forest beyond, hiding themselves from everyone's sight.

Koga cursed loudly as his hands pried on the fishman's wrists, trying to get out of his grip. Thanks to Arlong, his ribs were sore and difficulting his breath, and now that bastard was trying to choke him! Seeing the fishman wasn't going to let go of him, the blond human brought his knees to his chest and kicked his rival right on the guts, earning a growl and his hands loosening a bit, enough to pry them off his throat. He rolled on the ground before skidding to a stop with his left knee crouched, raising his head to see where the fishman went.

He was unscathed, of course, and was currently standing on his feet from his crouched position, eyes fuming in rage and lips curled. Wow, his teeth were dangerous-looking too.

"Not so cocky now, are you human?" The fishman snarled at him, and then smirked. "You need an audience to laugh at your lame jokes?"

Koga shrugged, readying his brass knuckles with a grim expression on his face.

"Not really. But still, this is no laughing matter anyways."

The fishman evaluated his mortally serious expression. "Seems someone is pretty angry."

"Angry? I suppose I am. But normally, I'm not someone who's driven up by emotions. I always try to control my temper and keep my head as cool as possible."

"Hoho, so I'll have to piss you off more to make you take this fight seriously?"

"... No, you don't have to."

At a blinding speed, almost as fast as the fishman caught him offguard, Koga lurched forwards with his left fist drawn back ready to punch. The fishman let out a curse and drove his arms in front of his face to block it. Flesh met flesh with a dull noise before the fishman tried to kick him, but the chronicler just drove his leg to block it and jumped back just in time to avoid an uppercut.

"Because of what you did to my comrade, to my _nakama_ , for these ten years..." The young man growled, his bicolored eyes shining in anger as he blocked a punch with his elbow. "Because of what you did to all of her people..." His right fist connected with his jaw, but the fishman quickly recovered and counterattacked with another punch that he evaded easily. "All that suffering, all those tears... I'm going to turn them into dust!"

 **CRUNCH!**

"AND YOU'RE THE ONE STANDING IN MY WAY!"

The fishman flew backwards, blood spluttering from his lips as the mark of the fist in his guts remained, before his body collided with a tree and left a way of destruction whenever he went. Dust raised and trees fell, and Koga let out ragged breaths both in pain and in rage.

For a moment, nothing happened, except some rumblings from the trees, before he heard someone approaching him with a laugh.

"KUKUKUKUKUKU!" Out of nowhere, completely unharmed, the lionfish fishman emerged with a huge crazy-looking grin on his face. "Oh, this is good! It's been a long while since I last fought with someone strong, even being a low-life human as yourself!"

Koga blinked in surprise and confusion. What was that? Had he transformed into someone else entirely, judging his attitude? And how the hell did he remained unscathed with his most powerful punch –without his Devil Fruit powers, that is?

Stomping his way out of the trees, the fishman cracked his head to the side his grin not leaving his face.

"It's a shame I'm not close to water. It'd have been even funnier for the both of us."

"... Are you crazy?" Koga took a fighting stance, legs flexed lightly and fists raised in front of his face.

"Oh come on, buddy!" ... Really, 'buddy'? "Let's have some fun!"

With a maniacal laughter emerging from his mouth, he launched himself towards Koga, whose eyes bugged in their sockets.

Why? Because suddenly, his speed _increased_.

'What the –!'

 **CRUNCH!**

The human's body turned a tree into smithereens before he could flip around midair and crouched in the ground, keeping his gaze on it.

"Oh! You took that well!" Commented the fishman in an apparently impressed voice.

The chronicler spat to the side, leaving a great stain of blood. He then gingerly stood up, touching his gut with a grimace before smirking defiantly at the fishman.

"Even being a mere low-life human, I have to admit that you're pretty strong." His foot slithered to his left, Koga imitating his movement right away to maintain the distance between them.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, shitty fishman." Koga replied, still with a furious look on his face.

His razor-sharp smile dropped immediately, making him look like he was pouting. But the blond chronicler didn't dare to mock him again, considering the dangerous gleam in his eyes.

 _Okay, shitty host, you better keep your mouth shut for now if you want to keep living._

"Alright." Koga 'clanged' his two brass knuckles together with a grim expression that matched his rival's. "Enough chit-chatting. I have to kick your ass and then save my idiot captain once more."

"Huh..." The fishman smirked with a sickening expression on his face, twisted and crazy somewhat. "You sure have balls to say that, kid."

One heartbeat passed. Then two.

And at the third heartbeat, both of them sprung into action, mere blurs, one taller than the other, both fueled by determination and silent anger.

Koga's fist connected first with the fishman's jaw with a sickening 'crunch!' noise. But still, even as the lionfish grunted and some blood spurted from his lips, he managed to punch him in the ribs, making them crack horribly. Momentarily out of breath because of all the blows he had received –the kick Arlong propinated him hadn't improve in the slightest– he missed an uppercut to the side of his head. And then a kick that would've sent him flying if the fishman didn't catch his left arm with a sickening grin.

"You've been holding up pretty well with all those punches." He commented as if talking about the weather.

Not leaving Koga time enough to answer, before with a mighty roar escaping from his lips, the fishman flung him around and brought his back against a tree trunk.

 **CRUNCH!**

"GUH!" Koga's mouth spluttered a great pool of blood as he felt his spine bended almost mercilessly, about to cross its boundaries and snap in two.

"You know, I call that movement 'Hammer Throw'. Pretty fitting, don't you think?"

The chronicler didn't, or couldn't, answer him, too worried in catching his breath. His body was limply hanging by the arm the fishman was grabbing, his feet not touching the ground as the lionfish lifted him to look in his eyes.

"But I don't think this is enough to force you to surrender." Unexpectedly, he let the human go and his body crumbled to the floor like a puppet whose strings were suddenly cut. "Come on, human! Stand up already, and give me a fight worth remembering!"

Coughing, the blond obeyed, shaking limbs barely supporting him. He breathed heavily, once, twice, before lifting his hands up to his battered face.

"That's it!" The fishman roared, a huge grin on his face. "Show me what you're made of!"

Unbeknownst to him, Koga's mind was like a lightning, so fast his thoughts were being processed.

'I can't fight him only with my mere strength.' He thought, spitting some blood to the side again, and making sure his beloved scarf hadn't been dirtied. 'And I can only use _Sankaoken_ 's hidden ability if I use _that_. But last time I used it, I ended up almost berserk. And still, even if I defeat this fishman, Arlong's still standing in our way to save Luffy. What can I do...?'

"Lightning..." Koga's intuition began tingling too late, as his bicolored eyes suddenly caught the lionfish's fist just inches away from his face, about to strike mercilessly. "PUNCH!"

No time to move...!

 **BOOM!**

The wave of destruction shook the forest and the trees, shaken by the gust of wind the punch had raised. The fishman stood for a few moments, his fist still raised, looking blankly at the front. Then, he sighed, dropping his outstretched arm to his side before glaring over his shoulder up to a surprisingly standing tree.

"You've been pretty quick too." He simply said.

The figure crouched in the tallest branch didn't answer, as a blow of wind shook the corners of his pale blue scarf and his bleachy blond hair. His bicolored eyes –one of them slightly swollen already– never left the fishman's body, tense and ready to move at any moment.

"But that's not the speed a human would normally have... You ate a Devil Fruit, didn't you? Like that rubbery human."

"... The Kaizen Kaizen Fruit." His hoarse voice, barely understandable amidst the ragged breaths, reached the fishman's ears.

"Hoho... To find not only one, but _two_ Devil Fruit users..." His chest expanded greatly as the spines tensed. "Now I should _not_ hold back."

'Oh shit...' Koga groaned as his muscles ached in protest, still weary because of the Kaizen Kaizen no Speed that he had used to get away from the Lightning Punch.

"Poison... ARROW!"

The spines, as one, suddenly fired off from the fishman's body, expanding everywhere. Koga cursed loudly as he let himself drop to the floor and roll on it, barely avoiding the poisonous needles by mere inches.

"This isn't over yet you human!" The fishman taunted before bursting into a maniacal laughter. "POISON ARROW!"

Koga quickly lost count of how many waves the lionfish threw at him. Crouching, jumping, sidestepping, moving as fast as he could because of his muscle strain. Fortunately, being in a forest helped him to block most of the poison spines, but still, his intuition was constantly tingling like crazy in his head, almost driving him mad. He continued to use his Kaizen Kaizen no Speed when urgently needed, unable to do anything else except protecting himself the best he could. Unable to approach the fishman and take the upper hand in this fight.

Until it happened. Again, like while fighting against Kuro.

The chronicler's right leg, unable to keep the rhythm, gave up, and his step faltered for a mere second. Koga's eyes grew huge in their sockets, trying to force his leg muscles to work, to move out of the way, to do something...

 **SWISH!**

"SHIT!" Koga cried out as a poisonous needle embedded itself on his right shoulder.

Pain flared through his veins and body immediately, and the blond young man clutched tightly his shoulder with a muffled cry. God it freaking HURT! It was like being submerged in acid! It was even worse than the pain he normally endured when using his Kaizen Kaizen no Speed. His lower lip began to bleed as he tried not to scream, his trembling hand moving to grasp the toxic spine and yanking it with an inner howl that almost got out from his throat. His skin was beginning to pale and sweat profusely, and his shoulder was already swollen and shining with a furious red.

"Kukukukukukuku!" The fishman laughed with a sadistic smile. "Glad to see you're still standing!"

He felt nothing but pain. Aching ribs –which he was sure at least one or two of them were broken– face swollen because of the punches, general discomfort –to say the least– of his muscles because of the Kaizen Kaizen no Speed. But, above all of those, the toxin that was coursing through his veins was by far the worst.

"Well, better get yourself prepared." The fishman's grin had passed from maniacal to disgusting. "There are more from where they came from! POISON ARROW!"

"Kaizen Mix: Steely Leopard!" Koga exclaimed at the same time.

And, instead of getting away and avoid physical contact, the chronicler rushed towards the fishman.

"IRON PUNCH!" The blond chronicler roared.

The bold movement, of course, seemed to impress him, but still managed to block a fist embedded with pure and raw power with his own forearm. But still, what really shocked him was that his forearm made a sickening 'crunch!' noise and hung limply at the side; at the same time he had to press his toes to the ground not to be dragged too far because of the impact, leaving two deep grooves made by his feet. He stopped a good few feet away from his opponent.

Who, truth be told, wasn't faring very well. He coughed blood and clutched his shoulder again, cursing. Fearing his powers would get out of his control, the blond human was forced to deactivate his technique, and the pain came back with renovated force. His head felt dizzy and his body dangerously wavered before he could regain his balance; sweat, blood and dirt covered him from head to toe, even his beloved scarf.

'Huh...? Wait a minute...'

"Kukukukuku! Good punch!" The fishman roared in laughter yet again.

That time, even as his intuition warned him and told him to get away, his body couldn't move as a hand as big as his own head gripped the scarf to lift him up. He grunted as his feet lost contact with the ground, held by the fishman who was sneering right at him in triumph.

"It was a really nice fight." The lionfish admitted, beginning to regain the same seriousness he had seen before. "But you seem to be out of energy right now. You're barely standing. I bet you would've fallen if I blew on you. What say you, hm? Shall we finish this right here, right now?"

His ribs hurt. His muscles hurt. His head hurt. His shaking limbs hurt. God, even his fingernails hurt. His entire being was a flame of pain, a roaring flame turning him into ashes involved in waves of pure agony. He couldn't even bat his eyelids without feeling a throbbing pain. His ears registered everything as if it was happening to another person.

But even though, his blood-covered lips trembled as he tried to say something.

"Hm?" The fishman seemed genuinely interested in what he was trying to say, as if he was just a friend instead of an enemy trying to kill him. "You want to say something, buddy?"

Koga coughed, his whole body shaking from the violence of the coughs, and then tried again, this time a bit louder. Merely a whisper, but still, louder than before.

"Your... hands..." The chronicler managed to mumble. "Keep... your hands... off... my scarf..." His lips curled into a shaky cocky smile. " _Buddy_..."

The fishman's cold stare bore into his, completely unamused at the beginning, when suddenly his characteristic laugh boomed throughout the forest, scaring away the birds.

 **SLASH!**

Koga's eyes widened in shock, before letting out a pain-filled scream, unable to hold back anymore, and also unable to move a finger to get away from the fishman's grip.

Just under his ribs, on his left side, his enemy had pierced through his body, protruding out his back, with one of his largest venomous spines. His already battered body shook from the excrutiating pain, the toxin flaming through his veins with renovated strength, an inferno turning his entire being –body, soul and mind– into dust.

He barely registered the fishman letting go of him. His knees collided with the ground, standing upright for a moment, before gravity took control over his body and slumped to the side, gazing at the clear sky above him with empty half-lidded eyes.

A shadow appeared from the corner of his vision. The lionfish.

"You did well, human." He said, crouching down beside the blond's head. "I'm sure that, if you were a fishman, you and me would've been real friends. You fought hard and well. It's a shame though..." His voice trailed off. "Shall I tell you a little secret? You should be proud; not many fishmen know about this, only Arlong-san, Kuroobi and Chew. My toxines are far stronger than any lionfish's; the pain they can inflict in a body can drive the person to death. That's why we are far superior than fish and, of course, superior than you humans."

Koga's eyes kept staring blankly at the sky, chest rising and falling erratically and shallowly. The fishman couldn't tell if he was listening or not, but little did he care about that. After all, if he couldn't bear all the pain, he would be dead real soon.

Shrugging slightly, the fishman's hand grabbed the pale blue scarf and yanked it off the chronicler's neck, missing for a moment the fleeting spark of anger that went through his bicolored eyes and the twitch of one of his fingers.

"I'll keep this, as a token of our battle. Hm?"

Koga felt the left side of his vest being pulled up slightly, revealing something to the fishman's eyes: a huge tattoo right on his heart, all as black as coal, representing what looked a cloaked figure wielding a menacing-looking scythe. It didn't look just like a normal tattoo; it was so realistic, the fishman had the impression that a cold red eye suddenly appeared on the dark hood and _stared right at him_.

But of course, it was only his crazy imagination. Shaking his head, he dropped the cloth to hide the sinister tattoo.

"Well then, as I'm sure I won't see you again, farewell. Sweet dreams."

The fishman, with his prize around his broad neck, stood up and without turning back, left the clearing towards Arlong Park.

Leaving behind a barely conscious Koga, whose insides were debating between the excruciating pain, the hollow sensation of being defeated, and the fury of seeing the fishman leave with his beloved scarf, his most preciated treasure. His eyes closed tightly, teeth gritted in frustration.

 _What a sight._

'... Damn it, _Sankaoken_ , not now...'

 _Really, it's something really pathetic, seeing you right there, sprawled in the floor, barely able to move. I already knew you were pretty useless, but_ this _...? This is too much, even being you. What, you're going to sit in your sorry ass, waiting for someone to wipe it like a kid? He even took your so-beloved scarf, and you let him take it without moving a fucking inch! Oh yeah, hold on a moment, you_ did _do something._ Blink _! That's it?_

'... Shut up already...'

 _Did you think you could win against a monster like that one? Without using your full potential, you won't even_ scratch _him! How do you expect to fulfill your dream without giving all you've got in the battles!? It's like trying to reach the top of a mountain using only a spoon! It's pathetic!_

'... What can I do...?'

 _You know as well as I do that there's something hidden inside you that's screaming for_ freedom _! LET IT_ GO _, DAMN YOU! Stop being such a pussy and start grabbing the swords by its hilt and not by its edge!_

Koga flustered his eyes open, staring at the almost cloudless sky. As much as it hurt his pride to admit it, his demon was right. He had to stop being a coward. Luffy needed him, and so did Nami, and the rest of the villagers. He had silently sworn to help them in any way he could. If that implied giving his soul to a heartless demon, so be it.

But still, he wanted to prepare himself for what he was going to do. It wasn't easy, as he was going to lose his mind, but the power he would gain will turn the tables over. That shitty zebra fish was going down, even if that meant sacrificing himself in the process.

Ignoring the pain, he breathed in, let pass a few seconds, and then exhaled heavily. He coughed, blood smearing his lips, but repeated the process, already feeling his power spreading its wings inside him. Cold, threatening, and _wild_. It was time to put all the cards on the table, and win that battle, once and for all.

"Kaizen Limit: Robot."

And at that moment, Sarugaki Koga _ceased to exist._

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Huge cliffie, hehe!**

 **I won't explain anything, I'm sorry! I'll let the surprise for the next chap! (I promise I'll update as soon as I can, so please don't kill me!).**

 **Please feed the hungry beast! I mean it! Please...?**


	16. Berserk

**16\. Berserk**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, it is! Don't worry, here it is, the continuation of the fight! Though I'm not quite satisfied with it...**

 **-Shaded Truths: Wow... Just, wow. You really flatter me! ^^ I agree with you, though I normally like the ZoroxOc fanfics, One Piece isn't really a romance-based anime. And I also dislike finding an Oc being Luffy's first mate, leaving Zoro in a kind of second stage (something that troubles me deeply). Don't worry about the rant, I like to know what my readers are thinking about ^^ And about Koga's storyline arc... I'm afraid you'll have to wait, like, a lot. Of course, his flashbacks will reveal some things about his past, so I won't leave you completely in the dark. Please keep supporting me, I'm glad you're liking my fic! ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxNO ONE'S POV, ARLONG PARKxXx**

The villagers were amazed.

Despite his deadly serious injuries, Zoro had managed to defeat Hatchan. The user of the 'six-swords style', and a _fishman_ on top of all; he wasn't weak in the slightest. And still, even injured, even about to pass out, Roronoa Zoro remembered his promise of never losing another fight again, gathered all the strength he had and defeated the octopus.

Sanji also took down the other fish, Kuroobi. Sure, the cook had a brief moment of stupidity when he jumped into the water to try and save Luffy on his own, but that only resulted in Kuroobi following after him and an underwater fight took place. Fortunately, that reckless action let Sanji know that Luffy was safe –or, at least, half-safe. His neck had been stretched out of the water, and the scarred man –Genzo, was bumping his chest to get all the water out of his body.

The cook had been weak underwater, and had a rough time against Kuroobi. The stingray fishman was faster, and stronger than humans, but as Koga said earlier, he was simply a monster when water surrounded him. The blond human almost died from asphyxiation, but then he remembered fishmen were half humans and half fish; when being out of water, they used lungs, and underwater, they used their gills. So, he blocked his gills and made them resurface. Once on dry land, the rest was piece of cake.

But, either way, Arlong was entirely at a different level. With a small drop of water, he kept Zoro and Sanji at bay, useless and weak.

Just then, Nami came back, eyes hard and full of determination, ready to kill Arlong. The fishman seemed unimpressed and forced her to decide between surrendering and letting her people live, or everyone dying and her forced to work for them once more. Whatever she chose, however, the Straw Hat pirate crew was going to die either way.

Her answer was clear:

"I'm sorry everyone!" She exclaimed, turning to her fellow villagers. "Will you die with me?"

The people looked at her at first dumbfounded, but then huge grins crossed each of their faces as they roared as one: "YEAH! Let's go!"

Though he didn't show it, Arlong was seriously impressed at the villagers' and Nami's recklessness. He had supposed the girl was going to willingly surrender herself to save her town.

"So, you wish to be slaughtered." He mumbled, ire beginning to ebb in his veins.

"EGG STAR!"

With that cry, a rotten egg went flying towards the fishman's face, but he merely raised a hand to block it.

"I've got you covered, Zoro, Sanji!" A familiar voice sounded from far away.

"Usopp-aniki! Are you alright?" Yosaku asked as he tried to locate the long-nosed sniper looking around, as well as his companion:

"How brave! He's facing him without fear!"

"Oh yeah! I fight with no fear!"

After a while searching him, they finally found him. The sharpshooter was strategically hidden behind the hole that Sanji's body caused when the battle started earlier...

"WHY ARE YOU OVER THERE?!" The villagers and the two pirate hunters yelled furiously at him.

"Usopp!" Nami's face shone in happiness upon seeing the weakest male alive and well.

And the long-nosed teen showed pride in his face as he smiled at the red-haired girl: "Hey Nami! Check it out! One of their guys, one of them was finished by ME! Me of all people!" He bragged with an equally bright smile that made them think that, this time, he wasn't lying. His hand gripped his lips and brought them forward, looking a bit like the fishman who had followed him moments before. "A guy with a face like this... Hahahahahahaha! Those fishmen are _nothing_!"

Arlong looked at Usopp in shock.

"Chew!" He mumbled. "You bastard...!"

"You betcha! My appearance signals the climax of this battle! Get ready for the big finale!"

And Sanji and Zoro, despite feeling as if they had been shot, couldn't help but to smirk as they stood up.

Nami's face was bright and hopeful, as well as the villagers'. Though they were pirates, the Straw Hat crew was one by one defeating the fishmen. Even after being betrayed by their navigator, they still came for her and got angry at her tears; to make her smile again, they swore to destroy everything that made her cry. They were pirates, like Arlong, but they weren't like him at all. The straw hat boy and his partners, they were being winners... The villagers were going to get their so desired freedom at last...!

"Oi oi, what the hell happened here?" A sudden voice shattered their dreams like a gunshot. "This is a total wreck! Who do you think is gonna clean this mess?"

In unison, everyone directed their gazes at the gap in the wall that led to the forest. They had hoped that the bicolor-eyed boy would come back victorious as well, but...

Instead, the one who was coming through the hole was the black and white striped fishman with huge spines. He had a mug smile on his face, despite having his left arm with a furious red, and several dark-colored bruises all over his lean body and face.

Arlong drew a cruel smile on his face upon seeing his only companion still standing.

"It's you, Sasoriza." He sneered.

Ignoring everyone's shock, the lionfish fishman walked toward his leader.

"What the hell...?" Sanji mumbled, his visible eye as wide as a plate. "Wasn't that idiot going to take care of that one...?"

Just then, Nami noticed a familiar blue cloth around Sasoriza's neck, and paled greatly.

"Isn't that... Koga's...?" She stuttered, unable to continue, pointing at the scarf with a shaky finger.

And Sasoriza's smile widened upon seeing her terrified look.

"This?" He carelessly lifted the scarf, dirtying it. "It's only a trophy, that's all. But man, the guy was tough to beat. Had weird Devil Fruit powers too. You should've seen him, Arlong-san. Everytime I beat him bad, he would stand up again."

Hope's dim light vanished slowly from the villagers' hearts. Sasoriza wasn't exactly the most powerful of Arlong's fishmen, but he was one of his most trusted ones. He didn't hesitate to give humans a hell of pain before killing them, though very few times did they see him do something willingly. And judging how bad Zoro and Sanji were, there was no way they could defeat _both_ Sasoriza and Arlong.

"Oh? It's rare for you to compliment a human." Arlong commented, more relaxed upon seeing one of his 'lieutenants' somewhat fine.

"Well, he was strong, even before using those abilities of his. Those brass knuckles... They hurt like hell." He gingerly touched his arm, swollen and red, with a grimace. "He broke my arm. And he was fast too; I launched a lot of my Poison Arrow and only a few of them hit him. But, well, now he can't move at all, and he'll be dead shortly."

"What? No way..." Johnny's voice wavered.

"Koga-aniki is...?"

"... _Dead_?" Usopp finished Yosaku's sentence, as pale as a sheet. "No way... What do we do?"

Sanji and Zoro didn't say anything, but at least the swordsman's expression was blank, unable to believe the fishman; he didn't have Koga's intuition, but he was sure as hell the blond young man wasn't defeated yet. The cook, as he didn't know what the chronicler was able to do, simply looked at Sasoriza with narrowed eyes, hands balled into fists and preparing himself to battle, if needed be.

And Nami, her eyes didn't wander from the light blue scarf. Koga took care of that piece of cloth like Luffy cared about his straw hat, or Zoro with his three katanas. She remembered how furious he became when she sneakily took his scarf to wash it properly; his anger startled and surprised everyone –as it was rather odd seeing someone so collected lose his bearings, but when she explained to him what she had pretended to do with it, he actually shut his mouth with a surprised look on his face and let her wash it. Later on, when the navigator retrieved the scarf to him, his face turned a brilliant scarlet color and thanked her in a whisper, low but sincere.

It looked... _wrong_ , to see such sacred and revered treasure in someone else's hands.

"Koga..." She mumbled, her left hand gripping painfully her staff as she bit her lower lip. She wasn't going to cry; she had promised herself to be strong, and to fight.

And besides, she _trusted_ Koga. All of them did.

Koga _had_ to be alive.

* * *

A shaking figure was walking mechanically towards the gap in the wall.

. . .

The figure seemed to be mumbling something.

. . .

".uoy llik ot gniog m'I." The figure mumbled like a mantra. ".uoy llik ot gniog m'I."

. . .

The heavy and cold aura the figure was emanating scared the animals away.

. . .

The figure's eyes were shadowed by his hair.

. . .

Over the figure's shoulder, a small red creature giggled, anticipating the fight.

. . .

* * *

"As you can see, Sasoriza..." Arlong's gaze wandered to his crewmembers' fallen bodies. "Our brethren had fallen against these pussy humans."

"Man, what a pain. Apart of taking care of the building, now I have to avenge these guys too." The lionfish sighed in annoyance, shaking his head. "How did you...?"

Suddenly, the fishman shuddered, gripping his forearm with his healthy and moving hand.

What had been that, he wondered for a moment, not noticing his leader's question. It felt like a pair of freezing cold eyes bore in his back, and he turned around completely in a fright, looking for the hole in the wall.

Nothing. It was empty. Relief crossed his entire body as he sighed again.

"Oi, Sasoriza." Arlong's already pissed off voice drove him out of his momentary fear. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing, Arlong-san. I just... Only my imagination, I suppose."

But the heavy cold sweating covering his forehead told him otherwise. Something scared his crewmember for a second. He knew that, but at the same time he found difficult to believe that any of his fishmen was actually scared of something. Much less a _human_.

A branch snapped. A freezing aura soon penetrated the area.

".era uoy erehT." A voice, cold, so cold, said from behind them.

But it wasn't threatening. In fact, it didn't express anything at all.

Arlong and Sasoriza, the only ones who had their backs to the hole in the wall facing the woods, turned abruptly; the lionfish almost staggered with his own feet.

"Koga!" Usopp exclaimed, delighted, but then blinked in confusion.

Because the figure standing in front of the hole did look like Koga, but at the same time it didn't.

Yes he had a lean figure like the chronicler's, and yes he had the same tan skin and bicolored eyes. But his hair was defying gravity, pointing at everywhere like a lion's mane. His already hardened features had turned almost stone-like, so harsh and cold they were. He was standing only with his loose combat pants on, revealing a huge black tattoo on his left pec, just above his heart, that seemed to pulse darkly. His stomach and ribs were severely bruised, acquiring an alarming dark tone, and the holes on his shoulder and middle where the spines had inserted their poison inside him were still horribly open. His brass knuckles were still on his hands, loosely hanging on both his sides.

But out of all of this, the most dramatic transformation were in his eyes. Even as they had the same colors as ever, they were like two pieces of gold and silver.

Harsh.

Cold.

Almost _dead_.

And they were glaring just at Sasoriza, unblinking and unwavering. Not revealing anything; neither anger, nor pain. _Nothing_.

Inside Koga, there was nothing. It was a body without a soul.

"What the hell man!?" The lionfish suddenly pointed at him with a snap, eyes blazing. "You were just laying in there! You should've died by now! How the hell are you still even alive!?"

Only silence answered him. The Koga that wasn't really Koga merely cocked his head to the side in an unnatural position that sent shivers through the fishman's spine, though he didn't know exactly the reason.

".rettam ton seod tahT." He mumbled, voice void of any feeling.

"What nonsense are you mumbling now?" Sasoriza narrowed his eyes, before stepping towards Koga in a threatening manner. "Whatever, I'll make sure you stay dead."

".fracs ym kcab em eviG." The chronicler simply stated.

Sasoriza roared as he launched himself towards the chronicler, who merely stepped aside. Before the lionfish could recover himself, the bicolor-eyed young man kicked him in the side and sent him flying; he coughed blood, but flipped in the air and raised his head...

... Just to see a fist coming at his face at an alarming speed.

 **CRUNCH!**

The collision produced a deep crater in the ground, as the lionfish's back of the head crushed on its center by Koga's sheer force. Everyone, even Arlong, stood there wide-eyed or mouth agape at the chronicler's strength.

But he paid no heed to their looks as he disconnected his fist from Sasoriza's cheek and stood up. For a minute or two, he only watched the lionfish's prone figure eyes blank because of the impact, before cocking his head to the side again as he inclined his upper body, hand outstretched towards the scarf around Sasoriza's neck. But...

"Heh." The lionfish smirked as his hand snaked around the chronicler's wrist at a blinding speed. " _That_ is quite a punch."

Contrary at what he thought his rival would do, the human didn't try to free himself, nor he seemed surprised at the fishman's sudden recovery. He merely watched him with his bicolored eyes eerily empty. Though he would never admit it, Sasoriza felt more threatened by those eyes than any other else's.

The lionfish kicked him square in the ribs and stood up as the human staggered a few steps back. One, two, three giant, quick steps were all Sasoriza needed to reach him as his healthy arm was driven back to punch the human in the face once more.

"Lightning Punch!"

But the punch didn't hit him. Like before, he suddenly disappeared in thin air, easily, so easily it seemed he was mocking Sasoriza's speed and strength.

A sharp tug at the scarf hanging by his neck, and it was suddenly gone. The fishman yelped and looked around in confusion.

He found him on top of the wall, crouched and holding his beloved scarf. But, looking at his expression, one wouldn't say he had recovered what he loved the most; so cold and uninterestedly he looked at the piece of cloth. Only the delicate touch he gave to it revealed his care about it more than his face.

"It's filthy."

Sasoriza blinked. That was the first time since he came from the hole in the wall that he talked like a proper person. Still cold, still acting and looking like a robot, but at least, he seemed more human when he recovered what he came to find.

His bicolored eyes, so harsh and inhumane, bore into his own, and the fishman shuddered inwardly.

"Why is it filthy?" He asked uncaringly. It was like listening a creepy child asking about something basic but in the slightest interested in knowing the answer.

His cold, harsh eyes bore into Sasoriza's once more.

"Oi." The fishman jumped a bit. "I asked you why my scarf is filthy."

The grin the fishman drew on his face reminded more of a joker's than a proper smile. His brow was covered in cold sweat for some strange reason he didn't quite know.

Why was he feeling so _cold_ inside?

"If you really care about that cloth, you shouldn't have let me take it. Don't you think, buddy?"

Koga cocked his head to the side, as if remembering something. Then, his brass knuckles shone dimly, their form changing into the old, rusty katana once more. He dug the tip on top of the wall and, with a careful touch, tied the scarf around the hilt, making sure it wouldn't blow away with the wind.

That's the only silent warning the fishman got when suddenly, the human disappeared once more. But that time, Sasoriza was able to follow his trail, and so he could stop the punch with an outstretched hand. Koga's eyes held nothing inside once more, as if he had expected the fishman to stop him. He merely retired the fist and jumped backwards as a leg tried to kick him again in the ribs.

"What's that?" Sasoriza taunted him. "That's nothing like the punches you gave me before."

Koga didn't answer, but merely stood in his fighting stance again. Despite the poison going through his veins and the overall injuries, his stance was firm and unwavering. The air felt so cold...

The fishman jumped at him with a roar, and the chronicler avoided easily the hands coming at his throat by kneeling a bit, his hands closing on the fishman's arms to keep him trapped. Sasoriza growled and cursed lowly as his leg collided with Koga's bruised chest. He let go, surprising him, but that was for a moment before seeing a huge grin on his opponent's face.

"That's it, I'm tired of you." Sasoriza determined, his poisonous spines straightening. "Poison Arrow!"

Several spines disattached from his body in a fluent motion, as if fired from a real bow.

 **SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!**

"What the...?" The fishman mumbled, confused.

"Koga/Koga-aniki!" Usopp and the pirate hunters yelled in unison.

Koga hadn't moved to avoid the needles. He took them all on. He didn't even made the attempt to escape. One, two, three needles buried themselves deeply on his left leg, his right arm and his right pec.

And the human continued smiling. He began to walk towards him, not faltering, as if he wasn't feeling anything.

"You know, I'm pretty tired too." Koga said. The cold never left his eyes, nor his voice.

And that was what scared Sasoriza the most, for an unknown reason. With a roar that sounded more like a terrified scream, he launched another wave of Poison Arrow at the slowly approaching human. Again, said human didn't try to avoid them, even as another one was embedded in his right leg.

" _Stop_ , don't come at me! POISON...!"

He couldn't complete the attack. All of a sudden, Koga was standing in front of him, his left arm outstretched towards his stomach and the other about to punch.

"Shall we finish this?"

" _You_...!"

Power, raw and pure as the punch he propinated earlier, the one that broke his arm. A blue cold aura emerged from the chronicler's body, before focusing in his closed fist near his body, creating a small sphere. The pressure kept Sasoriza from moving; he couldn't even _breathe_.

"Big Bang... Impact."

 **PUNCH!**

Like a laser beam, the fist connected with the fishman's stomach and sent him flying –once more. A howl escaped the lionfish's mouth, that cut short when his back collided with the wall, breaking it... and disappearing into the sea beyond.

For a moment, nothing happened. Koga closed his eyes and dropped his fighting stance with a dramatic sigh, and began taking the poisonous needles off his body.

 **BOOM!**

A huge explosion shook the ocean, raising a huge column of water to the heavens, finishing Sasoriza's life and their battle off. The gust of wind the impact provoked shook everyone's hair as they watched wide-eyed at what the blond chronicler had done.

"Don't touch my scarf ever again. _Buddy_."

The cold aura that had enveloped him since his appearance suddenly seemed to lighten and melt. His eyes were much more normal, more open, more like Koga's. His hands were shoved into his pants pockets, full of dirt and blood, as he calmly turned around and began to walk back towards his companions and Arlong.

At first, there was only silence, as the villagers stood in awe. But then, Koga's victory really settled in their minds and they loudly cheered, followed shortly by the two pirate hunters and Usopp. Nami's face showed an incredibly huge grin in happiness, and Sanji and Zoro merely smirked.

"Heh, that eye-freak bastard..." The cook mumbled, taking a drag of his cigarette. "He got us worried for a second."

"Speak for yourself." The swordsman stated, grabbing his Wado Ichimonji.

The only one that wasn't in the slightest amused by all of this was Arlong, of course. His furious and incredulous eyes watched the place his last crewmember disappeared into, and then at the approaching human, with such hatred that even Koga –with his technique still active– felt shivers upon seeing it.

Finally, the fishman noticed the chronicler's tattoo, and wondered for a moment why it looked so _familiar_ to him. In the Grand Line, he remembered some people showing that same drawing. He knew it had a meaning, something related to demons, but he wasn't sure...

"About time, you asshole." Sanji greeted the blond young man when he reached them.

Koga glared at him, but didn't answer. It seemed that, whatever technique he was using, it was still active. For now.

"Now that all the pawns are down, all that leaves is the king..." The chronicler glanced up at the fishman.

"And this game, is ours." Sanji finished.

They could hear Arlong's teeth screech as he gritted them in rage: "You bastards, killing so many of my brethren... One after another..." He raised his voice to a shout. "Don't you think you've gotten a little cocky?!"

Just then, a spout of water rose up from the wall across the pool, spraying fluid everywhere. Sanji looked in that direction and smiled.

"Looks like he's ready for round two..." He kicked off his shoes as he said that, ready to jump into the water. "All that's left is to get that block off his legs."

"Oi, Koga..." Zoro also rose to his feet. "How long you got?"

"Before my body shuts down... I count about thirty seconds in me." The chronicler replied.

"Same here... Shitty cook, you have a minute to break that rock and free that idiot!"

"That's more than enough!" With that reply, the cook dove back to the pool.

With a quiet grunt, the green-haired teen lifted the swords the pirate hunters lended him, and he saw by the corner of his eye Koga standing in a figthing position. But, he noticed, his katana was still on top of the wall; how was he going to fight bare-handed? Then he remembered his last attack, and how he had defeated that fishman without the help of his demon-possessed katana.

Seeing that the blond young man wasn't going to move, the swordsman jumped forwards with a battlecry, his attack searching the saw-shaped long nose of Arlong's, but the fishman blocked the three blades effortlessly and with a huge sadistic grin.

"Fool... Maybe if you weren't so injured, you could've scratched it..."

 **xXxKOGA'S POVxXx**

'Shit! I can barely move...'

Koga cursed inwardly, unable to voice it as his Kaizen Limit was still active. Its countdown was sounding mercilessly somewhere in the back of his head: 24...23... 22...

As he saw from behind a thick veil Zoro fighting against Arlong, he ordered his burning muscles to move, knowing that the swordsman was far worse than himself –but they refused to obey him. Instead, they moved his body towards a standing Hatchan.

'How the hell didn't I notice he was still alive...?' The chronicler wondered.

The octopus said something he didn't understand. His voice sounded muffled in his ears. It was a shame that Sankaoken used all his strength when he was fighting the lionfish.

'He wants me to get out of the way...? Not a chance...'

Koga's body moved on its own practically as the clock continued ticking... 16... 15... 14...

He avoided the octopus' arm directed towards his already mistreated throat by blocking it with his elbow. But, too dazed to notice, he missed his other five arms as they circled around him in a death embrace, ready to crush his bones and squeeze the air out of him. 9... 8... 7...

He was out of time! The chronicler's forehead collided forcefully against Hatchan's weird mouth, making the fishman drop him with a furious roar. Koga staggered backwards, feeling his legs getting weaker by the second. 4... 3... 2... 1.

 **Kaizen Limit reached. Initiating automatic shutdown.**

And then, nothing.

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 **I'm 16. And my heart's breaking to pieces.**

 **Everything is gone, turned to ashes. But I can't cry. I wish to, but my eyes are dry, so dry it hurts.**

 **Jii-san's here. He's saying something in my ear, trying to pry me off Karen. But I can't let her go. If I do that, she'll be gone.**

 **My chest, it hurts, burns my soul. My new mark on the chest, that cursed tattoo, craves into my mind and murmurs dark thoughts in my ear. That new presence, disgusting, cold, wishes to rip me apart, but the Contract we made makes me immune.**

 **My eyes, unblinking, don't look at anywhere but Karen's face. She seems so peaceful, so calm. She's pale, and her hair has lost its original dark color, turning greyish.**

 **Is she smiling? Yes, yes she is. But why? Didn't it hurt?**

 **Frantic steps running through the hut, some thumps, a loud curse. And then, my face is grabbed by a pair of familiar hands and I'm staring at Jii-san's pained face. But... Why is he?**

 **"Koga, you have to hide." He says in a forceful tone. His eyes are red and his nose is puffy, as if he has cried, but his pupils are hard and determined.**

 **I blink. That's the only answer he gets.**

 **His hands go to my shoulders and shakes me.**

 **"Don't you remember anything? You have to hide before they come here!"**

 **... Yes, now I remember. The orphanage exploded. Everyone died in the fire. I discovered the flaming building and Karen lying on the ground in front of it, as if someone had driven me there. I remember running to her, trying to wake her up... without success.**

 **And then, something I don't want to see, too painful for me. Next thing I remember, I was in this same position, in Jii-san's home, holding my dear little sister against me.**

 **Jii-san finally grabs Karen and lays her gently on her bed in the corner, caressing her face lovingly and with a few murmurs that I can't hear. I watch him kissing her forehead and then turn to me with a fire I didn't know he had. His hand grabs my arm and forcefully pulls me up the floor, dragging me to the kitchen.**

 **"Over here!" He manages to say, before hearing some muffled voices outside the hut. Angry voices, claiming for justice. Claiming for blood.**

 **"They're here already, huh? Damn! Take Sankaoken with you, and don't you dare lose it!" He hands me a familiar-looking katana, the same one Yuuto used to cut my face.**

 **Yuuto...**

 **"What about Yuuto?" I croak. Damn, I didn't know my voice sounds this bad.**

 **His face shows a deep pain, before he shakes his head and looks at me square in the eye.**

 **"Listen, Koga. You have to get out Yuuto's path from now on. If... When he finds out what happened here, he'll haunt you and kill you. You know that, right?"**

 **He turns abruptly upon hearing some thuds on the main door.**

 **"Okay, no time for this. You hide in here, understood? Don't you get out of here for nothing!"**

 **And then, he disappears towards the main door. I open my mouth to tell him not to go, but my voice is caught in my throat, choking me.**

 **I know what I have to do. I'm sorry, Jii-san.**

* * *

The first sensation he got, was that he was in something soft and comfy. There was no way of knowing what time it was, or what day, or if he had been unconscious for how long.

When he opened his bicolored eyes, he found himself staring at a familiar ceiling. A small room, with what looked medical tools on a nearby table. Some bloody gauzes were inside a bin, and a bowl full of water with a rag was beside him. He had had a fever, it seemed. The subtle sound of waves hitting a boat reached then his ears, confirming where he was.

The Going Merry.

Gingerly, carefully, Koga groaned as he stood up, stumbling a bit but regaining his balance right away. He didn't feel any pain, and felt fine both in body and in mind, something that he found fantastic. He didn't find his scarf and his katana anywhere, something that panicked him for a second, before using his intuition to confirm they were near him. Looking down, he noticed he had his lower torso, arms and legs covered in bandages, and that he was only wearing his dirty white loose pants. His black tattoo was evident in his left pec. Not seeing more clothes around, he shrugged mentally and drove his hand to the doorknob and opened.

The sudden torrent of light made him raise a hand over his eyes with a grimace. Once they were accustomed, the chronicler looked around.

Yep, it was the Going Merry. And there were the crew too, much to his relief. Zoro was lazily sleeping with his back against the railing, snoring, with his now only katana against his shoulder; Usopp and Luffy were doing something with their backs towards him, occasionally shouting as something made a suspicious sound. Nami stood near them, berating at the two idiots with an irk mark on her forehead, and the familiar scene brought a smile on the blond's mouth. Sanji was nowhere to be seen, but the delicious smell floating around indicated him he was there too.

"Oh! Koga!" Nami was the first in noticing him standing at the infirmary's door.

Everyone looked at him as the chronicler lifted a hand with a grin.

"Hey."

"Koga, you're okay!" Luffy was the first in reaching him, his trademark smile on his face already. "You missed a great party at Nami's island!"

"Yeah, everyone thanked us for defeating Arlong and his fishmen with a great feast!" Usopp nodded grinning.

"Geez, you gave us quite a scare, you know?" Nami brought her hands to her hips, frowning at him in disapproval for worrying them.

"I'm sorry guys..." Koga smiled apologetically, not knowing what to do with all the attention.

The kitchen's door opened to reveal Sanji.

"Everyone, lunch's ready!" He exclaimed, before noticing Koga. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah, unfortunately for you, I'm still alive." The chronicler's cocky smile drew an angry tick on the cook's forehead. "Though I think I'll die when I eat your shitty food."

"You bastard...!"

"MEAT!"

Luffy's rampage brought Sanji against the wall –just as the blond chronicler predicted– and he followed Nami and Usopp inside, only to be stopped by a hand over his shoulder. He turned to see Zoro, serious and with something in his other hand.

"Glad to see you still standing, pal." He said, handing him what he was carrying.

Much to his relief, Koga took the light blue scarf –that someone cleaned– and his katana, with a grateful nod at the swordsman, who answered with a nod.

Once in the table, everyone ate hungrily, and even more Koga, who –according to Usopp– had been sleeping for four days. As they had told him, he missed Luffy's victory against Arlong, and the party the villagers organized to thank them. Some Marines arrived to retrieve all of Arlong's treasures, but the Straw Hat intervened once more. Zoro and Sanji had brought the unconscious Koga to the doctor and he had patched him up, erasing all the poison inside him and fixing his ribs the best he could –though he noticed, surprised, that the bones had already started to heal on their own.

Nami had oficially joined the crew as their navigator, something that Koga had already expected her to do. All the money she had gathered to free her people, she had left it all in her village for them to use. Though, that didn't stop her to rob them when they were about to leave. Koga drew a smile on his face upon imagining the villagers' faces.

"There's something I want to ask you, Koga." The red-haired girl had a serious expression when she looked at the bicolor-eyed young man. He eyed her silently, indicating her she could speak her mind. "You have Devil Fruit powers, haven't you?"

"... Yeah. I ate the Kaizen Kaizen Fruit."

"Why didn't you tell us about it?"

His face was unreadable as he took a sip of his orange juice. Everyone looked at him with equally serious expressions on their faces –well, except Luffy, of course, who merely continued eating but with his eyes fixed on his chronicler.

"I didn't want to trust you."

"Huh?" Usopp blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The blond young man cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Exactly what I meant. Telling you about my Devil Fruit powers and about my katana's abilities demanded me to put a lot of trust in you, and I didn't want to... to trust you so much."

"But why?" The sharpshooter was utterly confused, as well as Nami.

"... You know about my intuition, right?" They all nodded, even Sanji. "Well, there's a flaw. It doesn't work in people I trust. So, if I trust you guys, there's no way for me to know that you're not going to backstab me."

"Oi, what the hell?!" The cook snapped angrily. "Who do you think we are? We're not going to betray anyone of the crew!"

The others agreed with him, and Koga sighed.

"I'm sorry if I troubled you, but please understand me." He swallowed as his gaze lowered at the table. "Some time ago, someone I cared dearly betrayed me and tried to kill me. I don't want to repeat that experience again."

There was an incredibly uncomfortable silence settled around them. Luffy had stopped eating long ago, watching his chronicler clench his fist with a grimace in his face.

"Oi." His captain's voice made the blond raise his head in confusion. "We're not going to betray you, alright? We stay together, and we trust each other. We'll never turn our backs to you. You're our _nakama_."

Koga blinked in surprise, and he looked around. Usopp gave him a thumbs up with a grin; Nami smiled and nodded vigorously; Sanji and Zoro looked at him with determination but also supporting him; and finally, Luffy lost his serious expression, being replaced by a goofy smile as he laughed.

And he brought a small but sincere smile on his face, his eyes softening as he watched at everyone.

"... Yeah. I know that now."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Another long chapter!**

 **Mm, I'm not really happy with the fight here. It lacks... something, I think. Well, next time I'll do better.**

 **And now, up to Loguetown! What will you dear Straw Hat crew find there? Let's find out next chap!**

 **Oh, and about the strange lines Koga says... Well, you can read it with a mirror, but I'll put them here if you want:**

 **-First thing he says is: "I'm going to kill you." That's easy, right? Then, he says: "There you are." "That does not matter." And "Give me back my scarf." About why he talks like this, when he is absolutely furious he begins to talk backwards. Odd, right? I don't know why did I do this to him hehe. Koga's already weird enough xD**

 **Please feed the hungry beast! Please?**


	17. Loguetown

**17\. Loguetown**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, they're difficult as hell to describe! But well, as I said, I'll do better next time (not in this chap though). About Koga's tattoo... I suppose I can tell you: the tattoo he's wearing is like the physical manifestation of Koga's contract with Sankaoken, that's all. But I can't tell you exactly what's up with him having that tattoo, sorry (I'll explain, I promise). Yeah, that little quirk I admit it was pretty hard to do, since English's not my mother language, and talking backwards' been messy as hell xD**

 **-BlackKitsune301: Thanks so much! ^^ Yeah, I'd say Koga and Zoro are like twins with their own differences xD**

 **-Shaded Truths: Glad to know it! ^^ I was worried I made that final part a bit too cheesy, but One Piece has a lot of nakamaship, so of course at least one of the chaps had to speak about it ^^ And don't worry if you don't review everyday! ^^ -whatcanpossiblygohere: Thank you! ^^ Hope you continue liking it ^^ -dog: Yeah, hahaha! I'd say Luffy's more dangerous, 'cause his feelings can make him stronger with each passing battle. Though it's true that meeting someone that can't feel any pain –no matter how many poisonous needles you throw at him– is actually quite scary xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Koga had just finished writing down everything that happened since he got back his beloved logbook –since Nami 'robbed' the Merry. It had been a long, difficult task, considering the fact that most of what happened involved the navigator's personal life, and the chronicler wanted to respect that as much as possible, omitting everything he could; Nami's life and memories were only hers, not something that a logbook should tell about.

That was what he'd been doing all his life, in fact.

Closing the logbook with a heavy sigh, the chronicler stretched his arms over his head and stood up, observing the calm sea from the crow's nest, his favorite place of the Merry. At night, he'd snuck away from the boys' bedroom to stargaze, enjoying the salty breeze and the clarity of the moon. More often than not, his thoughts would wander to his grandfather, wondering what had become of him. Was he still living in that small hut away from the village? Was he still taking care of Karen's little garden...?

He shook his head before beginning to slide down the ropes, his feet colliding with the deck with a small 'thud!' He noticed Nami manipulating Sanji into protecting her beloved tangerines, and the blond young man couldn't help but to sweatdrop at this. How could that idiot be so easily manipulated...? Well, considering how Luffy was, the navigator was only preventing what the idiot captain would do; having Sanji guarding the tangerines would keep his rubbery hands off them.

Koga was sincerely happy that all of Arlong's incident finished already. His intuition was finally at peace regarding Nami's feelings towards the crew, and she looked much happier around them. But, according to Zoro, the Marines' involvement was going to complicate things a lot; the Marine Captain that was an acquaintance of Arlong's, Nezumi, had promised to make their captain's life much more difficult.

Glancing up, the chronicler noticed a seagull carrying that morning's newspaper.

"Oi, Nami." The navigator looked up from her map at him with a question in her eyes. "Newspaper's here already."

"Oh, that's right!"

She strode at where the seagull had perched and the blond followed her silently. She got furious once she learned that the taxes had gone up before her face went blank for a second or two; then, the girl turned her head towards the chronicler, a mischievous gleam in her eyes while wearing a seductive face.

"Koga!" He blinked in confusion, emitting a 'Huh?' as only answer. "Could you be so kind to lend me some Berri? Pretty please?"

"Hell no!" He instantly refused, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's my money we're talking about."

"But I cleaned your scarf... Doesn't that count something?"

"Of course not! 'Sides, I didn't ask you to!"

"What an ungrateful friend you are..." Nami pouted adorably, turning her head away.

Koga narrowed his eyes at the back of her head, before sighing deeply; searching his pockets with low grumbles going out of his mouth, he almost shoved the money into the seagull's pack. Immediately, the navigator's face illuminated as she hugged him in an impulse.

"Thanks, Koga!" She beamed in happiness, the newspaper already in her hand and walking away to read it.

"And here I thought that Swirly-Eyebrows was the only pussy being manipulated by that greedy witch..." Koga growled as he watched the seagull taking flight and becoming a distant dot in the almost cloudless sky.

"What was that, you bastard?!" He heard Sanji from the tangerine grooves.

 _Seems the cook has a really good hearing..._

Before the two of them got involved in another fight, a loud scream of joy/fear/pain resonated through all the deck, instantly making Koga grip his katana, spinning around in search of a threat.

Luffy was laughing his ass of holding in his hand a sheet, proudly showing it as Nami had her mouth wide open at it, too stunned to say anything. Usopp's eyes were suspiciously swollen and red as he cried out about how his invention had attacked him.

"Look, look!" The rubber-brained idiot exclaimed happily as Sanji and Koga –their fight momentarily forgotten– approached him in curiosity. Why the hell was he so happy about?

The answer was right there... The sheet read the following:

 **Wanted: Dead or Alive.**

 **Monkey D Luffy**

 **30,000,000 Berri**

"Oh, a Wanted poster?" Koga hummed impressed. "Thirty million Berri? That's quite a bounty."

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy was absolutely ecstatic it seemed. "Looks like we are wanted men now!"

Nami facepalmed mumbling: "Once again you fail to understand the _gravity_ of the situation... Don't you realize this means your life is at risk? With that bounty, I'm sure Marine HQ, as well as other strong bounty hunters, will come after you..."

"What did you expect?" The chronicler shrugged when the navigator glared angrily at him. "We're pirates; having bounties for our heads is pretty common. That's the burden of every pirate..."

"But can't he be if only a bit concerned about this?" She whined as Usopp noticed the back of his own head on the picture, signaling it to Sanji with a huge grin on his face. "Now we're all in danger!"

"I think you're asking a bit too much."

Nonetheless, Koga couldn't help but to smirk as Usopp and Sanji linked arms and began dancing while Luffy chanted something about getting to the Grand Line already. He seriously hoped his captain would conserve that optimism and energy once in the Grand Line; the perils all of them would have to face could very well destroy them if their captain wasn't strong enough.

He just had to be.

 **xXxA FEW HOURS LATERxXx**

After lunch, Nami called everyone in the deck and laid a map out on the deck, palming it.

"We're close to the Grand Line." She suddenly declared, instantly attracting everyone's attention, and pointed a spot in the map. "And the only way to get to it is through Reverse Mountain."

Koga crossed his arms over his chest upon recognizing the name. Of course, being from the Grand Line, he had heard about the Reverse Mountain. Sanji explained that Zeff had told him about it being the only way into the Grand Line, but that it was fairly dangerous.

"Why?" Usopp inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"That's all I know!" The cook snapped.

'I wouldn't say it's the only way...' Koga thought, hiding his lower face under his scarf, as Luffy and Nami berated –more Nami than Luffy, anyway– about getting straight to the Grand Line. 'But I prefer the Reverse Mountain than the alternative path.'

"Before we get to the Grand Line, though..." Everyone's heads turned to the chronicler as he began speaking. "We must head to one place first."

"Huh?" A collective confused noise answered him, and the blond smirked enigmatically.

"Apart from being a perfect place to get well-prepared supplies, there's also a very well-known touristic town on the island we're approaching."

Nami's face dawned in realization as she snapped her fingers sharply and drew a huge smile on her face.

"Of course, you're right! After all, we're heading to the most dangerous parts of the sea." She turned then to the others that were watching between the chronicler and the navigator in confusion. "What Koga is talking about, is that there's a famous city on a nearby island called Loguetown."

"Why's it famous?" Luffy's question made Nami's and Koga's face harden.

"It's the town where the old Pirate King Gold Roger was both born and killed."

The rubber teen's face went blank after hearing that, and then looked up just to see a great island. Koga wondered for a brief second what was going through his captain's head, though he could suppose. They were heading towards the place where the person he admired the most had born and died.

The six of them were set to work as they approached the island. Koga helped Sanji –much to their misfortune– with the sails, Zoro dropped the anchor and Usopp maneuvered the ship to get them near the coast.

"So that's the town where the Pirate King died at..." Luffy muttered to himself, looking at the entrance of Loguetown.

"Whenever pirates are heading to the Grand Line, they stop here to get supplies." Nami explained.

"Looks like I'll be able to stock up on fresh produce." Sanji took a drag of his cigarette before grinning. "And fresh women."

Koga rolled his eyes upon hearing the last sentence, but decided to stay quiet for once. He'd learn soon enough that women were much like Nami than he thought. What an idiot.

Usopp decided to visit some trinket shops, Zoro wanted to find a sword shop, and Luffy, of course, was determined to see the place where Gold Roger was executed. Koga realized then that he didn't know what he wanted to do. Maybe wander around...?

"Wait, we have to pick a meeting place!" Usopp's yell made him look up just in time to see Luffy running off into the crowd and disappear.

Koga sighed deeply.

"Just let him go, Usopp." He clapped the sharpshooter's shoulder, before beginning to walk off.

"Wait, where are you going?" Usopp called after him in confusion.

"Dunno, I'll know once I find anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

However, the chronicler had only said the truth; he honestly didn't know _where_ he was going to. He had already visited Loguetown once, after getting out of the Grand Line; though it was certainly a beautiful town, its backstory always brought him bad memories. He didn't know why.

It was surprisingly crowded that day. As he walked through the streets, he noticed some papers hanging on the walls; one of them was about a Cooking Contest, and the chronicler supposed Sanji was going to participate. He considered going to cheer him, but decided against it; too boring.

Koga stopped walking and ran his hand through his hair with an exasperated sigh amidst the crowd around him. What could he do...?

Suddenly, his intuition began tingling as he felt something tugging into his pocket in a flash. Dumbfounded, his hand flew to his pockets, and cursed loudly.

He had been robbed! And it hadn't been _Nami_!

His eyes scanned frantically above the heads around him and noticed someone running and evading the people with such skill that he supposed it was an expert thief.

'You won't get away.' He promised, before murmuring: "Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!"

The world slowed down around him once more as he felt the surge of energy through his veins, and he spotted the thief wearing a dirty brown beret running off to an alley. The chronicler noticed his well-earned Berri clutched in the thief's hand and flung forward, barely avoiding colliding with the people and reaching the alley. He stopped briefly, noticing how filthy and full of dirt it had. A door to his left then closed, and he caught a glimpse of a familiar beret disappearing through it. He smirked and approached the door, but then stopped without knowing why.

There were two voices inside, but his technique was still active and couldn't understand what they were saying. Sighing deeply, he deactivated it and –ignoring the dull pain in his muscles– put his ear on the hard wood to hear better.

"... not much, but it'll do!" Someone was saying. The thief, much likely, had a surprising high-pitched voice. "Tonight, we'll have a great dinner!"

"But onii-chan..." A weak voice answered, and Koga's heart stopped beating for a second. 'Onii-chan'? "Someday, they'll get you..."

"Nonsense! You know, I'm fast like lightning! They'll never catch me!"

"But they will!" Sudden coughs, and the thief's tone suddenly changed to one of worry.

"Hey, you okay?"

Unable to hear anything else, Koga breathed heavily and swallowed the sudden lump on his throat, his hand reaching the doorknob. He didn't want to find out what was behind that door, but at the same time, he had earned the money with his hard work.

'Stop being such a pussy, you have to recover those Berri!'

The chronicler opened the door abruptly and lurched inside, only to stop just at the doorframe. It was only a filthy room, with a messy kitchen full of dirty plates and bowls in one corner and a mattress in the opposite wall, with a shredded bed sheet barely covering it. There was nothing else, other than spiderwebs and a strong nauseating smell; Koga assumed it was because there wasn't a proper bathroom anywhere.

The two only inhabitants turned around as soon as they heard the noise.

One was a boy, looking like a kid of fourteen years old. Shaggy hair, slim figure, freckled and with pale skin, his brilliant green eyes reminded him surprisingly of a cat's. His head was covered with the already familiar dirty brown beret on his hand, the Berri on the other.

The other was a tiny little girl, of maybe seven or eight years old, painfully thin and with huge bangs under her big green eyes; she was only skin and bones. It hurt only seeing her. Her hair was dirty and dark, with an uneven cut.

"Who are you?!" The boy jumped to his feet in front of the girl, hissing like a cat. "What are you doin' here? Get out!"

Looking at them with the surprise disappeared from his features, the blond young man closed the door behind him, deciding to move slowly as to not frighten them further.

"It's surprising how you can't recognize the one you had just robbed, boy." He replied calmly.

"Shut it!" Surprising him, the boy let go of his beret and drew out of his pocket a rusty knife, much like his own katana. "Get outta here, now!"

"Oi oi oi, chill out, boy." The chronicler raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down; his bicolored eyes focused on the small girl before glancing again at the knife-wielder. "What are your names? Mine's Koga."

Thanks to his non-threatening demeanor, the girl calmed down enough to open her mouth and answer him, but the boy glared angrily at her, snapping: "Don't answer him! He's a bad guy!"

"But onii-chan..." She tried to speak, but another fit of coughs shut her up, and the boy glanced wearily at her, not knowing what to do.

"She ill?" Koga asked softly, and the boy glared at him, warning him. Realization dawned on the chronicler's eyes as he glared at the Berri clutched in the boy's hand and then at the girl. "You robbed me to cure her, didn't you?"

The boy's eyes glowered with something before hardening once more. The hand grabbing the knife was trembling slightly.

"Our big bro was on the Marines."

"Yeah?" Koga crouched on the floor slowly until he was seating on the dirty floor. He assumed appearing less threatening would earn the boy's trust. "How brave of him."

"He's dead."

"Oh. I– I'm sorry. Um..." He tried to avoid those green eyes piercing him fiercely. "Look, I– I know what you're going through–"

"No you don't!" The boy snapped angrily once more, interrupting him. "Stop talkin' like you know everythin'!"

But the blond's intuition told him that he was getting soft.

"Okay, okay, calm down." The young man sighed and raised his scarf up to his nose once more; he was beginning to feel really nervous. "Tell me, what's your name?"

The boy's lower lip quivered before being caught by his teeth.

"Beret."

Koga's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Oh, nothing." The chronicler glanced at the girl and smirked softly. "And this beautiful young lady?"

The girl giggled and smiled. "Aika."

"Aika. 'Love song', isn't it? It's a beautiful name, just like you."

"Thanks!" She then squinted her bright green eyes. "You have weird eyes."

Koga couldn't help but to smirk as her brother glared at her as if reprimanding her. "Yeah, I hear it a lot."

Finally deciding that the young man wasn't their enemy, Beret saved the rusty knife, but was still clutching the money tightly on his hand. Though the blond had long forgotten it.

"I'm sorry..." The boy mumbled, and Koga blinked. "For robbin' you."

"Don't worry about it. I see now there was a strong reason behind that action." Beret looked at his little sister in silence. "But, next time, I suggest you to pick your prey better." The chronicler smirked upon seeing their confused faces. "It's a bad idea to rob a pirate."

"A pirate?!" Both of them exclaimed.

"Mm-hm. But, well, I'd say I'm a good guy. I'll give you that money..." He raised a finger. "On one condition."

"Wh– what condition?"

The blond's face grew serious as he looked at Beret's eyes. "Don't rob again. Maybe you're fast and sneaky, but next time you won't be so lucky. You're a bit young, but I can see you can be useful to the Marines. I heard they pay well, and they can train you and make you stronger."

Beret bit his lower lip and then glanced at Aika, doubt evident in his eyes.

"Will they accept someone like me?" He mumbled.

Koga's eyes and face softened upon hearing this. He stood up from his crouched position and approached them. They didn't flinch or move away, something that he considered a small victory. His tanned hand dropped upon Beret's shaggy hair and ruffled it slightly.

"Of course they will. You have to have confidence. If not for you, then for your sister." His bicolored eyes found the girl's and smiled. "Aika's all you've got. Take care of her, you hear me, little man?"

Beret breathed heavily as his eyelids dropped and his head hung forwards, chin against his chest. He seemed deep in thought, and when he opened his eyes and raised his head towards the chronicler, all shadows of indecision were already gone.

"Okay!" He exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists. "I'll be a Marine! And then, I'll catch you someday!"

Koga smiled broadly, retiring his hand off the boy's head and walking off towards the only door. "Easy there, boy. You have to train a lot to reach me first!"

"I'll do it!" Koga opened the door and looked back at the boy smiling with determination at him. "Prepare yourself, Koga! I'll get you and put you in jail!"

"Hn. I'll be waiting."

And with that, he closed the door behind him, without his money but deeply satisfied with what he had achieved. Beret and Aika were pretty much like Yuuto and Karen; Yuuto did everything he could to try heal his little sister... though with little success.

The chronicler shook his head as he strode out of the dirty alley and into the crowded street once again, walking aimlessly. Aika wasn't as ill as Karen was; Karen had an incurable disease, one that had been slowly eating her from the inside. Aika had much more possibilities of a successful recovery than his own little sister. She still had hope left.

From deep inside his heart, the young man prayed for Aika's healing and for Beret's well-being.

Hands on his pockets, he raised his head and breathed heavily. He then put his left hand over his stomach with a slight grimace; it wasn't like a stomach ache, but simply a small discomfort, as if something was about to happen at any moment.

'It's obvious, if I think seriously about this.' He inwardly admitted. 'Luffy's dream is to become the next King of the Pirates. And the former King of the Pirates, Gold Roger or Gol D Roger, was both born and died here, in Loguetown; that's why it's also called The city of Beginnings and Endings. A fitting name. But I have to wonder... This... feeling, what is it?'

His brow furrowed in confusion as he stopped in the middle of the street for a second, the crowd opening around him and continuing walking non-stop.

'It's like... like we're being watched. And... I'm feeling like being _crushed_... I don't like this... I have to find the others, and quick!'

Yeah, that's right; the sooner he'd get the others reunited the better. The tension was riling up too quickly, and he didn't handle those situations very well.

Following his intuition, Koga turned sharply on his heels and got out of the crowd, jogging as fast as he could without breaking into a desperate run. As he looked up at the sky, the chronicler noticed the thick dark clouds reeling up, a far-away thunder occasionally bursting. He hated storms with all his being.

Suddenly, as he turned right into a narrow alley, the blond young man stopped right on his tracks.

A tall, hooded figure stood right in the middle of the alley, partially blocking his path towards his crewmates. He, or she, was completely covered by a dark green cloak with the hood over his head, a dark empty space where the face should be. And his presence... It was powerful, overwhelming even, and the chronicler knew right there and then that he would never forget that figure, even if he didn't know who the figure was.

Or even, if he was _human at all_.

"The Storm of Changes has been unleashed." A male, deep voice reached the blond's ears. "Hurry, Bearer of History, and gather your crewmates."

He then stepped aside, silently indicating the young man to continue walking past him. Though his intuition was completely quiet –why it didn't warn him of the presence of this stranger, he wondered– Koga's guard was up as he walked past him. As he did so, he swore he heard the cloaked figure murmur something in his ear: "Take care of him."

Startled, the chronicler spun around again, but the cloaked figure had already disappear. Where the hell did he go? And how did he move that fast...?

"Oi, Koga!"

This time recognizing that voice, Koga's bicolored eyes glanced around once more and noticed Sanji, Zoro, Nami and Usopp in the middle of the empty street. Sanji and Usopp were carrying between the two of them a really huge fish, Nami a few bags over her shoulder, and Zoro had tied to his waist two more katanas along with Wado Ichimonji.

'Seems their trip has been fruitful.' He mused, gingerly touching his stomach and looking back for a second, at the same spot where he had seen the cloaked figure.

"Have you seen Luffy?" The sharpshooter asked him. He had apparently achieved a new pair of goggles, far better than the other ones.

"Luffy? No." Koga shook his blond head as he looked up at the covered sky. "I have a very bad feeling about all of this. We have to find him."

"We already know that you idiot!" Sanji snapped at the chronicler.

"Let's see..." The navigator sighed deeply as she tried to concentrate. "If we were Luffy, where would we be?"

"Mmm... Normally, where there is trouble." Zoro replied, a hand scratching the back of his neck.

"That's Luffy for you." Usopp nodded, completely agreeing with him.

A thunder cracked above their heads, and Koga glanced up warily as the others continued discussing where the hell their captain could be at that moment. Oh hell how he _hated_ storms. And his island was riddled with them; he only hoped they'd stay away from it for as much as possible.

"Pirates are here!" "It's Buggy the Clown!"

"Buggy?" The blond's attention perked up upon hearing a familiar name, and looked at Zoro and Nami, who had heard it too. "He's here?"

"That's what they said." The swordsman nodded to the flood of people all running through the town with terrified expressions on their faces.

The chronicler narrowed his bicolored eyes as his intuition tingled faintly.

'About damn time...'

"Buggy the Clown's gonna execute Straw Hat Luffy!"

"Wait, what?!" Usopp gripped the sides of his head, shocked. "They're gonna execute him?!"

"Look for the trouble, and you'll find Luffy." Koga brought a hand to his face with an exasperated sigh.

"Let's go!" Zoro yelled, running off ahead and tying his bandanna around his green head, the chronicler right on his heels with his hand gripping _Sankaoken_ 's hilt. Soon afterwards, Sanji was on Zoro's other side, without the gigantic tuna.

For once, Koga's intuition wasn't needed, as the crowd indicated them very well where they were running away from. The town square, where the execution platform was proudly standing. For a second, the bicolor-eyed young man felt the urge to slap himself for not forseeing something so obvious: their captain did say he wanted to visit the place where Gol D Roger died. Where could that be, except in a public place?

Well, at least they realized. Now all they had to do is save their dumbass captain.

"I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

'Way to go, Luffy.' Despite the serious situation, Koga smirked as the three of them reached the surprisingly crowded townsquare; keeping them from fleeing, some pirates were pointing at them with guns aimed at their heads. A familiar figure was standing next to a trapped Luffy at the top of the execution platform.

"THE EXECUTION IS CANCELLED!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the same time. Koga kept quiet because his hoarse voice didn't let him raise his voice too much as to yell with that loud voice.

Everyone turned towards them in fright and shock.

"Sanji! Zoro! Koga!" Their moron captain was practically beaming in happiness as he saw his fellow members coming to rescue him.

The people then fled from the scene upon recognizing the terrible Pirate Hunter Zoro, ignoring Buggy's pirates' menacing shouts. The three Straw Hat pirates then sprung into action, in separated ways, trying to get to their captain. Deciding not to use his powers in such weaklings, Koga merely used his fists and legs to push his way through; however, his intuition was beginning to tingle in an insistent manner that was driving him crazy.

"ZORO! SANJI! KOGA! USOPP! NAMI!"

The chronicler's head snapped up to the platform just to notice Luffy's massive grin on his face, and Buggy's sword up above his head to cut the rubber teen's head off.

His eyes barely registered that image when he opened them widely in shock, mouth shortly following in a silent scream that never left his throat. A familiar feeling rushed through him, overwhelming his entire being, paralyzing his limbs; an utter sensation that mixed defeat, grief, and an unforgivable _guilt_. For a brief moment, just like when he thought Nami was going to die –at that time when they were fighting the Black Cat pirates– Koga's mind mixed Luffy's grinning face with an equally –though much weaker– smirking face of Karen's. He saw them both, and knew that he had lost both of them... _Again_.

Suddenly, a blinding bright light surrounded everything, coming from a huge lightning bolt in the sky that hit right on the platform. Unable to see anything, but also unable to take his eyes away, the chronicler, along with everyone else –friends and foes alike– watched in bewilderment as the platform was being lit in blue flames that engulfed it and made it collapse on itself with as a thunderous noise as a lightning bolt. Rain fell down, soaking them all instantly.

A familiar straw hat floated down to the demolished platform, and an equally familiar figure picked it up, put it on his head and then laughed, ignoring everyone's dumbstruck expressions.

"Hahahahahahaha! Hey, I'm alive! I'm okay!"

Next to the blond young man, Zoro took out the white katana from his mouth and mumbled: "I think I'm starting to believe in divine intervention."

Koga sighed deeply and looked down for a moment as his trembling hands. For a moment, he...

Intuition tingling once more. The chronicler raised his head in a snap.

"We have to get moving." He interrupted whatever his captain was saying and grabbed the back of his red T-shirt to drag him.

As if on cue, out of nowhere dozens and dozens of Marines surrounded the pirates and started to attack them. Sanji convinced the moron rubber-brained teen into following them and getting already to the Grand Line; fortunately, Luffy had already seen what he wanted to see and went after them obediently... though laughing his ass off, of course.

Their not-so-subtle retreat was however immediately noticed by the Marines, who tried to stop them before being dispatched by the escaping pirates in an almost insulting way. Sanji informed Luffy of Nami and Usopp getting Merry ready to depart immediately. Keeping up with his partners in silence, Koga hoped the two of them would be fine. They were the weakest of the entire crew– though he already knew that, in desperate times, both of them were just able enough to hold their ground without any help.

He looked up at the cloud-covered sky. Was it just chance that, just when they needed it, the thunderbolt destroyed the platform and stopped Buggy from cutting Luffy's head off? Luffy was made of rubber, and that meant lightning didn't do anything to him. Did somebody save him knowing that fact?

"Oi, there's somebody right ahead cutting our path!" Zoro's wary voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Indeed, there was someone standing in their way. The four pirates stopped when they noticed it was a Marine– or, at least, he was dressed like that, with the standard-issue Marine uniform, with white jacket, blue pants and light blue neckerchief. He had long, black hair tied at the back, eyes shadowed by some bangs of hair, sturdy and pale; a scar showed up on the left side of his neck; small freckles decorated his rounded nose. On his back hung a massive greatsword, all black, with the hilt a deep dark red.

He was eerily _familiar_...

"Oi, get out of the way!" Luffy snapped, getting ready to punch the person.

Just then, Koga recognized him. Of course, why wouldn't he? That Marine –though he didn't know he had become one– once was one of the people he loved the most. Still, the chronicler couldn't believe he was standing right in front of him, signaling himself as his enemy, ready to take him down.

His breath quickened, his tan skin paled greatly, his palms sweat a lot... All of his being screamed that it was wrong. This situation, him being there blocking his way to freedom... They were all plain and utterly _wrong_...

The Marine lifted his gaze and locked cold, icy blue eyes directly with his bicolored ones, ignoring the other three, and smirked evilly. It nauseated him seeing such expression on his face; and still, he knew that it had been all his fault.

"It can't be..." Koga muttered, drawing his companions' attention.

A trembling step. Then another. The chronicler separated himself from Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, who were looking at the two of them in confusion, but not daring to make a move.

"Is that really you... Yuuto?"

* * *

 **A/N: Ta-da! Another huge cliffie, and NO, I'm not gonna tell anything! It'll spoil the mood xD**

 **About Beret and Aika, they're only minor Ocs that I created to occupy Koga's time in Loguetown, since I didn't want him to follow the Straw Hat crew everywhere xD They're not going to appear in the story again –most likely, anyway.**

 **Well then, 'till next chap! Please feed the hungry beast! ^^**


	18. Storms

**18\. Storms**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yeah, Koga's baby bro! I wanted to add something completely unexpected (or at least tried to) so this is what I planned. Of course, I'll give you as many answers as I'm able without doing much spoilers of Koga's storyline arc.**

 **-BlackKitsune301: Hahahahahaha, don't you worry, here's the continuation! Though it's much shorter than other chaps xD Hope it doesn't bother you.**

 **-dog: Hahahahahahahahaha! Don't do it, now I'm gonna explain everything (or almost everything, anyway) in this chap. Hope you like it! ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Questions buzzed through Koga's mind in a rush. How, when, what...?

 _Why_...?

The chronicler couldn't look at his younger brother without feeling the already familiar remorse and guilt he felt five years ago. He already knew how much the dark-haired boy hated him, but seeing that smile that looked so wrong on him confirmed it even more.

He felt something oppressing his heart as his hand trembled, unable to reach _Sankaoken_ 's hilt but knowing perfectly well that he simply had to. All those painful memories, the regret and self-hatred... He just had to get over them if he wanted his nakama to reach Merry and leave Loguetown safely.

"Long time no see, Koga." Yuuto then greeted him, still with that smile on his face that only made his heart ache even more; though the Marine wasn't in a fighting stance, the chronicler knew he was fully alert.

"Oi, Koga." Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, serious eyes fixed in the possible enemy. "You know this guy?"

The raven-haired Marine looked at the other three Straw Hat pirates. "Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro. And... Whoever you are, nameless prick. Nice to meet you all."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BASTARD?!" The cook snapped with shark-like teeth, about to lunge forwards before being stopped by Zoro. "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Who are you?" The swordsman asked the Marine, watching him with narrowed eyes and keeping a hand close to his own katana.

"Me?" Yuuto laughed eerily, cocking his head to the side in a way that reminded the green-haired teen of Koga. "Let's see... I'm a memory. An echo of the past. Or a phantom. Your pick."

"He's no one." Koga snapped, bicolored eyes hard but also conflicted. "Guys, you have to keep moving. I'll hold him here."

His nakama looked at him in unison, realizing the chronicler wasn't being his usual self with that Marine guy around. But still, they _trusted_ him.

"You follow us when you're done." Luffy said, black eyes serious for once as he glared at the blond young man, receiving a single nod for answer.

The three of them lunged forwards, with the captain leading. They rushed past Yuuto, who surprisingly didn't move a muscle to stop them, but instead locked eyes with his older brother. With that, it seemed evident who was his real objective; even being a Marine, the raven-haired boy put his feelings over his duty.

Rain fell upon them, a distant thunder cracking in the distance.

"Just like home." Yuuto then commented, raising a hand. "Don't you think?"

The chronicler didn't answer.

"Karen-chan used to love the rain. She'd sneak out of the hut to stand up in the middle of the rain, and then get sick because of it." Yuuto sighed and then laughed weakly, shaking his head. "And I'd get angry at her because of that. Remember?"

Koga closed his eyes in pain as he also breathed heavily.

"She never listened to me. No. She always listened to you, looked up to you." Resentment was evident in his voice as Yuuto glared at him.

The chronicler bit his lower lip. It was true; though he wasn't even related in blood to Karen, she had always listened first to him instead of her true brother Yuuto. Of course, the blond young man had noticed it and tried to make her look up to her brother more than to him, but she insisted on doing otherwise. And though at first both boys didn't change their relationship, there was a certain... awkwardness whenever Karen was around the oldest boy.

But now, the relationship they had all shared was completely gone. And Karen's death was not the only cause.

"... Yeah." Koga mumbled, his bicolored eyes a turmoil of painful memories. "She did."

Yuuto glared at him, as if emerging from his thoughts, his blue gaze blank and his face devoid of every emotion. Another thunder cracked up in the sky, illuminating both their faces for a brief instant before fading away.

"You know, I can't let you go." Yuuto commented casually again.

"... I know. You're a Marine, and I'm a pirate. Of course you won't let me go."

Snorting, the raven-haired Marine shook his head. "That's not the only reason."

Koga already knew that. But he wanted to avoid that topic, so awfully painful for the two of them to remember.

"Karen-chan died." His younger brother's voice was almost a murmur, but it sounded loud and clear in the chronicler's eyes, who cringed visibly. "She died... and I couldn't do anything to save her. I... I spent these five years in training my body and mind... All to find you..."

The Marine's hand, like a flash, moved to the giant black sword at his back and unsheathed it skillfully, pointing its sharp edge at the unmoving figure in front of him; hatred, fury, and pain mixed in his face and eyes, distorting them in an almost grotesque way.

"... And kill you."

 **SWOOSH KLANK!**

The raven-haired Marine tried to slash the chronicler's unmoving body, but he found himself being blocked by a rusty katana just inches away from his torso. Koga's teeth gritted in frustration and a silent pain that Yuuto was unable to see. With an enraged battlecry, the Marine pushed the pirate away from him and tried to cut him again, with the same result.

 _What the hell are you_ doing _?! Unseal me, now! You wanna die here?!_

Of course he didn't want to die, but it was his baby brother! He couldn't raise his hand against him, even if that brother hated him so much death was little punishment for his liking. So, instead of attacking, the blond young man merely dodged or blocked the slashes mercilessly aimed at him.

"Fight against me like a man!" Yuuto snapped angrily at the twentieth attempt to end his life in vain, black sword raised above his head to land a powerful blow.

 **KLANK!**

Koga cursed as he barely managed to block the broadsword again, their faces mere inches from each other, chests almost touching. Though he was unconsciously enhancing his rusty katana with his Devil Fruit powers, the chronicler could perceive a dark pulse emanating from the black broadsword his baby brother was holding, and couldn't help the Big-Brother-instinct that emerged at that instant:

"Where did you get that...?" He grunted, eyeing the dark edge warily.

Yuuto merely sneered at his expression. "What, acting like a good big bro now? It's a bit too late, I'm afraid!"

Surprising him, the Marine landed a powerful kick at Koga's ribs, making him stumble backwards coughing blood.

"But well, I admit it's comprehensible why you're so wary about this beauty." The broadsword's edge came to rest upon Yuuto's shoulder.

 _Oi shitty host, best you can do now is unsealing me or getting the hell outta here._

'What, why...?'

 _There's a demon inside that broadsword._

His bicolored eyes widened in realization just as the Marine let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

"So you _did_ notice it! Or was it the demon inside you?" He lowered the collar of his shirt enough to reveal a familiar-looking tattoo just on the base of his throat, smaller than Koga's tattoo, but still clearly visible. Upon seeing Koga's horrified expression, the Marine drew a terrifying smile upon his face. "Now I'm a Cursed. Just like you."

A Cursed...? it was the first time he had heard that term. But still, it sent chills through his spine. As if he had heard a similar name before. In his hand, _Sankaoken_ hummed in fury and bloodthirst, a familiar pulse.

"Never heard about it?" Yuuto began walking around him, slowly circling his brother; the blond young man watched him not moving an inch. "A Cursed, is a person who has been in contact with a demon in any way. In both our cases, we made a Contract with a demon."

The chronicler went pale, and his bicolored eyes widened again before narrowing, lips pressed in a thin line.

"What kind of Contract did you do?" He asked in a murmur, his katana slightly trembling. "Did you ask your demon for power?"

Yuuto's laugh again reminded him of a bark's as he stopped walking at his left, just in his eyesight. The Marine put a hand over his heart in a mocking way.

"It hurts that you asked me that." He sneered. "I made the same Contract as you, of course."

Eyes about to get out of their sockets, the pirate swirled around to face him completely, _Sankaoken_ still trembling on his hand.

"What's with that expression?"

"Are you out of your _damn mind_?!" Koga's free hand snatched the collar of his shirt, fear evident in his unique eyes. "What have you done you idiot?! You could've _died_!"

His little brother's blue eyes suddenly hardened until becoming pure ice.

"Don't you _dare_ treat me like the big brother you should've been years before. You don't have the right anymore. Not after letting Karen-chan die."

And, taking advantage of the momentary shock his older brother showed, he attacked with his broadsword.

 **SLASH!**

'Shit!' Koga cursed mentally, releasing his younger brother but unable to avoid the broadsword slashing him across the front of his vest, opening a large gash across his chest. Blood spluttered out of the wound, but fortunately it wasn't life-threatening; the blond young man jumped backwards to put some distance between them and raised his head in disbelief of seeing Yuuto so ready to take out his life.

Of course, he wasn't naïve; the raven-haired boy hated him to death, but he had expected some kind of hesitation in doing so. But Yuuto's swift movement had been precise, and determined.

He had sought his death.

The blood on the black edge of the broadsword dripped to the floor, mixing with the water rain; the blue-eyed boy looked at it for a moment before smirking.

"I have wondered what would it feel like, attacking you." He pointed at him again with the broadsword's edge. "May I present you my dear broadsword, _Hinoken_. It's a she, by the way."

"You tied a demon to your broadsword too?" Koga's grip on _Sankaoken_ was almost vicious, but he still refused to release the demon inside. "Snap out of this, Yuuto! It's dangerous! Why did you do this?!"

"Shut up!" Both weapons clanged again amidst some sparkles that illuminated their faces. Blue flames engulfed the black edge, surprising the chronicler. "Blue Phoenix!"

The fire adopted the form of a giant bird that shrieked and lunged over the momentarily struck chronicler, but he cursed loudly and tried to evade it. Tried, because the phoenix followed after him nonetheless and engulfed his sword arm in blue fire; he cried out in pain as the smell of burnt flesh invaded his nose, and dropping his rusty katana, tried to extinguish it the best he could by rolling on the ground.

"It's no use!" Yuuto laughed, throwing himself towards his brother with _Hinoken_ emitting more blue flames.

Just then, Koga knew that he couldn't face his brother. Not only because he was freaking strong, but because he wasn't able to stand against him.

'I'm sorry, Luffy...' He thought, dropping to his knees beside his katana in desperation. He preferred to die than to lie a hand over his little brother. The raven-haired Marine, broadsword pointed at the sky looming over his head, widened his eyes for a second before sneering, silently accepting his brother's defeat.

"I'm gonna take your head now!"

And the chronicler just closed his eyes, face calm, awaiting the end.

...

But the strike never landed, as a sudden gust of wind lifted the pirate up in the air, surprising them both; the hurricane-like wind made him twirl around amidst the buildings, momentarily confusing him and avoiding the collision with the houses by mere inches as he floated.

After what felt like an eternity, he felt his back collide against a stone wall, earning a loud 'Ouff!' from the chronicler as he tried to focus himself and find out where the hell was he.

"Koga!" A familiar voice called out to him with evident surprise.

Rubbing the back of his head, Koga glanced around to find himself in the harbor, back against the floor; he sat up and glanced up as Luffy, Zoro and Sanji caught up with him. They seemed also pretty confused about what happened.

"What the hell...?" Sanji muttered, an unlit cigarette between his lips as he glanced around.

"Guys!" Someone yelled, and directing their gazes to the roaring sea, they distinguished barely the silhouette of Merry drifting in the ocean amidst the storm, Usopp and Nami on the deck waving their hands frantically at the four of them.

"NAMI-SWAN!" The dumb cook changed into love-struck dumb cook, much to Zoro's and Koga's annoyance. "Don't worry, your prince's finally here!"

"Where's Smokey...?" Luffy looked around in confusion, and the chronicler lifted a blond eyebrow before realizing something; frantically, he searched the scabbard at his waist and found it empty. He spun around on his heels and was about to run back to the city before Sanji's hand snatched on his shoulder, halting him while yelling, "Where are you going idiot?! The Marines are over there!"

"And so is my katana! I have to get it back!"

"Oh, this one?" Out of all the possibilities, Koga wouldn't have thought about Luffy holding his precious katana in his hand with a goofy smile on his face, and glanced at him wide-eyed. "I found it when we landed!"

Feeling relief going through his veins, Koga retrieved his katana from his captain's hand, and glanced up at the streets to notice distant figures dressed in white and deep blue.

The other three noticed them as well, and the black-haired boy went up with a rather... practical use for his Gomu Gomu no Rocket, launching the four crewmates towards the ship and landing rather forcefully on the deck. Then, under Nami's orders, they all sprung into action, not without the cook landing a soft kick on their rubber-brained captain's head. Using his Devil Fruit powers, Koga was put to work on the sails, taking care of them and trying to maintain them intact in order not to capsize; Sanji and Zoro worked on the ropes, and Usopp was again on the rudder on the kitchen, following the navigator's order the best he could; Luffy was at Merry's figurehead, ignoring the pouring rain and the thunder above their heads.

"The sails will keep going at least some more!" Koga announced, seated on the post above the sails with a hand over them, brows furrowed in concentration.

"Okay, then go to the crow's nest and look for the lighthouse's light!" Nami yelled from the upper railing, making the chronicler nod and move swiftly to his personal den, looking around.

"Why are we looking for a lighthouse?!" He heard Usopp's question from inside the kitchen, still maneuvering the rudder.

"It indicates the entrance to the Grand Line!" The navigator explained just as another thunderbolt cracked in the sky and a particularly strong wave shook Merry around wildly.

After a few minutes of frantic activity, in which even the captain had to help in keeping their course outstraight without being capsized, Koga finally saw the light they had been looking for and called out to them, indicating it. Even the thick fog raised by the rain was unable to hide the massive lighthouse beacon.

"That's our guiding light to the Grand Line..." Nami muttered as the chronicler climbed down the ropes to the deck, quickly taking a hold of the railing to avoid being thrown overboard because of the rolling waves. "It means the entrance to the Grand Line is somewhere ahead!"

Grins were spread through all the crewmates' faces, even Koga's. It wasn't surprising; all that they dreamt of was somewhere beyond the Grand Line, a mysterious ocean no one had been able to explore completely and that not everyone had crossed and survived for more than a week on. And even with the chronicler knowing that mysterious sea, there were still many legendary islands awaiting for them to discover their secrets and to find their well-guarded treasures.

"I think we should say something for this occasion!" Sanji proposed, rolling a barrel through the deck towards them with a grin on his face. Then he put his foot on its top. "I'm going to the Grand Line... To find the All Blue!"

And the others, after glaring at each other with equal smiles, imitated him, voicing their dreams out loud.

"To be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared.

"To be the World's Greatest Swordsman!" Then Zoro.

"To draw a world map!" Nami went next.

"To write down the most incredible chronicle ever written." Koga after her.

"To be the bravest warrior of the sea!" Finally Usopp finished the circle.

They all savoured that precise moment for a second or two, feeling as if destiny was looking down upon them. Then they lifted their feet and slammed down upon the barrel, smashing it.

"TO THE GRAND LINE!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry for making this much shorter than other times! I wanted to cut up this chap just at this epic moment and didn't feel right for me to continue it!**

 **Well, I'm doubting about continuing with Apis Arc, or going directly to the Grand Line. Dunno. What do you guys think? Let me know!**

 **And about the Contracts with the demons and the different demons (notice that Koga has a demon that can change his appearance and Yuuto a fire demon), I'll only say that there are different kind of Contracts, and depending on what kind did you sign, the Cursed Tattoo (the marking on Koga's chest and Yuuto's throat) has a lighter or darker tone, or its design is slightly different. I'll explain further if someone has any doubts, so speak your minds fellas!**

 **Please feed the hungry beast! See ya next time!**


	19. Apis

**19\. Apis**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **After a LONG LONG time debating with myself –again– I've decided to keep up with the anime instead of the manga. That means, some filler arcs WILL BE PRESENT in this fic. Though there are other arcs that I won't write down, simply because I didn't watch them. As I write, I'll inform about what arc won't be present.**

 **Also, we're celebrating FIFTY REVIEWS ALREADY! Yoohoo! I'm such a kid xD Alright, thanks so so much for your support, I seriously don't know what I would do without you guys! You mean the world for me!**

 **And now, up to those review answers!**

 **-BlackKitsune301: Hahahahahahaha, don't worry, I'll give you much more! ^^ And thanks!**

 **-dog: Hahahahaha, don't do that! Here's a new chap, enjoy it! ^^ -Ikaros Light: Alright, I'll do it! I promise I'll do something with Koga's reaction (don't know what yet, but I'll manage). And thank you, Yuuto's sudden inclusion in the story drove me quite crazy, I admit!**

 **-teslaman: Thanks for your review, but I'm afraid I'll include the arc, because there are several reviewers that requested me to do so. But either way, thanks for giving me your honest opinion ^^ Please keep supporting me, I'll upload the main story as soon as I can, I promise!**

 **-Ember Joy: Thanks, a pleasure! ^^ -FourthWallBreaker: Hey, long time no see! Don't worry, I'll be starting college soon too, so I understand perfectly well how busy you are. But anyway, I'm grateful that you still keep up reviewing my story! ^^ Thanks about the ending, I wasn't sure if I did it well! Hahaha, that was my intention –keeping suspense is honestly quite funny! For me, at least. I am following the anime, but I'm also aware that there are several readers that prefer manga over anime, so I'm not sure... I want to be flexible because of my readers too.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 _"... After saving our captain from being executed by Buggy the Clown. Shortly before our departure from Loguetown, some Marines tried to stop us..."_

For a moment, Koga's plume stopped just as that line was written down on the logbook, his mind remeniscing what happened at Loguetown.

Despite the Marines' efforts, the Straw Hat crew escaped safely from town and the storm that provided them support also quieted down a few hours ago. It was past noon at that time, and after a great meal made by Sanji (in which, of course, everyone protected their own plates from the ever-hungry captain), Koga decided to write down everything that happened, as it was his duty as the ship's chronicler. That time, instead of hiding in his usual spot in the crow's nest, he was sitting cross-legged with his back against the mainmast, with Usopp and Luffy nearby goofing with Sanji and playing cards. Nami was sun-tanning and Zoro (as always) blissfully snoring.

He didn't know why exactly he had decided to stay near the crew instead of going up to the crow's nest, but he had deduced it was because of what happened at Loguetown. Maybe, being near his nakama would erase that dull pain in his heart that triggered upon seeing a brother he hadn't seen in years.

The blond young man noticed his hand holding the plume slightly shaking, and cursing inwardly, tried to stop it by grabbing his wrist, but to no avail. He sighed, dropping the plume at his side as his bicolored gaze lifted at his playing nakama, with his mind focused to another person.

Yuuto. The fact that his own little brother wanted to kill him so bad was, at the least, comprehensible from his rational and critical mind's point of view; but the part of him that saw him grow and that still loved him as a younger brother, was still recovering from the shock. One part of him was glad that the dark-haired young man decided to join the Marines instead of drifting off as a cruel pirate, although they were now sworn enemies.

Koga's face frowned in silent pain as he bit his lower lip and lowered his gaze again at the mostly-blank page of the logbook settled in his lap. When did everything go wrong, he wondered. If what Yuuto implied was true, he had at least felt some kind of envy towards his foster older brother since long before Karen's death, that only turned into a blind hatred once the girl died on Koga's arms.

He had only wanted to live a somewhat peaceful life with Karen, Yuuto and their grandfather, maybe messing a bit with the orphanage's caretakers, but nothing much. Spending the day with his family, and the night stargazing absent-minded. He had only wanted to live.

Now, he was far away from his island –in which Rujash didn't know anything about his well-being–, his most beloved little sister Karen dead, his companions of the orphanage dead because of an explosion –resulting on him being the sole survivor– and him running away from every representative of order in every island because of his condition as a pirate. Ah, and that his younger brother yearned so much for Koga's death that he even made a Contract with a demon to gain as much power as possible.

His brow furrowed. That was another question that deeply troubled him. Considering what Yuuto told him rather cockily, there were more people that were at least in contact with demons out there; the people that were called Cursed were like the brothers, that made a Contract with a demon for whatever purpose.

'If that's true, how many people are out there with this same curse running through their veins?' Koga wondered. 'And why did Yuuto do the same Contract as mine? Did he hate me that much?'

"Oi!"

Koga snapped out of his thoughts in a jolt, his head snapping towards a surprisingly-near Usopp, who was watching him closely, with Luffy and Sanji behind him with also expressions of concern in their faces.

"Are you okay?" The sharpshooter had a frown of worry. "Since we left Loguetown, you looked edgy."

The chronicler tried to bring a smile to his face, but failed pathetically.

"I'm okay, Usopp. Everything's fine."

"That's bullshit, eye-freak." Sanji lit a cigarette and took a drag, blowing the smoke as Koga glared at him with a pissed-off look. "Is it something about that Marine guy we found?"

The attempted smile dropped instantly, as the long-nosed teen and Nami glanced up at the cook in confusion.

"A Marine guy? Who?" The red-haired girl inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"Someone that tried to stop us when we were escaping from Loguetown..." Zoro explained briefly from his relaxed spot, and then stiffled a yawn before continuing.

"I told you, he's no one!" The chronicler snapped standing up, suddenly angry upon hearing the swordsman talking about his little brother.

"You've been giving us that face since we left Loguetown, and you expect us to believe that he's no one?" Sanji approached him and poked his forehead with a single finger, an irk mark appearing. "Try to find a more believable excuse you bleached-head."

Koga blinked.

 **"Leave me alone you bleached-head!"**

"That's none of your business, ero-cook." Trying to block the painful memories, he slapped the blonde's hand away and began to walk off.

"Wait, where are you going?" Confused at what was happening, the navigator called out to him when he walked past her in a rush. "It's almost lunchtime!"

"I'm not hungry. I'll get a nap."

And said and done; in a few minutes he was already in the men's quarters, ready to take a nap in his hammoc.

The room was quite cozy despite having so many people sleeping in there, and the blond young man always made sure to maintain it as tidy and clean as possible. Each one of the crewmembers had a chest and a table with a small chair for themselves, but no one really used the latters much, as they preferred to spend the time outside of the small cabin. Thanks to a small window in the left topside of the wooden wall, the small cabinet wasn't overwhelmed by the smell of five sweaty bodies, and the lamp hanging at the ceiling provided a nice warm light to the room.

Normally, Koga would take his duty seriously and write down everything in the logbook before sleeping, but that day's events had severely undermined his morale. Sighing, he left the leather book on top of his desk with the plume at its side and went to lay on his hammock under Zoro's, the closest to the floor –and, in his sincere opinion, the most comfortable-looking that he found. Being the second one in joining the crew certainly had its pros.

After a few hours of fruitless attempts to fall asleep, Koga noticed _Sankaoken_ , lying against the chest, hummed slightly as it was surrounded by a dark red aura.

 _Had a rough day, shitty owner?_

Koga tried to ignore the katana by crossing his hands behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling and unable to take a nap, that was his initial intention. His left leg hung out of the hammock, swinging it with the ship's smooth sway, almost soothing.

 _Even if you don't talk to me, I still know what you're thinking about._

"Piss off you crappy katana." He mumbled.

 _Hehe, hated by your own bro? What does it feel, shitty owner?_

"I said piss off. I'm not in the mood."

 _And knowing that he did exactly the same Contract that ties you and me together? Maybe he even knew the risks of doing such Contract the wrong way..._

"Shut the hell up!" He sat back up barely avoiding falling off the hammock and glared with furious bicolored eyes at the humming katana. "Stay out of my business!"

In front of the weapon, a blurry figure began appearing. A horned, red imp creature in a black tuxedo, with rather long arms and black fingernails; on his face, he had a noticeable long large nose and completely white almond-shaped eyes. He had also a wide, eerie smile with sharp teeth.

 _Or what? You can't do anything to me._ The little demon snickered, hiding his creepy smile behind his hands but with his unseeing eyes set on the human shaking in anger at him. _I'd love to get away from this ridiculous Contract, but I'm afraid that we're completely tied together._

Koga's hands balled into fists as his entire body shook, and the demon smiled smugly at him.

They both knew it was right.

"I swear, one day I'll get rid of you." Koga's voice was dark as he glared at the demon from between the bangs of his hair that fell over his face.

 _That makes two of us shitty host._ His smile widened even more, something that seemed impossible considering how broad his smile was already. _When you find a way, make sure I'm the first one you tell it to._

"Koga?"

A voice, unsure, came from upstairs, and when the trapdoor opened, Koga distinguished the troubled face of Usopp poking upside down from the hole.

"I'm sorry for troubling you... But you should come upstairs."

The chronicler breathed heavily as he rubbed his face in tiredness while standing up, the beginnings of a migraine pulsing in the back of his eyes. When he looked up at the katana, the figure of the demon had already disappeared.

"Well, considering that I can't sleep at all..."

Once in the deck, he noticed that, apart from himself and the sharpshooter –who was looking at him still worried about earlier– the deck was practically empty, and night had begun to settle down.

"Where's everyone?" He asked the long-nosed teen.

"In the kitchen. Luffy rescued a girl earlier."

"A girl?"

Usopp explained briefly what happened as they went upstairs to the kitchen. Apparently, while watching a distant flock of birds, Luffy felt hungry and tried to grab a bird, but instead dragged a girl onto the ship with his Devil Fruit powers. She was still unconscious and with evident shows of dehydration and slight hunger, but nothing that a good meal and some good rest couldn't cure.

Deciding to ignore the others' looks as he entered the kitchen, his bicolored gaze fell instantly on the girl sleeping on the make-shift couch on the corner of the room. She was small, and was wearing a long mustard yellow dress, with the sleeves and the bottom of the dress maroon with mustard colored circles; the outfit was complete with a dark maroon sash and the same colored underskirt. As her physical appearance, she had blond-brownish hair tied back in a very thin braid –just like his, but his wasn't as long– and fair skin. On her head she had a pointy white hat and her feet covered with red shoes.

A small frown appeared on the chronicler's forehead as he noticed her troubled expression even while sleeping. His intuition told him she didn't have exactly a calm day, but also that she was a strong kid.

"I wonder how much she'll be asleep?" Nami asked from the table, eyeing the girl in worry.

The blond sighed as he seated by her side and put his elbows on the table.

Luffy, however, was more preoccupied about something more mundane than the girl, something that requested his full atention.

"Food food food food!" He demanded to Sanji, busy cooking a delicious-smelling soup in a giant cauldron.

"Keep your paws off my food!" The cook snapped angrily, with a tick mark on his forehead. "I'll serve it once it's ready!"

"Aw... And when is it?"

"When I say it's ready you bottomless-stomach moron!"

 **BONK BONK!**

"That hurt!" An unfamiliar voice whined, attracting everyone's attention.

The girl was awake, but it seemed that the impulse had been so much both her and Usopp's collided soundly. Her hands were against her throbbing forehead with little tears at the corners of her eyes before becoming aware that she didn't know where she was and looked around in confusion. Usopp was out cold because of the collision, making the chronicler sweatdrop.

"You're awake!" Nami commented, driving the girl's attention to her instead of the kitchen. "That was quicker than I expected."

"Nothing some grub won't cure!" Sanji smiled at the girl while still keeping an eye on the soup. "I'm cooking some soup if you're hungry."

The girl grinned to herself in excitement. "Lucky!" She muttered.

'Lucky?' Koga couldn't help but to raise an amused eyebrow. 'I don't think she'll continue thinking like that when she finds out about us being pirates.'

"You really are lucky." The navigator confirmed kindly. "What's your name?"

Suddenly, suspicion surrounded the girl as she frowned. "It's polite to give your names before asking a stranger questions."

"You're right." Nami conceived after a few dumfounded seconds, before signaling to herself with her thumb. "I'm Nami. The guy making the soup is Sanji, and the guy with the scarf at my side is Koga." Sanji waved in greeting and Koga only glared at her. "That's Zoro over there." She continued, pointing at the sleeping swordsman against the wall opposite to the bed. "Despite his scowl, he's a good guy."

"Shut up." Zoro grunted, not even opening his eyes.

"And you've already met Usopp."

Already recovered from their collision, he waved at her, but still having a large bump on his forehead that he nursed with small tears on his eyes.

Luffy seemed to analyze the girl for a few moments before deciding she was harmless, and grinned with his particular smile.

"I'm Luffy, the captain of this pirate ship."

Already knowing what was going to happen, Koga quickly covered his ears just as the girl let out a shrill yell. "PIRATES?!"

'Just what I imagined.' He couldn't help an amused grin appear on his face upon seeing the shell-shocked expression of the girl. Quite understandable, her reaction, but considering how goofy-looking was Luffy, she maybe should have realized they weren't some ruthless bloodthirsty pirates.

That, or the girl thought the rubber teen was an expert in deceiving people.

"Soup's ready!" Sanji called out, passing the full bowls to the rest of the crew. "Hungry?" He glared at the small girl, who frowned and shook her head forcefully.

Sipping on the bowl of soup and feeling his incoming migraine disappear slowly, the chronicler frowned at her as he began to feel her distrust. Well, it was of course understandable; waking up in a pirate ship wasn't exactly something a person would normally wish.

The meal went mostly uneventful, Luffy's attempts to steal food aside, and for a moment Koga's grim thoughts about his brother and the Contract went to the back of his head. He felt remorse about his earlier behavior with the crew, but he admitted he had been pretty shaken up because of what happened in Loguetown. He'd apologize later.

For the moment, he followed the crew outside to let the girl rest a bit and walked straight to the men's quarters to retrieve his logbook and continue writing in the crow's nest. He couldn't continue avoiding his duty just because of the meeting with his brother.

He breathed heavily and began writing down, trying to be as objective as he could, describing how a huge gust of wind had lifted Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Koga to the harbor and how they escaped the city amidst a thunderous storm; also, he wrote about the promises they proclaimed out loud around the barrel, and about how they found Apis (according to what Usopp told him).

'Now that we escaped from Loguetown, the Marines will try to catch us more than ever.' He thought, setting down the plume. 'Smoker, the Marine guy that tried to get Luffy, is famous for not letting any pirate getting away. Considering that we did escape, he'd most likely follow us. And... _him_ too.'

His eyes drifted up to the starry sky as he leaned back his head against the wood.

'Does he hate me that much? To condemn his own life like that... only to finish me off? Does he even know the consequences of making such a Contract with a demon...?'

Almost unknowingly, his lips pressed into a firm line. Maybe there was someone amongst the Marines who knew about demonology, enough to know about the Contracts and their nature. Hell, maybe that Marine had been the one tying the Fire demon inside Yuuto to him.

But there was a substantial difference between the black-haired Marine and Koga. The first one had most probably chosen to tie a demon to his own soul, maybe even knowing the consequences. He had been trained in using it properly, molding that tremendous power in order not to hurt anyone around him.

Koga, however, didn't have any choice really. He didn't know anything, only that he'd be stronger.

'Should I have known what kind of future Sankaoken would bring me, I sure as hell wouldn't choose it.'

 _Even if not choosing me meant your death?_

The sudden mental voice popping on his head jolted him out of his thoughts; up slightly floating in mid-air, the smirking demon was silently watching him.

"What the hell?" Koga's astonished voice was low as his wide bicolored eyes looked for the katana. "You shouldn't be out here, so far from the katana."

 _Hey, I go where I please, shitty owner._

Koga squinted his eyes at the demon, not trusting it in the slightest.

"If you're going to keep pestering me, you should go back to your lair." The chronicler growled, not in the mood to chitchat with it after what happened earlier.

 _You didn't answer me._

The young man sighed; seemed he was going to be utterly ignored. Then he stood up to watch the dark horizon.

"I'd prefer death than this... half-life."

 _A life tied to a demon for the rest of your life?_ The demon snickered. _I'm pretty used to this, you know. Sure, you're the most annoying and boring host I've ever had, always self-controlling and not letting all your strength go out._

"Do I detect a 'But' in that sentence?"

 _Nope, no 'Buts'. You're plainly annoying. I'd love watching you die when I get out of your useless body._

Koga didn't bother to answer. He knew perfectly well the demon meant everything it said.

As he was trapped in his toughts, he barely noticed the demon disappearing with a last silent snicker. The chronicler knew that, if he was lucky and nobody killed him –and _Sankaoken_ in extent– he wasn't going to get precisely a peaceful death. After signing the Contract with _Sankaoken_ , he had followed a rather dark and bloody path that mostly devoided him of every emotion, partly to help him face his destiny sooner or later. But, because of him meeting the Straw Hat crew, he felt that strong wall around his feelings break, letting him feel things he didn't feel in a very long time.

He had looked at his fate straight in the eye and had accepted it with unwavering will. Now, that determination had faded away, substituted by a strong desire of living.

He didn't want to _die_ , he suddenly realized.

His intuition suddenly began tingling, almost startling him. Koga looked around in search of the upcoming threat, but soon stopped when his ear caught some muffled voices down in the kitchen. With a soft sigh, and using the rope ladder, the bicolor-eyed young man landed on the deck and began walking towards the kitchen.

He was already reaching it when a door behind him opened; he turned his head to notice a pissed-off looking Sanji muttering something under his breath.

"What?" Koga raised an eyebrow.

The cook raised his head and noticed him standing by the kitchen's door, hand already on the handle.

"That idiot escaped again to steal food from the kitchen, I'm sure of it." He growled.

Pushing the chronicler aside, he opened the door abruptly. Expecting some kind of ruckus involving the chef and the captain, Koga peered from the door, back against the doorframe.

Turned out, the infamous 'mouse' resulted in being the girl, who had been too hungry to ignore Sanji's delicious-smelling soup and tried to grab a bowl to eat. Then Luffy, also hungry, sneaked into the kitchen and –like the idiot he was– fell on the traps Sanji had settled to keep the captain's hands away from the food.

"Dammit, Luffy..." The cook ruffled his blonde hair with exasperation written in his face. "You're going to make this worse!"

"But it wasn't me!" Luffy pouted childishly, pointing at the girl. "Apis did it!"

The girl showed shock and surprise in her face as Sanji raised a swirled eyebrow, his anger momentarily forgotten. "Apis?"

"Yup, her name's Apis!"

"Nice to meet you, Apis-chan." Sanji smiled warmily at the girl, who flushed a deep red. She then averted her gaze at the unmoving chronicler as the chef began beating the crap out of Luffy; he caught her eye and turned his head towards the deck, not saying a word.

The girl blinked in confusion at this, and a hand suddenly began patting her head.

"Don't worry about that eye-freak." Apis looked up at Sanji. "He's like this with everyone. You'll get used to him."

"What did you say, ero-cook?" Koga glared angrily at him, before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep."

"By the way, why did you come?"

"I thought something was going on." He replied curtly before going to the men's quarters, ignoring Sanji's surprised look at the chronicler's back.

 **xXxTHE NEXT MORNINGxXx**

A booming explosion coming from the kitchen startled everyone, and a severely smoke-covered Apis came out from it.

"What the hell was that?" Usopp called out from behind Luffy.

Turned out, Apis had been making breakfast for everyone to thank them for rescuing her earlier. She had reached the conclusion that, though they proclaimed to be pirates, they weren't bad people at all.

"So come and eat what I've prepared!" She beamed.

Once in the kitchen, the crew –minus Sanji, who had offered to help Apis serve the food– was gathered at the table, glancing down at a suspicious-looking dark... something, that was silently steaming. It looked like eggs, but they were suspiciously dark.

Koga had a bad feeling about that.

"Come on, eat up!" The girl was practically jumping in excitement.

"Th-Thanks Apis, but I think I'm full already..." Nami tried to get off the hook with an uneasy smile.

"Huh? Without eating anything?"

"Uhh..."

The four of them –sans Luffy, who had begun devouring it without waiting for the others– looked at each other with identical thoughts in their minds. 'Well, here goes nothing.' Then, each of them took a spoonful of that dark 'food' and drove it to their mouths.

Suddenly, their faces' colors changed from a healthy pink to a deep blue in a blink of an eye, before opening their mouths screaming: "HOOOOOOOOOT!"

Multiple hands tried to snatch the water jar –with Zoro winning and Nami punching him to retrieve it– as Sanji and Apis looked at them blinking in confusion.

"Huh? Was it that bad?"

"Nononono, don't worry, Apis-chan, I'm sure it's delicious!" Sanji smiled down at him before snarling at the others: "Come on you lot, keep eating!"

"Are you joking?" Koga coughed after getting a huge gulp of water, looking at the cook with teary eyes. "I may like spicy curry, but 'spicy eggs' is too much even for me!"

"What did you say you eye-freak?! Apologize to Apis-chan immediately!"

"But he's right!" Usopp squealed, handing him a fork.

With a pissed expression, the chef tasted the food... only to get his face turning blue. At his side, Apis looked up at him worried.

"How is it?" She asked.

Obviously making a great effort, the cook swallowed the piece of 'spicy eggs' and tried to smile at her –failing terribly.

"Uh– It's good, but–"

"Don't lie shitty cook! It's disgusting!"

Apis winced, and then her big brown eyes glistened because of her unshed tears, her face showing a deep sadness. Seeing this, Sanji tried to cheer her up: "Oh no, Apis-chan, don't cry! See what you've done shitty eye-freak?! Apologize immediately!"

"Apologize!" Luffy cheered stupidly, his mouth full of that dark food.

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" Koga roared, before blinking in confusion at the captain. "How can you eat that?"

"Why not? It's delicious!" Without them noticing, his rubber hands had stolen all their foods. For once, none of the members of the crew protested about that fact; in fact, Koga was at least almost grateful for that.

But for now, all the chronicler could think about was the strange migraine he was beginning to suffer; he groaned softly as his hand rubbed his forehead.

"I'm sorry..." Apis' meek voice attracted their attention. "I only wanted to thank you all for rescuing me, but I'm not very good at cooking..."

There was an uncomfortable silence, in which Koga could feel remorse rooting in his heart. He already knew that his bad mood wasn't exactly Apis' fault, of course, but he couldn't help but to release some of his angered steam on the poor girl.

 _You're so used to bottle up all of your frustrations that when you explode, you can't control them._ The demon snickered in his head, making him frown and cross his arms over his chest. _One day, they'll be your ruin._

"Don't apologize, Apis." Nami crouched beside the girl with a soft smile on her lips. "And don't worry about Koga."

"Yeah, don't worry about him." Sanji patted her head affectionately. "He's been an ass lately."

Suddenly noticing everyone's eyes over him, the blond young man sighed while lifting his scarf up to his nose, looking at the wooden floor with a scowl. He then met Apis' bright eyes just before getting out of the room.

Not even bothering in walking away from the kitchen's door, the chronicler slumped his back against the wooden wall, raising his head to the blue sky, cloudless and bright. His encounter with Yuuto had severely put him on edge, and he had been paying the tension and the frustration with his nakama and the little girl they rescued earlier. It wasn't fair for them to bear with his anger.

Sitting on the floor, he listened at the slightly muffled voices inside the kitchen. Apis explained she had escaped from a Marine ship during the storm that caught them the day before, but couldn't tell them why they captured her in the first place. Koga didn't know why, but that sounded fishy in his ears.

She also told the crew about her being from Warship Island, and Luffy and the others decided to stop by and drop her off before going to the Grand Line. She sounded grateful at the goofy captain's decision, but then doubt tainted her voice as she muttered something he couldn't quite hear.

"Oh, Koga?" Usopp answered whatever the girl had said. "Don't worry, he's not angry, I'm sure of it. He's a good guy, but he's being a little odd lately. Since we got away from Loguetown, I think."

"You're right." That was Nami's voice; she seemed quite serious. "How did that Marine guy look like?"

"Pale, dark hair and blue eyes, freckled face." Zoro summarized idly, his voice sounding sleepy. "Seemed to know Koga pretty well. Koga looked like in shock when he tried to block our path."

"Whoever that guy is, that eye-freak is scared of him..." Sanji mused.

'Scared?' The chronicler thought. 'Of Yuuto? Or of what he's able to do...?'

"Anyways, let's be patient with him and give him some time to relax." The navigator decided. "Right now, we have to focus on getting Apis to Warship Island..."

Koga blinked upon hearing this, feeling something akin to gratefulness and relief.

'Of course,' he thought, smiling softly under his scarf. 'Luffy and the others aren't like the other pirates I've seen and met. They... they're _different_.'

Walking off to the main deck and beginning to climb up the rope ladder to the crow's nest, he noticed the kitchen's door opening and spreading all over the ship, with a confident-looking Apis in toe. Her wide smile brightened her face, making the chronicler smirk in return, but making sure no one saw him.

He'd apologize later to all of them because of his behavior.

For now, he first had to get over with his thoughts.

Suddenly, his intuition tingled, and the blond young chronicler snapped his head upwards. A whole fleet of ships, with the familiar Marine emblem on their sails, stood proudly in their way, a bit far away from them but quickly approaching.

"Guys, we've got company!" He alerted, instantly attracting everyone's attention. "The Marines!"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **So here it is, the first chapter of Apis' Arc. I'm aware it's not very good xD I admit I was feeling lazy and I didn't revise the chap as I usually do. So, sorry for such crappy chap xD**

 **Okay, so please feed up the hungry beast! See ya next time!**


	20. Nest

**20\. Nest**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Hi! I'm back, sooner than expected, with another chap of Apis' Arc. I hope you like it, I'm personally satisfied with it, despite being it so short. Sorry about that, by the way.**

 **Before I forget, this will be the last chap I publish before starting college again –this means, I'll upload even less often than in holidays. I'll try to keep the story up, don't worry, I'm enjoying it too much and you're very supportive about it.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hehe, glad you liked it ^^! Yeah, I thought since I posted Gaimon's episode, I should stick with the anime as much as I can. About Koga's after-effects, it seemed evident to me that, after being separated from your brother for so long and finding him wanting to kill you so badly, it would suppose a great shock on anyone. And yeah, he's very VERY secretive with his things –not only because he's not the talkative type, but also (though he won't admit it even to himself) because he's worried about the Straw Hat crew and the possible consequences of revealing such shocking secrets –I mean, honestly, how can you tell your friends that you're cursed and have a demon living in your body? Thriller Bark's gonna be fun, I assure you, considering how Sankaoken is! xD**

 **-teslaman: Yeah, I loved that anime. I suppose I'll have to put the disclaimer on that too, since I'll use that demon and I didn't create it personally. I supposed it was going to be easier for you to visualize an actual, human-like (as much as possible) figure talking that a katana –though personally, before deciding to put an actual image to the demon, I imagined a mouth over the katana while talking xD**

 **-dog: Yeah, I felt bad treating her like this. Well, he'll apologize to everyone, don't worry.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"THE MARINES?!" Usopp cried out, gripping the sides of his head as Koga slid down the rope ladder to the deck and the rest of the crew –along with Apis– reunited with Luffy at the front. "WHY DOES FATE HATE ME SO MUCH?!"

"I wonder if they're after my bounty." The captain mused out loud with an idiotic grin on his face and putting a hand over his beloved straw hat.

"Why would they send this whole fleet just to retrieve your bounty, Luffy?" Nami sweatdropped at her captain.

"Well, I _am_ impressive after all!"

Koga glanced sideways at the goofy rubber-brained boy, but decided to stay quiet, too occupied determining whether or not to use _Sankaoken_ in that fight. Nothing told him they were going to get involved in a battle –meaning, his intuition was totally mute.

"What's the matter?"

Sanji's question, so out of the blue, made Koga turn his head and observe at a slightly shaking Apis taking instinctively a step back, big brown eyes locked on the upcoming fleet. For a moment, the fear that showed in the girl's entire being shocked the chronicler a bit.

"Th– Those are the Marines from Branch 8! They're the ones I escaped from!" She took another step back, her breathing becoming shallow and erratic. "What am I going to do now...?"

'What could some Marines want from a mere girl?' The blond young man wondered briefly with a quirked eyebrow, before suddenly the water around them began rocking because of the cannonballs thrown at them from the nearest ship. He quickly grabbed the railing with a hand with his knees bended a bit, and caught a small glimpse of Sanji covering a frightened Apis from the attacks from the corner of his eye.

"Attention pirates!" The head Marine called to them using a snail-megaphone. "We order you to stop your vessel immediately!"

Once the Merry stopped bobbling up and down, Koga released his grip on the railing and shot a furious glance at the Marines. Good, they would be the ones who would suffer his bottled-up frustration.

"What do you wanna do?" Zoro asked Luffy, even knowing what his answer would be. "I don't know about you, but I want to fight them."

The captain nodded briefly. "Then we fight!"

Of course, Usopp had a saying in all this.

"Say WHAT?!" He yelled in fright at the two of them. "No way! Why must we always fight impossible odds?!"

"I won't even bother attacking them with _Sankaoken_." Koga commented, lifting his scarf up to his nose and still shooting irated glances at the Marines. "They're only small fry. Let them come."

"THEY OUTNUMBER US!" The teen's long nose bended against the chronicler's inexpressive face. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THEY'RE SMALL FRY?!"

"If you're so scared, stay back."

And, not wanting or expecting an answer from the sharpshooter, the bicolor-eyed young man pushed him aside and went to the front beside the figurehead, ready to take them all on, if needed be.

A familiar cry sounded from above their heads, a small flock of gulls flying quickly over them. But, amidst the cannonball's blasts, no one heard them. No one, except a little girl, who looked up at them in surprise as she grabbed the railing with both arms.

"A wind is coming." She muttered, being overheard by Nami –who was standing nearby. "He says is a strong one."

The girl hadn't even finished talking when the red-haired navigator's skills sprung into action.

"Zoro and Koga, lean the sail pointing south!" She exclaimed in a commanding tone, making everyone in the crew look at her in surprise at her sudden intervention. "Usopp and Sanji, right rudder full!"

"What's happening?!" Luffy asked as the others hurried to obey her orders.

"A gust is coming! We'll ride it out and go from there!"

Zoro and Koga finished leaning the sail and the chronicler quickly reached the stern of the ship to watch the Marines approaching them. If the gust didn't take them in time, their escape route would be useless, and they would have to fight nonetheless –not that the male members of the crew, sans Usopp, were exactly complaining about that fact. In fact, the chronicler was more than ready to take as many Marines as he could.

Their expectant wait was rewarded greatly when a sudden gust of wind swept overhead, billowing the sails and speeding the Merry off. As Koga took a hold once more on the railing, he raised his head in time to see the Marine fleet helpessly falling behind, unable to keep up with his sudden increasing speed. The crew –mainly Usopp, who didn't want to fight the Marines in the first place– cheered as the Merry's quick advance slowed down until stopping completely.

Not bothering to hear Usopp mocking on the Marines' slow ships, the bicolor-eyed chronicler felt a sudden sensation of deja-vu as he looked around while walking back to the rest of the crew. The waves were so soft they practically didn't waver the ship or emit any noise; the seagulls that alerted them from the upcoming wind –though Koga didn't know that fact– had vanished in thin air. As the young man lifted his head, he noticed the sails unfurled but completely flat and unmoving, as well as their pirate flag.

But the thing that confirmed Koga's dread feeling, was the eerie silence. Utter, complete silence that surrounded them. Not even the soft waves emitted any kind of noise.

The crew had been discussing those same facts as he had been watching everything absent-minded when they suddenly hear him emit what sounded like a choking noise: "Oh fuck."

Surprised to hear him talk like that, Luffy and the others turned to see their chronicler watching wide-eyed their surroundings.

"What is it?" Usopp decided to ask, albeit shakily.

"We need to get out of here. _Now_." His gaze lifted to meet Nami's. "This is–!"

Not having time to finish his sentence, the ship suddenly started to shake a bit, the once still waters becoming restless all of a sudden. The only female member of the pirate crew looked at the deck, then at the stern chronicler, and then, her eyes widened in realization.

Her shriek surprised everyone but Koga, who had expected it. "We're screwed!" She cried out gripping the sides of her head in fright. "We've entered the Calm Belt! The part of the sea were nothing moves a muscle!"

Of course, the rest didn't understand Koga and Nami's sudden fright about it all. All they saw was the completely still sea after all; there was nothing to be so worried about– wasn't it?

Nami hurried to roll a map and began explaining about the Grand Line being surrounded by the Calm Belt, a place were wind didn't blow and nothing moved. It was pretty sucky being stuck in that place unless they paddle out of the Calm Belt, but what frightened the chronicler and the navigator the most wasn't exactly the absence of wind, but something much worse.

"Well, how can we get out if our ship can't move?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe the wind will start blowing again?" Luffy suggested rather goofily, making Nami and Koga roll their eyes in exasperation.

"Wind never blows here!" The navigator snapped angrily, trying to put reason into their captain's thick skull.

"But that's not the only danger here–" Koga started to explain from behind the crew, just as the ship began rocking again, this time more forcefully.

Multiple screams and a "What's going on!" of Luffy were heard as a strange feeling almost toppled them to the deck. Not having the time to check if the others were okay, the chronicler raised his head to find glaring at a giant serpent's eye, the ship dangerously balancing on its snout. Everyone gaped in horror as multiple sea serpents' heads rose from the water as well.

"The Calm Belt is where the Sea Kings live and breed." Nami finished weakly, comic tears running down her face as she embraced the main mast with both her arms tightly.

Koga shushed her suddenly, freezing in the spot as he realized something. "They hadn't notice us yet." He mumbled, trying to raise his hoarse voice loud enough for the others to hear.

The others, quickly realizing the chronicler was right, imitated him and shut their mouths. Though, Usopp and Nami's whimpers sounded like thunders in the bicolor-eyed young man's ears. Minutes passed by, and none of the monsters moved an inch from where they were.

"Any ideas for how to get out of this?" Sanji hissed softly.

"Yeah, don't move a muscle." Zoro replied, hand over one of his katana's hilt. "Once they go away, we'll get out of here."

Finally, tension made Usopp snap: "YOU CALL THAT A PLAN!"

'Dammit, Usopp!' Koga cursed in his mind as a giant yellow frog-like Sea King noticed them and leapt up, making the Sea King they're sitting on move and tilting the ship dangerously. Well, there went Zoro's cunning plan down the drain.

Suddenly, Koga's intuition tingled as he noticed from the corner of his eye that Apis lost her footing because of the violent movements and was about to fall over the railing. Not having the time to give an afterthought to what he was about to do, the chronicler sprinted forwards from the other side of the deck towards Apis. His fingertips barely gripped the hem of her dress before another sudden movement caught him off-guard, the railing bobbing up and bumping in his stomach, launching overboard too. Yanking on Apis' dress, he embraced her tightly as they fell down towards the yellow frog, not hearing amidst the roaring wind the girl's frightened cries.

"APIS-CHAN!"

"KOGA!"

The blond young man heard Luffy's voice and lifted an arm just as the captain's stretched hand snatched around his wrist, effectively halting their fall with a bouncing move. Koga's other arm tightened around Apis' body as they bounced up and down for a while.

"You okay?" The chronicler asked.

The girl, noticing the absence of a collision and the firm pressure of an arm around her, lifted her gaze to find Koga's serious face looking down at her, his distinctive eyes squinted in what seemed worry.

"Yeah..." She answered in a whisper, glancing down for a fleeting moment... before yelping in fright and snatching his shirt with her tiny hands, scared at the height.

"Whoa, careful there."

"How are we floating here...?" Her big brown eyes noticed Koga's lifted arm and the unnaturally stretched hand that went up to the ship; she gaped comically. "His arm's stretching! Does he have Devil Fruit powers?"

Unbeknownst to the girl, the young man squinted his eyes in sudden suspicion. Devil Fruits were considered a myth and not everyone knew about their existence. How did a small girl appeared from nowhere and fleeing from the Marines know about that...?

"Yeah, the Gomu Gomu Fruit. He's a rubber man."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"As far as I know, you didn't ask. But I think this is not the time for such questions."

Apis blinked before nodding. She then looked down at the Sea King holding Merry on its snout still. The chronicler didn't exactly need his intuition to suppose that she was plotting something.

"I have an idea." She suddenly said, and then raised her voice to make sure Luffy heard her. "Hey, swing your arm again!"

"Okay!" They heard Luffy's faint response.

Both of them began swinging from side to side, making Koga tighten his grip around Apis as, up there, Usopp and Sanji began freaking out at their moron captain. The young man noticed that, with each swing, they were getting closer and closer to the Sea King's nose, and his bicolored eyes widened in realization as he suddenly understood Apis' plan.

"His is totally unsanitary." He groaned as they landed inside the monster's nose. Apis looked up at him wide-eyed. "But, I suppose it'll do. Come on, I'll grab you while you hold onto one of these."

And he glanced over one of the Sea King's nose hairs. Trying not to think about how unsanitary it was. And failing to quit the disgusted look on his face.

Apis looked up at him and snickered when she saw his expression. She then grabbed the nose hair tightly with both of her arms surrounding it, and the chronicler adjusted his grip on her, still holding onto Luffy's stretched arm.

"NOW!"

And the captain, thankfully hearing the girl, yanked them back up as hard as he could, with Apis taking a little... souvenir with them. As both of them flew up, the girl dropped the hair and turned around to grip onto Koga's shirt. The monster let out loud snuffles as they sailed back up towards the ship.

"It sounds..." Nami muttered, wide-eyed.

"It sounds like it's gonna sneeze!" Sanji finished her thought, gripping the railing as hard as he could.

Apis flashed a knowing grin at Koga, who simply smirked. Luffy let go of his arm once they were near the deck and the chronicler flexed his legs to reduce the impact on the wooden floor. The girl, once the young man let her go, gave the captain a thumbs up and he answered with a familiar grin on his face.

"Get ready!" He commanded. "We're going for a ride!"

Just as everyone got a hold onto something to avoid flying off board, the Sea King let out a loud sneeze, lifting a huge gust of wind similar to the one that directed them to the Calm Belt, sending them off flying with loud screams and an excited "Whoo-hoo!" coming from Luffy. During the little ride, no one noticed Koga's small grin of excitement written on his scarred face.

Once back on the regular ocean that they all knew about –and once recovered from the fright of finding themselves into the Sea Kings' own nest– everyone actually calmed down and looked around.

"Looks like we're back where we started." Nami commented.

"And no Marines either." Zoro added after he went to check at the stern.

"Okay!" Luffy launched his arms towards the sky. "Now that we're safe, let's go to Wars–!"

 **BONK!**

"Now wait a second." Koga's voice was as unwavering as ever, as if he didn't just bonked his captain, leaving him on the deck with a large bump on the back of his head and the others with a sweatdrop at the scene. "There's something I want to discuss."

"What is it now?" The swordsman crossed his arms over his chest.

The blond young man sighed, lifting his scarf again.

"I owe you all an apology for my behavior." His sudden declaration made them blink. "I just... I didn't know what's gotten into me lately. I was... not myself. I've been an ass and I'm sorry."

"Oh." Luffy looked at his chronicler and then brought a goofy smile on his face. "It's okay, we for–!

 **BONK!**

Another fist, this time coming from Nami, interrupted him yet again.

"I think that, more to us, you should apologize to Apis." She declared, making the girl gasp in surprise. "You have been pretty rude with her."

"Nami-san's right." Sanji lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke. "We know how you are, but she's been worried that you were angry at her. I don't know who that Marine guy is or why did you react like that, but don't pay that anger with her."

Koga glanced down at Apis, who began shaking her head frantically as she began babbling: "Nonono, it's okay, he saved me, I couldn't...!"

"They're right." He smirked as he crouched down in front of her. Her brown eyes widened as she stopped talking. "I'm sorry."

Apis blushed a bright red as she looked at him, her big brown eyes wide. In all honesty, she had been a little afraid of the quiet, serious-looking young man that always seemed to be watching her closely, as if expecting her to do something and begin accusing her. It wasn't the same look Zoro directed at her, cautious but not accusing. But now, all Koga's bicolored eyes showed was regret.

She smiled too, a huge grin on her face. "Of course I forgive you. You saved me earlier!"

Koga's eyes widened, as if not expecting her to forgive him so easily, but then his features softened and stood up again. Then, Nami's thoughtful eyes fell upon the girl, as a sudden realization struck her.

"I _do_ have a question too." She said, earning everyone's attention. "How come you knew about the gust of wind?"

"Eh? Uh, Um... I–"

"You have Devil Fruit powers, haven't you?"

Apis looked up in surprise at Koga, who smirked down at her knowingly.

"How did you–?"

"Intuition." He shrugged.

"Koga's intuitions are normally right." Usopp explained to Apis as she glanced once more at the chronicler in surprise.

"... Yes, I ate the Hiso Hiso Fruit. I can read the minds of any animal."

"Of course, that flock of seagulls!" Nami realized, bumping her hand with a closed fist. "You talked to them and they told you about the gust of wind!"

"Yeah." The girl suddenly looked down at the floor. "I should have told you all about my powers sooner."

"Don't worry." The navigator put a hand over the girl's shoulder. "It's totally normal to not tell anyone if you have Devil Fruit powers. We didn't know Koga was a Devil Fruit user until some days ago." She pointed at the blond young man with her thumb, making him blush slightly and raise the scarf to his nose in embarrasment.

"Shut up, I already explained why." He grumbled.

"And the first time Luffy used his, everyone freaked out." Usopp smiled at Apis as he pulled Luffy's cheek stretching it. "So we understand perfectly how you feel."

Apis' face lit up. "So... You're still gonna take me home?" She asked hopeful.

"Of course!" Luffy exclaimed after the sharpshooter let go of his cheek. The girl laughed and smiled brightly at them.

"Thank you all!" She exclaimed, and everyone smiled.

"Alright, this time for real, set sail to Warship Island!" Their captain exclaimed, receiving a cheerful "AYE!" from the crew.

And with that, the Straw Hat crew, along with Apis, were off to Warship Island. Hopefully, the Marines wouldn't catch up with them and no more problems –meaning, entering the Calm Belt again– were about to step in their way.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, that's it! Hope you liked it, see you next chap! Please keep feeding the hungry beast!**


	21. Dragon

**21\. Dragon**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Almost sixty reviews! Almost SIXTY!**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Thanks! I didn't want Koga to be like that with the crew for too long. He only worries about them, but doesn't cope with worry very well xD. Hehe, I still have to sort out a few things for Koga when they venture in Thriller Bark, but yeah, it'll be fun! We totally should! Maybe in another fic we could! See ya, and same for you!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: It's one of my favorites too! Yeah he does know about their existence, but he only met one giant before.**

 **-Ikaros Light: Yeah, Luffy, Koga and Apis. What a trio. I tried to make their meeting interesting, but... I dunno.**

 **-dog: Yeah, Apis is SO DAMN CUTE! In the near future, I promise he'll tell them about his brother. Just stay tuned!**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: Absolutely!**

 **-Grandy M: Thanks, and happy birthday!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

For once, luck was on their side as the Straw Hat crew and their 'guest' Apis sailed towards Warship Island. Everything was calm and peaceful, even too peaceful. Or at least that was what _Sankaoken_ was bitching about all day; luckily, only Koga was able to see _and_ hear the demon.

The fact that no one seemed to perceive the demon had been a little detail he hadn't known until a certain moment, after midday supper, when suddenly _Sankaoken_ appeared in the middle of the table shrieking loudly. Of course his sudden appearance was startling... but only for Koga, the only one that jumped almost a foot in his chair and receiving more than one confused, startled and slightly worried look at him. Being _Sankaoken_ , he had snickered at the chronicler's red face and a furious glance directed at his plate to avoid the others'. Once he got away from prying eyes, of course, he had berated the demon, who protested that he had been bored waiting for him to pick the katana.

He hadn't thought about it before, but he then remembered that _Sankaoken_ had been saving too much power for his liking from before fighting against Arlong. If the demon had been secretly gathering power since then... Maybe next time he fought with the katana would be dangerous for him.

Upon arriving at the island, of course, the inhabitants were feeling pretty wary about them; but Apis stepped out for them and changed their minds effectively before everything went overboard. Once everyone calmed down, an old man with gray hair and beard stepped out of the crowd; the girl's face brightened in happiness.

"Grandpa Bokuden!" She exclaimed, running into his outstretched arms.

"I'm glad you're safe, precious!" He said to her happily before glancing at the pirates. "Thank you for saving my granddaughter. I'm in your debt."

Luffy smiled goofily as only answer, with everyone around imitating him.

"Would you like to stay at my house and have something to eat?"

"Grandpa's pork buns are the best on the whole island!" Apis added cheerily.

"I don't think our captain needs any more convincing..." Koga grinned as he watched the raven-haired boy jump up and down in excitement, already unable to wait to grub.

And thus the pirate crew was unexpectedly invited to eat something. Once at the old man's house, the delicious smell floating in the air was making Luffy drool more than usual, which led to Sanji to observe Bokuden's recipe in order to reproduce it at the Merry next time. Not that anyone of the crew was complaining; in fact, they were eager to try them.

Bokuden put the buns in a heated basket and closed the lid with a satisfied smile.

"Just a little longer now." The old man commented.

"Oh boy can't wait!" Luffy was by far the most excited of them all.

"How long will we have to wait?" Sanji asked, the chef inside him taking the lead.

"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say no more than four or five hours."

...

...

... Huh?

"WHAT?!" Usopp and Luffy yelled in unison with shocked expressions.

 _Hahahahahaha, your FACES!_ Koga heard Sankaoken laughing loudly in his head, making him flinch. _Please repeat it again!_

'Oh shut it!' The chronicler thought, shaking his head forcefully.

Seemingly ignoring their shell-shocked expressions, Bokuden gestured to them to get inside the house and wait.

"They'll be ready before you know it." He added, smiling softly.

Luffy's groan was barely audible as he walked inside, the others following suit. Once they all got comfortable, Nami explained how they met Apis and the fact that the Marines were after her.

"Bokuden, do you know why they are after Apis?" She asked, straight to the point.

"Hmmm..." The old man looked at his granddaughter. "Do you know why, Apis?"

"No sir." She shook her head.

"Wait a minute, earlier you said you knew but didn't tell us!" The navigator quickly caught up on her lie, an eyebrow raised in disapproval.

"Oh, uh, I lied!"

Koga's distinctive eyes glared at her, and using his intuition, discovered that she was lying. She _did_ know why they were after only hoped that, now that the girl knew they were trustworthy, she would stop lying to them.

"Youre kidding me!" Usopp exclaimed, bringing the blond out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing significant about this island." Bokuden explained, shrugging helplessly. "Nothing except an old legend."

An old legend...? Now the old man had the chronicler's full attention. His head perked up in interest as _Sankaoken_ , lying at his side, hummed in silent laughter.

"Some say that our ancestors are descendants of people from Lost Island which sank into the sea years ago. Lost Island is the home of the Sennenryu, and their bones are called Dragonite."

That sounded somewhat familiar, Koga realized as he zoned off the old man's suddenly soporific voice. Didn't it have anything related to immortality or something like that...? Not that the blond believed in eternal life, but if something the legend told was true –regarding of course the existence of that mystic Lost Island and the Dragonite– then it was evident why a Marine would try to capture not only Apis, but any Warship Island resident.

But something kept nagging at the back of his head, a feeling he had been having since arriving for the first time to the island. It wasn't a threatening presence, but old. Very, very _old_. It was somewhat uneasy.

A discreet creak coming from the door made him snap out of his thoughts just in time to notice Apis slipping out of the house. Raising an eyebrow, the chronicler glanced around and noticed the rest of the crew dozing off while hearing Bokuden's long story; no one seemed to notice the girl sneaking out of the house. Deciding to do something instead of sitting there bored to death, Koga picked up the katana and followed the girl.

Whatever was plaguing Apis' mind, she didn't seem to notice him at all. She went first to the kitchen, grabbing some pork buns and putting them inside a large bag. As the girl stood up with the bag and a huge grin on her face, she froze as she noticed a sleepy Luffy dragging his feet towards the kitchen, not noticing the chronicler hiding behind the door. The captain walked past Koga and collapsed mid-step, fast asleep.

'Well I suppose old Bokuden's story is pretty boring.' The blond young man smirked.

He could almost feel Apis deflating in relief upon being undiscovered –or so she thought, anyways–, and she walked past the slightly snoring Luffy, dragging the sack of food behind her. Outside the house, she crawled through some bushes and began climbing a hidden trail up the mountain, Koga always following her a few steps behind and making sure she didn't see him when she looked back to check.

 _It's not the first time she goes this way. Sankaoken_ commented, voice filled with boredom.

'Well duh.' He rolled his eyes at the demon's remark. 'She's hiding something.'

It wasn't long before the chronicler realized the old presence, or whatever it was, was getting near them. He had to refrain himself from stopping the girl, seeing as she was obviously familiar with that pressure; she showed no fear or hesitation even as she swung across a small cliff, risking breaking her neck. He could only admire her braveness in doing so.

At last, they both reached the top of the mountain, revealing a huge cave, dark and seemingly depthless.

"Ryu-ji?" Apis called, the bag full of food being carried behind her as she entered the cave.

The overwhelming presence felt like a physical weight upon Koga, but he tried to ignore it as he squinted his eyes to see whatever it was inside the cave.

...

What. The. _HELL_.

'Is that what I think it is?'

He could only see part of it, but it was enough to make him bug his eyes almost out of their sockets in astonishment. It was green, and feathery, and ungodly HUGE! Just seeing the head made him felt like an ant.

'A dragon.'

Like a flash, Lost Island's legend went through his mind, the loosened ends finally connected. Now he understood why the Marines had gone after a little girl– no, why they went after Apis specifically. It wasn't only because of her Devil Fruit powers, though normally that was reason enough for a corrupted Marine to go after her.

It was because of her friendship with a dragon. And that meant...

Apis' sudden yell snapped him out of his thoughts. She was glaring right at him, and he realized that, in his daze, he had come out of his hideout to see the dragon better. Said one was glaring at him with a warning in his huge old-looking eyes, the already empty bag on the ground at the side of its head.

'Well, there goes discretion down the sink.'

"You followed me here?" The little girl asked, once recovered from the shock of seeing the chronicler of the pirate crew there.

He nodded, wordlessly, still numbstruck upon seeing a myth coming true upon his eyes. He was a chronicler, and as such, he was more than used to myths, but not everyday you could see a _living legend_ in flesh and bones!

"Oh, you've seen him too." Apis looked at a slightly calmed Ryu. "Well, this is Ryu-ji. And he's... well, he's a dragon. But it's okay!" She quickly added flailing her arms. "He may be big and a bit senile, but he's really nice."

"I know." Koga's surprisingly calm voice finally left his throat. He was still surprised, but nothing inside him tingled in warning, so he knew that, despite his huge size, the dragon was a pacific one. He didn't know if every dragon was like him, though, and for a moment curiosity struck him. "Nice to meet you, Ryu. I'm Koga."

"..." The dragon observed him with its depthless dark eyes, both of them ignoring the girl's surprised expression at seeing the chronicler greet so formally at a dragon.

"He... He said 'Nice to meet you too.'" She translated what Ryu said in her head. "He said you're a good soul, despite being so dark. What does he mean?"

Koga flinched, but either way he smirked afterwards and walked to the great figure lying on the ground, taking in its hugeness and the calm and wise aura emanating from it. He then frowned when, upon making eye-contact with the dragon, he perceived a glitter of loneliness hidden in those big dark eyes, tired and sad.

"Why are you looking so lonely?" The blond asked, with an uncharacteristic soft voice.

Ryu blinked slowly. Apis looked at the ground when Koga turned to her.

"Ryu-ji just wants to go home, to Lost Island." She simply answered.

'But it sank, a long time ago.' The chronicler remembered from when he heard the legend. He kept that thought to himself, though, not wishing to crush the dragon's hopes so easily.

"He's certain that Lost Island will reappear any day now. He just... doesn't remember where it is."

Uh, wasn't there some kind of telepathy?

"I've been looking through all kinds of old texts and ancient records, but I can't find anything. The legend itself has no clues." The girl put a small hand on Ryu's snout. "So, I decided to ask the Marines for help, but all they cared about was finding Dragonite. That's why they took me away."

"... Now I understand." Koga sighed while lifting his scarf up to his nose. "What a pain in the ass. Now we'll have to deal with some crazy power-thirsty Marines. Just great."

"Please don't tell the others!" Apis suddenly exclaimed, joining her hands.

"Huh?"

"It's bad enough that you know my secret, but I don't want the others to get involved in all this too. Please promise me that you'll keep this a secret!"

Koga's intuition began tingling then, as two familiar presences approached the entrance of the cave from behind the pleading girl. He couldn't help but to smirk as he pointed out: "I think I don't need to make any promises."

Just then Apis turned around and spread her arms, back towards Ryu, as if her small figure could hide its massive size. Already knowing how his dumb captain would react to the dragon's presence, Koga put his hands over his ears and was surrounded by blissful silence as Luffy freaked out over Ryu and Nami froze at the cave's entrance– whether by fear or surprise, the chronicler didn't know.

He could only admire Ryu's patience as Luffy's cuddling began to be a bit... persistent, to say the least. And when he finally calmed down and looked at Ryu's big eye, Koga's arms lowered to his sides.

"Where on earth did you come from?" Luffy asked. A full second of silence passed as the two of them glared at each other, unmoving. "Sure, I think I understand... You want to go home, right?"

Apis gasped in surprise. "How did you do that? How did you read Ryu-ji's mind like I did?"

"I think he didn't read Ryu's mind." Koga answered, and the girl looked up at him, even more confused than before. "He's only using his empathy to communicate with the dragon. In a way, it's like me using my intuition, but I can't use it the way Luffy does. Or the way you do." He smiled down at her.

"... It was because of my powers that I met Ryu-ji."

Then Apis, with a bit of the blond's help, summarized what they both knew about the Sennenryu and the Dragonite.

"The elixir of immortality?" Nami asked, wide-eyed. "Then I can definitely understand. Though it's pretty dangerous for a girl, you know."

"I know." Apis nodded, looking at the ground in sadness. "That's why I've kept it a secret. But I have to get Ryu-ji back home, no matter what. It's the only way he'll get his strength back."

 _The girl has balls, I have to admit it._

'Oh, shut it already.'

"Alright then!" Luffy then exclaimed. "We'll take him home!"

Koga smirked, fully agreeing with him, but Nami had another opinion.

"Idiot, we can't take him home! Lost Island sank!"

"But this is a Sennenryu! If he exists, then Lost Island exists too!"

"Wow, you used your brain to find it out." The chronicler looked at him, sincerely impressed by his display.

Then the navigator sighed, seeing that she was unable to change her idiot captain's mind. "Well, once the captain makes up his mind, there's not stopping him. I'm in."

"Really?" Apis' big brown eyes glared at the three pirates in wonder and hope. "You'll take him?"

"Of course!" Luffy nodded, a huge grin on his face.

"You'll need strong people to move this mole." The blond smirked to clarify he was only joking. "And besides, I'm pretty interested in writing about this. Not everyday can someone declare he had seen a living legend."

"Thank you!"

A few hours later, when the rest of the crew presented Ryu to them –and getting the expected reactions– Luffy and Nami both explained its relationship with Apis, her Devil Fruit powers and also the Marines' involvement in all that mess. Zoro and Sanji agreed fully –the former because of the perspective of a good fight and the latter to protect Apis– whereas Usopp took a bit more of convincing. But nevertheless, in the end everything was settled and a plan began forging in their heads.

After getting Usopp's head out of Ryu's mouth –apparently, the dragon had mistaken his head for food– Nami explained that, even having a good plan, the Marines wouldn't make things easy. According to Bokuden, they had been set out a blockade and were searching them all, even Apis. It was going to be difficult getting out of the island, let alone with a giant dragon that could barely move at all.

"But how are we supposed to get a giant dragon onto the Going Merry?" Usopp asked with a huge question mark over his head.

"We don't need to get it _onto_ the ship." Koga intervened. "We can just carry it in a cart."

"Exactly!" Nami agreed, nodding at the chronicler. "We'll build a cart, one big enough for Ryu-ji. So everyone, let's get to work!"

"AYE!"

Making the cart went rather quickly, considering how skillful Usopp was in creating a blueprint for the cart. Zoro and Koga were put to cut logs and Sanji and Luffy to carry and put them according to Nami's and Usopp's directions. Everyone worked swiftly and without a rest, until an hour later they finished building the cart.

Apis' eyes shone in admiration.

"It's so sturdy!" She exclaimed. "Not even Ryu-ji could break it!"

Usopp smiled with pride evident on his features.

"This is only the easiest part." Koga interrupted whatever the long-nosed teen was going to say, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm. "Now, how are we gonna get this cart with Ryu on it to the Merry without the Marines noticing us?"

"I suggest attacking them." Zoro raised a hand, but Nami bonked his head.

"That won't work with a giant dragon with us you idiot!" She screeched, before clearing her throat and looking at the rest of the crew. "Stealth's gonna be important here, so one of us will have to get the harbor, sneak aboard the Merry and sail it to the rear of the island."

"Well, since my good friend Kaya gave us the ship, I should be the one to go." Usopp, puffing out his chest, stepped forward. "Buuuut..." He suddenly pointed at Koga with a jamming finger. "Koga's going with me!"

The chronicler deadpanned at him. "What?"

"Well, that's fine by me."

"What the hell guys...?" The young man groaned in defeat.

"Alright, we leave by nightfall!"

"No, now! We're running out of time! Bring the ship to the edge of that cape, the one that looks like your nose."

Luffy bursted in laughter and the others smirked, while Usopp sweatdropped at the comparison.

"Alright... But how are you gonna–?"

"Leave that to me. In the meantime, you two get moving!"

"You know, for a navigator you sure give a lot of orders!" Usopp complained while beginning to run to the harbor.

"Don't screw it up while we're gone." Koga nodded at the rest of the crew as he followed the sharpshooter.

"We're not like you, you shitty eye-freak!" They barely heard Sanji's response.

The chronicler quickly surpassed the long-nosed teen in running, risking their necks but more worried about getting to the harbor before the Marines –and without being noticed by them too.

In the end they reached it safely and without any incidents or witnesses, but their luck disappeared when they noticed the Merry in the harbor, guarded by four Marines. Actually, it was Koga who noticed them first, so he had to grab Usopp by the back of his overall and drag him backwards, both of them hiding behind some barrels.

"This is why I wanted to go at nightfall!" Usopp moaned as he peeked out from behind the barrel.

Koga put a hand over the long-nosed teen's mouth, trying to hear what the Marines were murmuring with his enhanced hearing. He could listen some key words, like 'search the girl' and the name of someone called the commodore 'Nelson Royale'.

"Okay, here's the plan." He murmured, dropping his hand off Usopp's mouth and turning towards him. "I'll take those four down."

"Okay!" The long-nosed teen nodded enthusiastically, relieved that he wasn't going to fight. But the chronicler hadn't finished speaking just yet.

"You cover my back in case there are more Marines in the area."

And ignoring Usopp's wailings, he drew out _Sankaoken_ out of his hilt and dashed towards the four unsuspecting Marines, muttering under his breath the technique to increase his speed.

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!"

The already familiar sensation running through his veins and the adrenaline launched him forwards at an almost blinding speed, the world around him moving like jelly. _Sankaoken_ slashed the back of the knees of a Marine to drop him to the ground and keep him there, but suddenly he felt a surge of pain on his entire body as the katana moved on its own to cut the kneeling Marine's head off in a flourish. Cursing inwardly and staring wide-eyed at what he had done, the young man tried to control his katana by imposing his own willpower; fortunately, it was strong enough to prevent the demon from killing the other three, dropping them unconscious instead.

The whole action lasted barely a few seconds, and when time began flowing as it should, Usopp blinked and then peered over the barrel to see the four bodies on the ground, one dead and the other three out-cold. Koga was in the middle, but was groaning softly as he held his right wrist with his free hand, suffering evident in his features. Everything happened so quickly the teen barely didn't have time to 'cover his back', as his friend told him to do.

"Koga!" He exclaimed, running out to him and supporting him as he staggered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." The bicolor-eyed chronicler groaned in pain before trying to smile at the worried younger boy. "I'll be." He breathed heavily, swallowing his pain before sheathing the katana and stepping away from the long-nosed teen. "Okay, let's meet with the others."

They raised the anchor and released the sails, the Merry quickly leaving harbor thanks to a sudden gust of wind that they could catch in time. But they were a bit too fast, and Koga's intuition tingled as they noticed a large Marine ship heading towards them from the blockade, ready to cut their path!

"No, we're gonna crash!" Usopp yelled in fright.

"I'll get the tiller!" Koga exclaimed, rushing towards it and using his Devil Fruit powers to prevent it from breaking because of his forceful pull, the other boy running to help him.

They both got knocked to the ground when they collided with the Marine ship on the side, but sprung back up and recovering their grip on the tiller, pulling as hard as their arms could.

The Merry's side scraped against the side of the Marine ship, before another gust of wind let them take off around the island. Behind them, loud alarms blasted as the Marine ships hurried to follow them, with little success; against those giant ships, their own little caravel was way faster than theirs, and the wind were on their side.

Usopp looked out from the railing as the blockade began vanishing from their sights and sighed in relief, before laughing triumphantly. "We did it! We made it through alive!"

The blond young man also let out a sigh, but his eyebrows were still furrowed in worry.

What had been that? For a moment, he had lost control over _Sankaoken_ , disobeying his orders. He hadn't intended on killing that Marine soldier. What could this control loss mean...?

"There's a Marine ship behind us!"

Usopp's sudden yell brought him back to the present as he reminded himself that they weren't safe yet.

"Usopp, man the rudder!"

"Uh, yeah!"

Leaving the sharpshooter with the rudder, he jumped over the railing and rushed towards the sails, catching a rope and pulled it left as hard as he could. He felt a sudden yank in response as the sails suddenly inflated even more, their small ship gaining speed quickly; however, even being as enormous as a whale, the Marine ship was catching up on them.

His bicolored gaze then was directed to the front, and widened upon seeing a familiar large cape to the front. They were getting near the rendezvous point! Just a bit more!

"That's the cape!" He exclaimed, trying to raise his hoarse voice loud enough for Usopp to hear.

The teen's head whipped around and got a hopeful expression on his face as he found the cape but then frowned in confusion.

"But how the hell are they going to bring that giant cart down here with a dragon on it?" He wondered almost to himself.

'That's what I'm wondering too.' Koga admitted, frowning.

 **Rumble rumble rumble**

'Huh?'

 **RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE**

'I... I don't like how that sounds...'

 **RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!**

"YAHOOOO!"

Usopp's jaw dropped to the ground and Koga's eyes widened until they seemed dinner plates when they saw the gigantic cart they built for Ryu zooming down towards the cape at an enormous speed; the dragon was on the cart, and five other people were on top of its body, holding for dear life with the rubbery idiot laughing. The cart flew over the Marine ship behind the Merry, snapping its mast in half in the process before skidding to a halt in the middle of the ocean.

The sharpshooter sighed in relief upon seeing the cart survived that fall.

"... Better get over there." Koga commented, also recovered from the surprise.

"Yeah."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! i'm not going to say anything else, just feed the hungry monster, and see you next time!**


	22. Lost

**22\. Lost**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Hi guys I'm back again! Welcome to another chapter of Apis' Arc! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, I had an operation and now I'm an one-eyed person! Nah, joking, but seriously, I have to wear a patch over my right eye and now I'm like "Uh, I don't see anything in the right side of my face" xD Funny, really, now I'm like a real pirate (and now I'm visualizing Luffy with his "Join my crew!" shouts because of the patch).**

 **Yeah, I also think I should stop babbling already. I'll shut up.**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: Hahaha, don't worry, here's the next chap!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Thanks! I totally recommend you watching it, I loved it. Hmmm, you're right, I wanted to make Koga a kind of 'guy-that-looked-like-Zoro's-brother' but not too much like him, and I think that, even with his quirks and all that, he's too much like the swordsman. I'll try to mend it somehow, promise. And about the Kaizen Kaizen thingy... You know, you gave me a pretty good idea! I'll use it still for a while until a certain moment, but I'll take your ideas in mind (BTW, I loved the names you picked!^^).**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hahahaha, thanks! I was thinking Koga was being too serious, and I wanted to add some funny moments with him. Here you have the next chap, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"What the hell happened?!" The loud yell Usopp emitted didn't stop Luffy's merry laugh.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!"

 **BONK!**

"NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" Nami yelled, tears running down her face as she grew shark-like teeth.

Koga smirked as the sharpshooter maneuvered the Merry near the makeshift cart they made for the huge Ryu floating in the middle of the sea. He almost wished he had gone with them instead of having to babysit Usopp; surely that would have been quite fun!

But every trace of the smile disappeared as he noticed the small bloody gashes on Sanji's sleeve, Zoro's arm and Luffy's torso. It seemed, the ride hadn't been as fun as the captain pointed out.

"What's with that face?" Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at him.

"Those wounds..." The chronicler pointed at his sleeve. The cook looked at it and dismissed it with a huff; Zoro shrugged when the blond turned to him, arms crossed over his chest in a nonchalant way.

Apis had recovered from the shock and was patting Ryu's head when Koga turned to them. She beamed a huge smile at him and he returned it, though smaller and hiding it behind the scarf. He finally felt that the girl had decided to trust them all at last.

"Have fun?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Sure did!" She exclaimed. "It was going super fast, and the wind almost blew me away!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"That's good, but be careful now." He put his elbows over the railing, still smiling fondly. "Don't fall to the sea, okay?"

"I'll be careful, I promise!"

After everyone climbed to the ship, Luffy stupidly tried to guide them to Lost Island. It was indeed a lucky thing to have both Nami and Apis with them to point the right direction instead of following their idiot captain. But, call it destiny or whatever, odds decided that a certain accident involving Luffy and a steaming pot of rice made Ryu remember where was exactly Lost Island.

So, off they were then, with Ryu's cart floating and being dragged behind. Luffy, instead of sitting in his usual post in the Merry's head, opted to keep the old dragon company, along with Apis. Surprisingly, Koga also decided to stay with them, mostly to discuss with the mighty creature some things he was curious about; there was an enthusiastic gleam on his bicolored eyes as he wrote down everything the dragon said –with a curious Apis as translator. Of course, due to him being so old, Ryu couldn't sometimes answer his questions as good as he wanted to, but the chronicler was content with simply knowing the most basic things. After a while, Luffy got bored and left them.

It was at times like this when Koga's "ability" as a chronicler really shined, his capacity to gather information maximized to its fullest. He learned about the types of dragons, their different characteristics, the so-called Dragonite, and a few things about Lost Island.

Excitement ran through his veins as he wrote frantically everything that Ryu revealed to him. He was talking to a _living legend_! He had seen many strange and fantastic creatures, but never a dragon.

"So the scales' color changes depending on the age and type of dragon?" Koga hurried to write down that new information. "In that case, you're quite old considering your scales, right?"

"..."

"Ryu-ji says you're partly right." Apis translated to the chronicler. "He says he's quite old in comparison with the rest of the dragons, but amongst his own type, he's considered young."

He made a humming noise as his plume moved restlessly on the paper.

"..."

"Huh? You want me to ask him that?" Apis turned to the dragon in confusion, making the blond raise his head too and watch the pair.

"..."

"Well, but maybe he doesn't want to answer that..."

"Answer what exactly?" Koga cocked his head to the side.

"Um, Ryu-ji wants to know if your parents told you about your eyes."

Suddenly, his whole body became tense and his grip on the pen tightened. Eyebrows crinkled, the young man turned to the mighty dragon who was watching him with an enormous black eye. That look distressed him, but tried not to reveal that in his face or body.

But then he breathed heavily as he turned to the logbook rested on his legs. It was okay, he could answer that question; it didn't hurt _that_ bad.

"I never met my parents." He replied dully, however. "I was told they were killed by some bandits when I was five."

"You were told...?" The girl was going to interrupt him, but just then Ryu seemed to say something to her, because she closed her mouth, looking between the both of them. She threw what seemed a sympathetic look to the chronicler and then translated what Ryu told her. "Ryu-ji says your eyes are quite special."

"Special?" He blinked, looking at the magical beast once more in a skeptical way. "How are they special? Because of them I'm different from everyone else."

"..."

"'Being different doesn't mean something bad,' he says. 'When you find your people, you'll understand.'"

"My people?" Koga raised an eyebrow at the dragon. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"..."

"'I forgot,' he says."

"HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER A THING AND FORGET ANOTHER AT THE SAME TIME?!" The chronicler yelled in frustration, his throat almost hurt. He didn't understand anything at all. If Ryu decided to tell him something, he should finish, not leaving things unfinished.

"..."

"'It's not my duty to tell you about it. You have to find out on your own. I pray you understand everything before it destroys you and everything you love, Cursed One."

"Wh– how did you know–?"

"Guys, everyone to your posts!" Nami's voice broke up the question that lingered in Koga's mouth. "We're near our destination!"

"YAY, LOST ISLAND!" Luffy exclaimed somewhere, probably from the head of the Merry, and most likely jumping up and down in excitement. That boy sure was energetic.

As everyone gathered around the navigator, Koga stood up from the position against the railing he had occupied to listen to Ryu's story, his bicolored eyes narrowed in suspicion at the dragon before leaving without a word. What the hell had happened, he wondered. What did the dragon mean about his people, and why it was related to his eyes? And where did his parents fit in all that mess...?

And how did he know about his Curse?

He wasn't getting many good feelings about all of it. He loved enigmas, but Ryu's frustrated him endlessly for some unknown reason.

"Koga!" Nami's voice snapped him out of his thoughts yet again. She was frowning at him. "You with us?"

"... Yeah."

"Hey guys, there's something up ahead!" Luffy called out from Merry's head.

'Something?'

Everyone turned to their idiot captain to see what he was referring to, and discovered what looked like a dense fog on the middle of the sea. What was disconcerting, though, was the barely visible shape of a ship in the middle of the fog, growing darker and closer to them as they got near the fog.

"What's that?" Luffy mused outloud, reaching out with his leg and tapping the shadow with his foot.

Ripples appeared, like when touching a lake's surface, and the shadow suddenly cleared and revealed to be a reflection of everyone and their ship. Before anyone could say or do anything –Koga didn't have even enough time to use his intuition–, the ripples expanded around them as they entered their own reflection, going through it and sending shivers through everyone's spines for some reason. Once the shivers stopped, the crew noticed they were inside the wall of the cold fog.

"Can someone please explain what just happened?" Usopp's voice sounded somewhat shaky, unsure. "The ship was in front of us but then we passed through it; almost like... well, a mirage or something!"

Nami blinked and then understood everything.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "When warm air collides with cooler air near the ocean, it can create mirages!"

Not even a few minutes later, they were out of the fog, but found the skies dangerously dark above their heads, a downpour soaking them wet in seconds– making Nami growl in frustration. Huge waves and howling winds rocketed the ship, almost throwing Luffy overboard, signaling the incoming of a storm.

"Be careful everyone!" Nami exclaimed, beginning to give orders like the navigator she was. "We have to man the Merry! Zoro, Koga, Apis, hold the ropes of Ryu-ji's cart!"

"Roger!"

The three of them hurried to the back of the ship and grabbed onto the loosening ropes, Ryu clinged on the cart as best it could. Koga grabbed a rope and the force of the sea burnt his palms when it pulled forcefully the cart, as if trying to snatch it away from them; he grit in frustration as he put a foot on the railing and pulled as hard as he could, cold rain soaking him as well as the others. Zoro was also taking hold of a rope, with Apis trying to help him as best her small stature permitted her.

His hands were beginning to bleed a bit when he heard the navigator's voice from the deck:

"Hold on everyone! Just a bit more!"

Farther away, Sanji called out to her: "Nami-san, I can see a light up ahead!"

"And there's an island just underneath it!" Usopp added, sounding terrified.

"Then that's where we're going! Move it!"

It felt like forever until they reached the light and the storm ceased so abruptly it surprised everyone. Everyone slumped down to the floor trying to catch their breaths, and Koga had to actually remember how to move his fingers and open his hands to let go of the rope. He hissed upon seeing the small trickles of blood; it wasn't much, but seeing blood always disgusted him. To stop the bleeding, he went a second to the infirmary and wrapped his palms in some bandages; he preferred avoiding an infection.

"... It looks more like a castle than an island." Luffy was commenting on the front of the ship along with everyone else in the crew, even Apis. They were looking at something that was ahead of them. Curiosity drove the chronicler's feet to the ship beside Sanji and the sight made him hold his breath.

If that was Lost Island, it surely looked like a place no one had visited in a really long, long time. The atmosphere felt antique and mystic, a silent expectation filling the air. White-stone buildings that looked like some kind of ruins were scattered around the area, broken and cracked.

Once they set foot on the island, the Straw Hat crew also got Ryu onto land where Apis tried to communicate with it. But unfortunately, something happened to the dragon, as it was unable to form a coherent answer and told the girl that this might not even be where the Dragon's Nest was.

"EEEEH?!" Usopp wailed, hands gripping the sides of his head in desperation. "So we went through that storm and fog for NOTHING?!"

"We can't leave yet!" Luffy protested, sounding excited about the experience of exploring the island. "Let's get to the top of the island to see better!"

"That's–! Uh, actually, that's a pretty good idea." Nami blinked as her captain laughed and was about to run off. The navigator quickly grabbed the back of his red shirt though, stopping him short on his tracks. "Not so fast you moron! You'll help carrying Ryu-ji's cart!"

"Help?" The sharpshooter blinked, not catching the implicit order right away. "And whom will he be helping?"

The red-haired girl looked at the five male members of the crew and smiled deviously.

...

Nami and Apis were happily walking, admiring the unique landscape, while Koga, Zoro and Sanji were pulling the cart with Ryu on it and Luffy and Usopp pushing behind. The cook at Koga's left was swooning, of course, nearly driving the chronicler crazy.

"It's not fair!" The sharpshooter called out once more, the weakest of the boys pushing with all his... meager... strength. "Nami should be pushing too!"

"Less chatting and more dragon-hauling!"

"That's easy for you to say!"

"Just shut up and push!" Sanji barked, before his eyes turned heart-shaped. "Nami-san's so gorgeous when she's ordering us around~!"

"What an idiot..." Koga sighed.

"WHAT WAS THAT SHITTY BLEACHED HEAD?!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT ERO-COOK!"

 **BONK BONK!**

"SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND HAUL THE DRAGON ALREADY!" Nami roared, fists fuming.

"Aye, ma'am..." Both mumbled.

And thus they continued pulling, huge bumps over their heads and a stupid expression on the chef's face. Zoro tried not to snicker at their beatings, but received a glare from the chronicler nonetheless; the swordsman's smile widened visibly and the fair-haired young man groaned again at him, silently cursing the devil witch and the stupid marimo.

After a while, the crew stopped at a clearing which seemed to be an old broken down city. Letting the rope fall from his slightly hurting hands, Koga frowned as he looked around; he didn't remember any legend talking about people actually inhabiting Lost Island. Well, maybe he was wrong.

But... Why was everything so eerily _tense_? He didn't like it one bit.

"Those birds told me there's a giant temple with a big dragon emblem on it that way!" Apis exclaimed after running back from talking to some seagulls and pointing more or less north-east from where they were.

"But where are the people who lived here?" Luffy asked as they once more pushed/pulled the giant cart, Usopp already wheezing.

"Who knows." Sanji replied, his head and face –just like Koga's– already recovered from the beating. "Maybe they moved to a better island."

"Ah, the temple!" Nami exclaimed, upon seeing the building.

They stopped once more, and ignoring the sharpshooter's protests, examined the ruined temple attentively. The chronicler had to admit that he had expected something more... dragon-like. Apart from being it too tiny to fit many dragons inside –it was undoubtedly made by humans, but for humans to use, not dragons–, the only thing that pointed out was worshipping the mystic creatures that the foresaid emblem on the doors and nothing more. Though he didn't express it verbally, the chronicler's face betrayed his slight disappointment.

Apis, however, seemed to be in a trance as she reached the door with a hand gripping her pendant hanging at her neck. While the others were watching, she took off her pendant and looked up at a hole in the door, reaching up to it. But...

"I can't reach it!" She whined, her huge brown eyes watery.

Luffy laughed and was going to walk up to her, but Koga beat him, gripping her waist with both his hands and hauling her up, making her squeal for a moment. The girl looked at the chronicler and found him grinning with soft bicolored eyes.

"I figured you would like to put it in yourself." He explained.

She smiled widely in contrast with his own grin, and put the pendant in the hole.

 **RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE**

Koga's intuition tingled, and managed to brace Apis and press her to his chest just as the ground shifted under their feet; it suddenly gave way beneath all of them, even Ryu. Gravity took action and the crew fell into the darkness between screams.

Koga flipped around, ignoring Apis' yell in his ear, and his back collided forcefully with the ground. He groaned and cursed as the air escaped from his lungs because of the impact, dark dots filling his vision before recovering a bit, breathing huge gulps of air and ignoring his aching back. Well, at least they hadn't ended in a pit full of sharp sticks, or worse.

"Uh guys..." Usopp's weak voice reached his ears, pained but pretty much alive. "We're still alive, right?"

"Feels like it." Zoro replied, pained too but much more collected.

"I should've used Luffy as a cushion..." Koga managed to let out a bemused groan, earning a chuckle from the others and a soft 'Oi!' coming from the captain.

The crew and Apis got to their feet and the girl once more hung the pendant around her neck.

"Well, at least we made it in." Nami mentioned, glancing around.

"Yeah, it all worked out!" Apis beamed in happiness.

"But, what is this place?" Zoro mused.

Indeed, what was it? The chronicler also looked around, trying to distinguish something on the dim light. He glanced up and saw something interesting. "Guys, look up."

The others did it and gaped. A giant painting depicting a bunch of symbols and drawings was barely visible in the ceiling of the cave they had fallen into.

"It's huge!" The dumbass captain exclaimed in excitement. "Wonder what it's of?"

"Looks like a map to me." Usopp replied as he squinted his eyes. "But it's so worn out that it's hard to tell."

"Do you know, Apis-chan?" Sanji turned to the girl, who merely shook her head after looking at Ryu.

"Ryu-ji doesn't know either."

The sharpshooter sighed. "Man, are all Senneryu as useless as he is?"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"Give it a break, Usopp." The sandy-haired young man agreed with the girl. "When you live a thousand years, it's only normal to forget some things. Though it'd be great if you just try to remember, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, I agree with Koga." Zoro nodded, arms crossed over his chest, both glaring at the dragon.

"Oi, a piece of the ceiling fell here." The rubber teen signaled at a giant piece of stone with a dragon painted on it. Above it, in the ceiling, a hole just the same size of the fallen stone was slightly cracked and threatening to fall.

"This whole place is falling apart." The ever-cautious Usopp needlessly pointed out. "Maybe we should get out of here before we're crushed."

"No way!" Apis immediately disagreed, almost snapping at the curly-haired teen. "This might be the Dragon's Nest!"

"I don't see any dragons, do you?"

"Hold on!" Nami exclaimed suddenly. It'd been a while since they heard her.

"What is it, Nami-san?"

"I... don't think this is Lost Island. Look at the painting. Usopp was right, it's a map... but it's leading us to the location of Lost Island."

Koga walked up to her and raised his head to look at the ceiling. The navigator, after examining the drawings and the paintings, slowly explained that the island they were on was an island where Apis' ancestors worshipped and reverred the dragons as gods, though some time in history they moved to Warship Island, the place where Bokuden and Apis were living on at that time. She also explained that the Dragon's Nest was in reality situated somewhere in Warship Island.

"Wait a minute, if it is really in Warship Island, wouldn't someone have found it already?" Usopp asked in confusion at the red-haired girl.

"Maybe there's a hidden passage of some sort." Koga supposed, shrugging. "Or... maybe it''s under Warship Island."

"Hum..." Nami squinted her eyes at the drawings. "It does says that the island sank, as we all know. That is one possibility." She looked at the chronicler. "Did your intuition tell you that?"

"Nope. Just trying to use logic instead of intuition, but it didn't tell me anything. And besides, I can't use it willingly; if we're right, it'll pop out. Until then, I can't really know."

"What a shitty intuition you have." Sanji mumbled, and a tick mark appeared on Koga's forehead as he slammed it against the chef's.

"Care to repeat it shitty cook?" He hissed while grinning devilly.

"Oh, I'll gladly..."

 **BONK BONK!**

"STOP IT ALREADY!" Nami yelled as the two of them lied on the ground, enormous bumps steaming on their heads– again. The chronicler was seriously considering using Sankaoken on that b*tch.

"Ryu-ji, please, you have to remember!" Apis, meanwhile, had headed to the old dragon and was tenderly caressing its snout, pleading in a low tone. "The Dragon's Nest isn't here! Our only hope is that you remember!"

For a moment nothing happened; but then, Ryu's big eyes –which have been always half-closed, as if it were about to sleep– suddenly widened, about to pop out of their sockets. There was a bright in them that wasn't there before, an alert sparkle that actually made Ryu look a bit _younger_.

"Ryu-ji?" Apis noticed its change and called out to him.

"So, the Dragon's Nest is really on Warship's Island."

Luffy's unexpectedly serious voice made everyone look back at him as he nodded at the old dragon.

"How did you know what he said?" The girl was basically gaping at him.

"Dunno, just did."

She looked unconvinced by his vague answer, but decided to let it slide. "He just remembered. He says the Dragon's Nest is actually located east of a peak that looks like a warship."

 _Ting ting ting!_ Koga's intuition sounded in confirmation, making him smirk behind his light blue scarf.

"We were heading the right way this whole time. We just went a bit too far away."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here for a place that's probably sunk; it was all for nothing!"

Her head hung low, shame tainting her voice. She really blamed herself for leading them in a false direction. Koga's eyes visibly softened upon seeing the kid; no one so young should blame herself.

"I wouldn't say that." Usopp smiled when Apis looked up, doubt evident in her young features. "Who knows? Maybe the nest is somewhere else on Warship Island; we won't know unless we look for it."

"He's right." Nami also smiled warmly. "Plus, giving up easily just isn't like you, Apis."

"If you fall down in life, you just have to get back up." Sanji also tried to cheer her up.

Zoro nodded, all seriousness. "You should never give up hope, kid."

"You're too young to blame yourself." Koga spoke too.

Apis' eyes, wide and teary, looked at the crewmembers with gratefulness on their pupils. "Everyone..."

"So, let's go!" Luffy's characteristic grin was already plastered on his face. "You want Ryu-ji to get better, don't you?"

The girl slowly imitated his grin and nodded. "Yes, thank you."

The moment seemed perfect and at peace. But, of course, it couldn't last forever.

Koga's intuition tingled in warning as the chronicler and Zoro brought a hand over the hilts of their katanas. In the back of his mind, the sandy-haired young man marvelled at how synchronized were the two of them when related to fight.

"What is it?" Nami asked when she suddenly noticed their tense position.

"Someone's here." The swordsman growled.

"Up there!"

Upon hearing Sanji's exclamation, the crew and Apis discovered a slender man standing above a huge rock, wearing a grey suit with curled upwards purple hair and a weird visor thing over his eyes. He also was wearing a pair of earrings with pearls hanging underneath them.

"Thank you for deciphering the map for me!" He chuckled. "Now I can find the Dragonite and the nest."

"It's the sicko guy!" Luffy exclaimed, obviously recognizing him.

'So this is the one that hurt Luffy, Zoro and Sanji when they escaped with Ryu?' Koga mused to himself, his grip tightening and a scowl forming on his face.

"But if the nest is at the bottom of the ocean, I suppose I'll to take your Sennenryu instead."

"No! You stay away from him!" Apis positioned herself in front of the unmoving dragon; almost inadvertedly, the sandy-haired young man moved to stand between the weirdo and the girl.

"Let us handle him." Sanji declared, his only visible eye glaring at the sicko guy, referring to himself and the other three strongest fighters in the pirate crew. "He has Kama Kama Fruit powers."

"Another Devil Fruit user, huh?" The chronicler commented idly, but sending furious looks at the weirdo.

However, before anyone could do anything, Zoro stepped up and unsheathed one of his katanas, pointing it at the sicko guy. "Luffy, Koga, you two go ahead and get Ryu-ji to the ship. I'll catch up with you later."

"Uh-huh, don't think so." Surprising everyone, the oldest of the Straw Hat crewmembers strode out to his side and smirked. "I want a battle too. I'm feeling kind of rusty."

"Huh." The green-haired teen couldn't help but to smirk.

"Besides, someone has to make sure you don't get lost."

...

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU DAMN BASTARD?!"

"Is that the way you treat your own companion?" The chronicler deadpanned, unimpressed by his outburst. Ignoring his fuming expression, he turned to the others and made a shooing motion in their direction. "Go on, get lost already."

Their captain grinned. "Gotcha."

"But how are we gonna get out of here?!" Usopp wailed, and then pointed up to the hole they fell from. "We fell from up there you know!"

"Easy; I'll make a way out!"

And true to his word, he took off and smashed into the wall, creating a pretty decent hole, rubble and rocks falling down, the whole place shaking a bit because of the impact. Some dust fell from the ceiling, but fortunately, it remained intact; at least, for a longer while.

Sicko's eyes bugged out as he realized they were going to escape with his prey. He tried to dash towards them, but Koga blocked his way effortessly and slashed him with _Sankaoken_ ; the purple-haired guy jumped back in time to avoid the rusty edge, though, and Zoro tried to use this opportunity to attack while shouting: "Luffy! Quit gawking and go already!"

"Oh right."

And off they were again, using the cart as a slide as they flew in the air and began speeding downwards, the screams and the rattle quickly fading.

"Alright then..." Koga smirked as his katana morphed into the dark broadsword that hadn't been used in a long while, Zoro approaching him from the side and standing beside the chronicler. "Let's begin, shall we?"

"I told you to go with them." The swordsman hissed in annoyance.

"Deal with it, I want to fight too. There's a lot of tension inside me and I want to let it out."

Sicko guy stood up from the mountain of rubble he had created when the green-haired teen attacked him. Though they both didn't see his eyes due to his weird visor, they felt the pure hatred his whole figure was emanating.

"You filthy pirates..." He hissed, bringing two fingers with unnaturaly long and sharp nails to his anger-twisted mouth. "I, Eric the Whirlwind, shall finish you two off and go after the Sennenryu! No one will get between me and the Dragonite I have been searching for so long! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!"

'Man, I'll never understand why people are so obsessed with immortality...' Koga got in a fighting stance while Zoro tied his green bandana over his head.

 _Humans want what they don't have. You never learn._

'... Whatever. Next time, I'm going on a ride.'

* * *

 **A/N: Finished! I have the impression this chap was awfully short, but inspiration left me for a while and only recently I could write down this chap.**

 **By request of a guest who sent me a PM, I'll point out Koga's basic abilities and their characteristics, but only one per chapter. For example, now I'm gonna post Koga's intuition, its flaws and everything.**

 **-INTUITION**

 **1.- It works randomly and out of Koga's control.**

 **2.- He only controls it when reinforced by his Kaizen Kaizen powers, very briefly and upon making direct contact with the skin of the 'victim'.**

 **3.- It works on people Koga doesn't trust, but only regarding his own and the others' safety.**

 **4.- It also works on people he does trust, but only when something is going to happen to them. If they were going to attack him, the intuition doesn't activate.**

 **5.- It hits the target, but not always. Sometimes it fails, but it's not usual.**

 **6.- It does NOT reveal specific places or guide him on cities, unless he already knows those places. For example, when lost in an unknown labyrinth, there must be someone he knows outside of the labyrinth to lead him to the exit.**

 **7.- Koga's mind has to be calm and collected to perceive what the intuition is telling him. If he's in any kind of mental, physical or emotional disorder, it won't work.**

 **8.- The intuition doesn't send any kind of visual image to Koga's mind. It only alerts him of an event about to occur, to himself or to any other person he knows, whether it be good or bad.**

 **9.- It is believed –though not confirmed– that the Mantra used by some Skypieans or –more commonly known as– the Kenbunshoku Haki is related to Koga's intuition.**

 **10.- The reason why Koga possesses such an ability is unknown.**

 **And that's it, for now! If someone has any question, feel free to contact me! So, see ya next chap, feed the hungry beast, I love y'all!**


	23. Whirlwind

**23\. Whirlwind**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers! ^^**

 **Hi hi! Sorry for the long delay, I had problems with college and mid-time jobs, so my time is pretty limited. You have to bear with me, sorry.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Thanks! It was pretty difficult, because honestly I didn't remember quite well that part of the Arc, so I had to re-watch it and modify it with my OC on it. Ah, the hardship of being a fanfic writer…!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Thank you, I thought nobody was going to notice that! Yeah, Sicko guy is kinda lame xD And –ji is the suffix for 'Grandpa'. I was kinda lazy and decided to stick to the Japanese version of calling the dragon "Ryu-ji" instead of "Grandpa Ryu".**

 **-Harihi: Hi! Wow, I suppose you're right, I didn't notice I was stealing Zoro's role. I'm sorry for that, I won't do it again, promise. And about Koga's relationship with Luffy… I'm afraid it's still developing, but I can tell you something: Koga has a lot of problems with trusting other people (because of something happening in the past, hint, hint!), but he is slowly starting to trust Luffy and the others to watch his back. So there you have it: Luffy was the first person in a very long time who he could really trust with all his heart. He's also opening to Zoro mainly, and also to Sanji, in spite of all the bickering. Anyways, after this long answer, I have to thank you for telling me what I am doing wrong, it's very appreciated ^^!**

 **-TheWick: Thanks so much ^^! Hope you continue liking it, in spite of the more-than-obvious flaws it has!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Koga gripped his broadsword tightly with a look of concentration in his face, and then he jumped into action with a roar. Eric looked surprised for a moment of his boldness and recklessness, but quickly reacted with an odd swishing attack that sliced his cheek as he tried to avoid it. The broadsword left a huge slash on the ground mere centimeters from Eric's body, but still he managed to leave unscathed.

Next it was Zoro attacking Eric with his signature attack, Oni Giri, slashing at a great speed. This time, the Marine couldn't escape from it in time and created a hole in the wall of the temple, disappearing through it.

"Way to go, Zoro." Koga smirked, putting his broadsword over his shoulder as he strode towards the hole.

"Shut up, you idiot." He growled, turning his head towards him. "Why the hell did you choose that broadsword? You're much slower with it."

"Oi, I can't exactly choose the weapon I fight with. So, where is he?"

"Who knows? Could be anywhere."

An old building suddenly collapsed, cut in half by an air knife heading directly to the two Straw Hat pirates, who jumped out of the way in opposite directions and raised their weapons. Though having his clothes covered in dirt and having a few bruises, he seemed overall intact. And positively furious.

"You..." He breathed out, raising a hand to his mouth, an irk mark on his forehead. "I'll kill you!"

The mercenary sent wave after wave of those strange attacks, the swordsman and the chronicler blocking them effortlessly with their respective weapons. Koga almost collided with a wall before jumping out of the way in time, just as his green-haired companion was trying to cut Eric open with his three swords, failing when he counterattacked with a slash of wind thrown his way and making him stumble into the blond chronicler.

As he nimbly avoided the collision, his mouth let out another roar and ran towards the mercenary, the broadsword's point directed towards him. Smirking, Eric jumped to the side, and the edge dug into the ground deeply; he prepared to launch one of his Devil Fruit attacks, but was surprised when Koga looked at him from his corner of his silver eye and smirked too, crouching a bit on the ground and rotating over himself, the blade coming out from the motion and describing a semi-arc around the chronicler's body while shouting:

"Lunar Arc!"

However, as unexpected as that attack was, the wide edge of the broadsword barely missed Eric's body, who managed to crouch on the ground, the dangerous hiss of the blade cutting a few strands of his purplish hair.

"Shit!" Koga muttered with horrified eyes, realizing that now he was wide open for the mercenary to counterattack.

"Heh! Sickle sickle… Wind Slash!"

Koga could only support his broadsword with his less experienced left hand as he raised his right arm in a futile attempt to protect himself. The air blade cut through the space and drove him backwards, slicing deeply his arm and part of his lower body; the shockwave made him collide against a wall and rubble and dust covered him instantly.

"Koga!" Zoro exclaimed, worried about his companion. Everything had happened so fast that he hadn't had the time to react in time to help him.

"Don't get distracted! Sickle sickle… Rapid Fire!"

Effectively avoiding the swordsman going to his nakama's aid, a blast of air blades crossed the air; Zoro blocked the majority with a loud curse, but some of them hit him, making him stumble a couple of steps before reaffirming his feet on the uneven ground. He couldn't help but groan at the pain, but quickly closed his mouth and glared furiously at a confident Eric, already raising two fingers to his lips.

"It's laudable, your intent to help your companion…" The purple-haired guy mentioned, a smirk crossing his thin lips. "But you know, this is a battle. You can't get take your eyes off your enemy. It's pretty dangerous."

"You didn't finished me yet, Sicko guy."

Suddenly, the rubble mountain that had Koga buried under moved and revealed the chronicler, clothes disheveled and a serious-looking gash on his right arm oozing blood. His face had a smirk plastered on, but Zoro could tell it was an instinctive reaction to hide the pain as he stumbled out of the ruined wall with the broadsword barely being dragged by his left hand.

"Oh, you're persistent." Unimpressed, Sicko guy frowned. "But next time you won't be so lucky. And only for you to know… My name is Eric, not Sicko guy, dammit! Sickle sickle… Wind Slash!"

Before the chronicler could move, Zoro jumped in front of him and blocked the air blade with his three katanas, leaving both of them intact. The blond young man smirked despite the pain of his right arm dangling at his side, mostly useless.

"Oi… Still have a round on that arm of yours?" The green-haired swordsman didn't bother looking back at him.

"Huh?"

"I think so, yeah." Neither of them paid attention to Sicko guy's confused expression as Koga dragged the broadsword in front of him and closed his bloodied right hand around the hilt. "But we have to do it quickly."

"Alright, let's do it."

"Yeah, let's."

Surprising Eric, who watched dumbfounded, Zoro jumped backwards as Koga raised his broadsword horizontally with the remaining strength he had still; the flat blade met the swordsman's feet as he crouched on it, ready to make the move. Koga's right arm flared because of the effort, but all he did was grit his teeth and let a roar escape his lips as he launched his companion high in the air with all his might, slightly staggering because of the impulse. Eric prepared himself for the attack, but he was confused when Zoro flew over his head and far away behind him.

"Where are you pointing at?" The purple-haired guy laughed as the swordsman ignored him, not even casting a glance at him. "I'm over here, you know!"

But when he looked down, shock replaced his smug expression.

"And where are you looking at? The action is down here."

Because, when he had been distracted watching Zoro flying over his head without even attacking him, Koga had used the distraction to approach him in the blink of an eye, a dangerous gleam in his heterochromatic eyes and broadsword angled behind him to land a powerful strike.

That was all he could see before the blond slashed, the huge blade creating a blast of wind sending him backwards and slashing his body multiple times, stone walls breaking in his wake as he went flying past them a few good meters before coming to a halt against a sturdier wall that, nevertheless, cracked at the impact of the body against it. Eric coughed blood as he gingerly supported his battered and bruised body against the wall to steady himself.

"Oi! Keep your eyes on the enemy!" A familiar voice called from over him, and he blanched when he recognized it, snapping his head up.

Zoro was there, seemingly floating mid-air, two of his katanas raised over his head, as ready to strike as his companion had been before.

The mercenary didn't even see him land and slash at the same time.

Groaning and using his broadsword as a staff to support his body, Koga emerged from behind Zoro, who was waiting for him with his white katana already on its sheath, but the other two still on his hands, one of them resting over his shoulder. The swordsman was glancing down at a small mountain of rubble covering a familiar figure, unmoving and seemingly unconscious.

"We make a good team." The blond smirked as the green-haired swordsman turned his head towards him, an eyebrow cocked. "What?"

"… Nothing."

"Hmmm… Oi, how should we name this attack?"

"I don't care."

"You should. It's our first combined attack!"

"I said I don't care!" As they began walking down the ruins towards the sea, the swordsman suddenly noticed Koga's grimace as he held his bloodied arm, he frowned again. "You okay?"

"Huh?" The blond blinked before smirking. "Yeah, never better."

"… You're using your broadsword as a walking stick."

 _He's right, and you better stop doing it!_

Koga rolled his eyes and began saying something, but then his famous intuition warned him of a danger; hearing some crumbling behind, both pirates turned their heads to see an emerging Eric, who was putting aside the rocks that had been covering him. His weird sunglasses were about to break, his clothes horribly disheveled and covered in bloody gashes all over his body, and a furious angry tick pulsed in his forehead as he watched the two Straw Hat pirates.

"You two…" He growled, raising his sharp fingernails to his lips once more, and the two of them resumed guarding positions, Zoro slightly covering Koga. "I'm done with you."

The whooshing sound of the wind floating around them was the only thing they heard after his statement, but then, another reached Koga's ears, who hummed in confusion and tilted his head to the side to hear it better. Zoro also heard it too.

"Oi, you hear that?" He asked the blond.

"Yeah, but… I can't distinguish what it is…"

And then it dawned on him. It wasn't just a normal sound.

It was a _stretching_ sound.

"Oh shit. Zoro, heads up."

"Huh?" The swordsman turned his head towards him in confusion. Koga was paling considerably.

"I think Luffy's going to pick us up."

"Pick us…? You don't mean…?!"

Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to finish that sentence as something gripped the back of both their shirts. Still, before Luffy pulled them, Koga could still raise a hand and blabber a cocky "See ya!" before setting off at a blinding speed, the ruins disappearing from their sights in the blink of an eye. It wasn't long before he found himself staring at the blue cloudless sky, lying on the deck, the heads of the other Straw Hat pirates hovering over his and Zoro's heads in worry. Apis was also staring down at them with her head cocked to the side.

A wave of pain went through his body and head and he grimaced as he sat up, holding his head gingerly. Zoro imitated him, groaning something about murdering Luffy.

"Get in the line." Koga muttered.

"Apis told us you were in danger, so I got you two out of there real fast!" Luffy beamed with a huge grin on his face, making both chronicler and swordsman glare at him, veins pulsing in their foreheads. Then they were both on their feet, being restrained by Sanji and Usopp from killing their captain, shouting and screaming in fury and swinging their sheathed katanas in the air.

But then Koga felt light-headed and swayed on his feet a little.

"Oi, oi, are you alright?!" The sniper, the one holding him, hurried to support the blond's suddenly weak body. He then spotted the bloody arm. "You're injured!"

"What?!" Nami held up his arm and examined it. "Why didn't you tell us? It looks pretty serious!"

"I'm okay, leave me…"

"You're obviously not okay! Apis-chan, help me with the medicines. Usopp, Sanji-kun, get him to the infirmary room. I'll also heal Zoro's wounds, but first comes Koga's."

The chronicler sighed as he was forcefully carried to the infirmary room and then tended to his tender arm. The wound was serious, she said, but hopefully with some rest it would heal nicely in a week and a half. Still, he had to wear stitches to seal the cut in his arm and also in his abdomen. After stitching them, Nami bandaged them tightly, and after finishing, she ordered him sternly to avoid forcing the injuries further.

During all the healing, Koga remained silent, unaccustomed to being treated. It felt… nice, but he also felt weak and useless. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. He didn't need anyone's help.

Unnerved by those thoughts, and feeling that the small infirmary room's walls were closing around him, the blond hurried out of the room while Nami was busy disinfecting Zoro's wounds, ignoring his noisy protests. It brought a small grin to his lips, but either way, he left them alone.

Once outside, the chronicler went to the railing and put his elbows on it, breathing deeply the salty air mixed with Sanji's cooking. Weird; after the frenzy battle against Eric the Whirlwind, everything was calm all of a sudden once he was on the ship. He even felt that the need of having Sankaoken at his hip was no longer necessary.

 _Oh, if that is how you feel, shitty host, why are you gripping the hilt so tight?_

Koga blinked with a gasp and looked down to see his right hand around the hilt of the katana, so tight his knuckles turned white because of the pressure. Scowling, he forced his fingers one by one to open and let go of the hilt, warily eyeing his hand after doing so. What the hell was happening to him…?

Suddenly, his intuition began tingling like crazy and he hissed, gripping his aching head with a grimace. Not stopping to think what was going on, he sprinted towards the crow's nest, climbed the rope ladder and looked around.

And he found it.

"OI!" His hoarse voice rang through the ship, surprising everyone. "The Marines!"

"WHAT?!" Usopp looked around with his binoculars as everyone else got out from wherever they had been. "You're right, they're everywhere!"

"Woah, it's a gargoyle!" Luffy laughed excitedly.

As idiotic as it sounded, he was right. A giant ship with the symbol of the Marines in the sails and a giant face as its figurehead was heading their way, followed by more and more Marine ships around them, circling them. Something that looked like chains linked the ships, cutting any get-away path.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sanji exclaimed, looking around and jumping to the deck.

"Did they send every damn ship in the fleet after us?" Zoro came out of the infirmary room with Nami in his heels, groaning when he saw the enemies.

"I think so." Koga also landed on the deck, wincing at the pain in his arm but quickly hiding it before anyone noticed.

"What do we do now?" Apis whimpered, grabbing Koga's pants tightly in fear, huge brown eyes fixed in the Marines.

"We get onto the ships, fight off all the Marines and break the links!" Usopp cried out. He then thought about and then declared: "Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Koga, you four take them down!"

"Why the hell do you propose plans and then force us to do it?" The chronicler growled, arching an eyebrow at him.

"But that's not a bad idea." Zoro said beginning to unsheathe one of his katanas.

Eyeing the swordsman, he breathed heavily before disentangling Apis' fingers from his pants; he smiled confidently at her before striding towards the figurehead, cannons beginning to fire at them. Somewhere at his left, Luffy laughed as if they were in some kind of roller coaster, but the blond young man couldn't find anything amusing about it all. A cannonball got pretty close, though Luffy took care of it quickly:

"Gum gum… Balloon!"

Last time the rubbery boy used such technique, it bounced to the Baratie and created many problems, but this time the cannonball flew back towards the ship that fired it off. Well, one down, about fifty more to go. Odds were against them.

 _Oh, I just love it when everything is against us, my dear host._

The waters kept rocking around the ship, making him curse loudly and grab the railing to avoid being thrown over it. When he raised his head, he blanched upon seeing the massive cannon of the giant ship in front of them pointing at them, ready to fire. At Nami's orders, the guys sprang into action to work on the rear sail to turn around, and Usopp shot a cannonball directly inside the cannon, an explosion coming from it.

"Hey, nice shot Usopp." Koga smirked at the long-nosed teen, who began boasting about it with a huge grin on his tan face. "Okay Luffy, could you stretch your arm to that ship so we can hop on?"

He signaled to Zoro, Sanji and himself while they were approaching him after taking care of the rear sail.

"You bet!" The rubbery idiot laughed as he stretched his arm gripping the ship's massive figurehead.

As he crossed the improvised 'bridge', the chronicler unsheathed his rusty katana, instantly transforming in the broadsword. He had to use his less experienced left hand because of the injury of his right arm, but he figured he could manage with that. With his Devil Fruit powers, he could increase his strength to maneuver it single-handed instead with both hands. It'd be more difficult to control it, but at least he could let his right arm rest for a bit.

As he was the first one in the line, he didn't wait for the others and began attacking the Marines in a rampage, being careful at the same time with his injured arm. He noticed Zoro going over the rows of chains and commenting about them being made of steel; he also saw how the ships at either side of theirs that were connected by the chains were beginning to cross them in their direction; his head quickly put up with a solution.

"Sanji, get the Marines coming from under the deck!" Koga went to command mode instantly, confusing the three other Straw Hat pirates for a second. "Luffy, you protect Zoro while he tries to cut the chains at the right side of the ship! I'll take the Marines coming from the left chains!"

"Huh, didn't know you had that on you." The cook commented, going to do as he was ordered.

But the chronicler didn't bother to reply as he swung his broadsword, his strength improved by his Devil Fruit powers, bringing down a few Marines that had managed to set foot on the ship they were on. Teeth grit and face grim with determination, the blond brought down Marine after Marine, sweat beginning to pearl his forehead.

However, out of the blue, a wind cut through the air dangerously close to the Merry, making them all freeze in their spots and turn towards the tiny ship wide-eyed. Koga could see then what seemed a lifeboat with a single passenger approaching Ryu's raft; he also realized, horrified, that Apis was there too. Why the hell wasn't she in the caravel with Nami and Usopp?

"It's him." Sanji muttered, face also grim as his, recognizing the lifeboat's owner. "Sicko guy."

"Looks like he's taking Ryu-ji and using Apis as a hostage." Zoro observed. He had only one chain left to cut, but the commotion had stopped him to do anything else, as well as the others.

"Oh no he won't!"

"Luffy, stop." Zoro ordered, glaring at him with anger flaming in his dark eyes. "If we are reckless, Sicko guy won't hesitate in killing everyone with that Wind Slash movement of his."

The raven-haired boy looked at him and then at the Merry, his fists closing in impotence; the blond knew how he felt, but they couldn't endanger everyone by acting without thinking.

Slowly, the raft with Ryu on it and the lifeboat began drifting away from the Merry, with Apis and Sicko guy on it. He was too far to clearly hear what he was boasting out, but he could suppose. If only they could do something, _anything_ …!

Koga couldn't help but to growl in fury as Sicko guy gripped the back of Apis' dress, lifting her in the air and preparing himself to end her once and for all. She was thrashing and kicking the air, struggling to do something, but Sicko guy's arms were too long.

'Could I shoot him with one of the cannons of the ship?' He eyed frantically one of the cannons still pointing at the Merry, but quickly discarded that idea. 'No, it could hit the Merry or Ryu's raft. And even if I could shoot it, Sicko guy has Apis. He could kill her the moment I move from this spot.'

Suddenly, he saw something he knew he would never forget as long as he lived.

"Ryu… He's… standing up…" He mumbled, wide-eyed.

And indeed, the dragon, seeing his little human friend in danger, had raised his massive head and was beginning to flap his massive wings, lifting huge gusts of air that were far stronger than the ones Sicko guy could create. Koga lifted his injured arm to slightly cover his face, his eyes never leaving the magic scene unfolding before him. With a flick of one of his wings, he knocked Sicko guy into the air, disappearing from their sights in the blink of an eye. Ryu's massive body left the raft and began hovering into the air, letting out a loud roar that shook his very bones and made his lips tug into a bewildered grin.

"I can't believe this…"

 **BOOM BOOM BOOM!**

Startled, Koga snapped out of his daze when he noticed the other ships beginning to fire at the escaping dragon, hoping to bring him down. Some of the cannonballs hit, and smoke surrounded Ryu.

"No! We have to stop them!" He exclaimed, turning to the others, who quickly nodded in agreement. They divided in two groups to board the ships and began smashing the cannons, also bringing down the Marines shooting them with loud screams and furious beatings.

But everything was futile; even as Ryu tried to fly higher, his strength gave in and he fell to the sea surface with a loud splash. At the same time, from the corner of his eye, Koga thought he saw Luffy's arms stretching out towards the falling dragon at the same time the water rose around him. The Merry also approached the fallen dragon, protecting him from being fired at again.

Time slowed down. Luffy, standing at Ryu's back, seemed to talk to him quietly, not using Apis as translator again. Nothing else seemed to matter. Not the Marines preparing to fire the cannons once more, not the fact that Luffy seemed to understand the dragon perfectly. Nothing. It was a peaceful moment, one that felt like eternal.

And then, Ryu got up again and let out a loud roar just as everything shook again. Even as his ears hurt to hear such powerful roar, he couldn't help but to watch in amazement as a whole flock of dragons began flying towards them and soaring over their heads, feathers slowly drifting in the wind. One of them, one that reminded him of a peacock's feathers, floated down near Koga, and he reached his hand to take it in his hand; the blond decided to keep it as a token of that special moment.

He hadn't noticed Zoro and Sanji standing at either side of him as they watched Ryu stop his roar and collapsing back into the ocean, but he felt grateful when Luffy flew up high in the sky, holding onto one of the dragons and stretching his foot high in the sky.

"GUM GUM… BATTLE AXE!" And he slammed the foot just on the giant ship the Straw Hat pirates had been standing not even a second ago, smashing it into smithereens.

Meanwhile, the Merry managed to get closer to the ship Koga, Zoro and Sanji had been standing on and they got onboard again. Once on the deck, the chronicler noticed Apis, her sad expression as she watched Ryu slowly sinking under the ocean.

"It's not fair…" She whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched Ryu finally disappearing under the waves. "Now I can't keep my promise to you…"

Not even bothering in sheathing the broadsword again, Koga's face shadowed as he saw the spot Ryu had been once and then looked back at the girl on her knees, her shoulders shaking because of her quiet sobbing.

"That's not true." Luffy stepped up to her. "Can't you hear the other dragons?"

The girl, confused by his words –as well as everyone else– got up just as the tremors began again, followed by a giant gust of wind rushing by. Everyone quickly got a hold onto something as the water exploded around them.

'Are those… rocks?' Koga wondered, seeing green-covered rocks beginning to merge from underwater.

 _Last time I checked, your eyesight was perfectly fine._

'Shut up.'

"That's it!" He jumped at Nami's sudden exclamation, her eyes lit in realization. "That's what it means!"

"What's what mean?" Sanji wondered shouting above the racket around them.

"The Dragon Nest! It's really here! The Sennenryu are called like this because they migrate here once every one thousand years, because that's the only time when the Dragon Nest resurfaces! That's why it's called Lost Island; because anyone who saw it back before it sunk again is long dead! We're the next generation to bear witness to the rising of Lost Island and the Dragon Nest!"

 _Lucky us._

Koga didn't pay attention to _Sankaoken_ as the island continued to emerge, its rocky points destroying the ships in their wake –luckily enough, the Merry was spared. There were all kind of rock formations and lots of coral from being underwater for one thousand years. As Lost Island finished emerging and the shaking stopped at last, the Sennenryu descended to rest on the rocks, nestling back into their long lost homes.

"Wish I had a camera with me right now." The chronicler mumbled, eyeing everything with wonder in his bicolored eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Lost Island is found at last! I just hope this works as an apology for leaving the fic for so long, I'm so sorry for that!**

 **If you like, I'll also explain some details about Koga's Devil Fruit!**

 **KAIZEN KAIZEN FRUIT (In English it would be translated something like Improvement or Enhancing, but I'll stick to the Japanese version):**

 **-It works as an enhancer (obviously) of Koga's physical and mental abilities beyond the human's limits, for a limited time (it depends of the attribute it is reinforcing).**

 **-Combined with his Intuition (and while touching a person's skin), he's able to have flashbacks about his past. To see more details move to chapter 22, where intuition is explained in detail.**

 **-The Kaizen Kaizen Fruit abilities has no payback, unless used to enhance Koga's speed.**

 **-It also serves to endure the pain to a certain extent, although not forever. The body still suffers whether he ignores the pain or not.**

 **-It is unknown to what extent Koga can enhance his attributes (meaning strength, speed, endurance, etc.). With lots of training, maybe he could do amazing things. (Hint, hint!)**

 **-The reinforcement is not only limited to Koga's body, but also with everything that is in direct contact with him. That is why Sankaoken (even being a rusty katana) is still useful; because he is constantly enhancing it to prevent it from breaking.**

 **Okay, that's all folks! Love ya lots, please don't leave without feeding the hungry beast, see ya next chap! I promise I'll upload sooner, so don't leave me here on my own!**


	24. Found

**24\. Found**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Finally, this is the last chapter of Apis' Arc! Now I know that not all people wanted me to put this filled Arc in the fic, but I found it necessary and personally I actually liked Apis. I with I could speaking with animals too.**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Thanks! I find them extremely difficult not only because my mind can't picture all the moves and write them down as accurately as I wished, but also the fact that because I'm not an English native speaker, the vocabulary I have is very limited, so I have to use the Google translator all the time xD Yeah he is xD Sankaoken and Koga practically despise each other. And about your question about the Grand Line... Well, he does know some islands, basically because he actually visited them for one reason or another, but he hasn't been in a Sky Island for example. He knows than básicas of navigating (the necessity to use a Log Pose and how unstable the weather can be), and also the four types of islands there are (spring, summer, autumn and winter). He had heard about the Seven Warlords (or Shichibukai) and the Four Emperors (Yonkou) but never met any of them, except Mihawk when he fought against Zoro, of course. But, and this is an important note, he had never been beyond the Florian Triangle. And obviously, he doesn't know all of the islands the Straw Hat crew will visit in the future, Wow, long answer xD If You have more questions send me a PM if you like.**

 **-kash890: Thanks so so much, you made me blush with that comment! I hope you like this chap too, please keep supporting me so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Whoa…"

Koga couldn't help but to mumble, marveled by the hundreds of dragons that populated the small island. Who would've thought that there was so many Senneryu still living in the world, and that no one had noticed them until now? How the hell did they manage to keep hidden for one thousand years only to resurface now of all times?

It was Apis' sudden gasp that brought him out of his amazement. The blond turned around in time to see her sprinting towards something… Something enormous, and unmoving.

Sadness clouded his distinctive eyes as he recognized the figure as Ryu the Sennenryu. However, the body was in the middle of a small pond of sea water, so poor Apis couldn't reach him without feeling weak because of the salty water. So, she simply reached as far as she could, calling out for him half-crying, half-pleading, her young voice cracking a bit.

"What are the chances he would land right on top of the Dragon Nest?" Nami said softly from his left, also watching the small girl in sadness. "I hope that at least brought him some peace."

"I think so." Luffy nodded. "He said his wish had come true when he was sinking."

The chronicler breathed heavily and closed his eyes. After a few moments of silence, Usopp decided to break it, eyeing the white rocks all around them. "What's with all these weird rock formations?"

"They're probably all made of Dragonite?" Sanji supposed, shrugging, but also looking everywhere with interest.

"They're all skeletons; fossilized Dragonite that's been sitting on the ocean floor. Sometimes, animals go to a pre-determined spot before they die… Maybe this is like that, and it's a graveyard."

"No!"

Apis' sudden yell turned their heads towards them, mostly in surprise. Her angry scowl mixed with her tears.

"Ryu-ji said that coming back here would make him feel better! It's not a graveyard!"

Luffy's hat hid his eyes. With that simple gesture, the blond chronicler knew that this was as hard for him as for the girl. He sighed as he lifted his scarf up to his nose, one of his fingers fidgeting with the edge in nervousness and unspoken sympathy.

"Listen, Ryu-ji was sad and lonely." The captain spoke in a grave tone. "He didn't have any friends until he met you; he wanted me to tell you that this last year with you was the happiest of his life."

"You're lying…" Her voice quivered, turning to Ryu again. "If-if this is really the Dragon Nest… It should make you strong again… like you promised me!" She tightened her little fist, and Koga walked out to her. "Talk to me! You have to get better! You have to–!"

"Apis…" The chronicler softly said, kneeling beside her and putting an arm around her small shoulders; she looked up at him with teary eyes, seeing compassion and grief in his bicolored eyes. "You promised Ryu you would bring him home. And you've done it. He's home again. And that was thanks to you."

"But… He told me that he was going to get better once he was in Lost Island…"

"And he did." He cleaned her tears with his thumb with a soft smile. "You let Ryu see his home one last time. That was the best gift you could have given him."

The little girl watched him wide-eyed, and then she exploded in tears as she launched herself at him, arms around his neck as she cried on his shoulder. At first he was a little taken-aback by her sudden impulse, but he forced his muscles to relax and raised a hand to pet her head, letting her soak his shirt with her tears. His other injured hand let go of the broadsword's hilt.

"Ryu was telling the truth, Apis." Both Koga and Apis looked up at Luffy as he strode up to them. "He told me that Sennenryu come here every one thousand years to be reborn again."

'Reborn…?' The blond frowned, but then realization dawned on him. 'Then that means, Ryu…'

He felt Apis squirming in his arm and he let go; her eyes were still puffy and red, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.

"He said all that?" She muttered.

Luffy pointed with his finger somewhere at their right, and everyone turned to see a large white round egg sitting near the shore. As they watched, the shell cracked and a tiny green head covered in little feathers popped out with a little cry. Multiple grown dragons surrounded the baby and nudged it lovingly, and the baby opened up its eyes after letting out a small yawn.

Koga smiled. Those eyes… They were exactly like Ryu's. He was right after all; as long as that island existed, he would never be truly gone. His mind raced; Lost Island, the Dragonite… The source of immortality…

"I was wrong, Apis-chan." Nami suddenly declared, her voice gentle, as the three of them climbed up the slope towards the rest of the pirates. "This isn't a graveyard after all; it's a place of renewal to bring old and new life together."

Everyone watched as the girl wiped out the remaining tears with energy, and then looked at them with a slow smile forming on her lips. "Thank you all so much, for everything. Especially you, Luffy." Her smile turned into a grin. "Now how about we go home? Everyone's probably worried!"

Relieved that the girl had turned back into her normal self again, everyone smiled at her.

"Alright, let's get Apis home!" Luffy punched the air with energy, his characteristic grin on his face.

Swinging his broadsword over his shoulder with a smirk on his own, Koga let himself fall behind the others, watching everything around him. Now he couldn't wait to write down everything they had seen. His eyes drifted off to the dragons that were resting on top of the rocks, and his eyes sobered; he wondered if that was how someone should feel when returning home.

Feeling at peace, eager to return, feeling _welcome_.

A sudden and familiar gust of wind coming from behind broke him out of his thoughts. Everyone turned and found Sicko guy staring down at them from the top of a rock, soaking wet and pretty angry. Since he was injured and not really fitting for a fight, the chronicler stepped in front of a trembling Apis to protect her.

"You just don't know when to quit." Luffy remarks, his voice eerily neutral.

"QUIET! You may have stopped me temporarily, but you'll never defeat me!" His eyes roamed around the island, taking in the great amount of dragons and Dragonite around him, and his face contorted in twisted greed. "There's Dragonite everywhere! It's beautiful!"

"So what?" Nami snapped, furious as everyone else. "Break open all the skeletons you like, you won't find your elixir!"

Sicko guy seemed to think about it, then shrugged carelessly. "Fine then, I'll just improvise. Perhaps I'll use some of the fresh supply right in front of me." His crazed eyes fell upon the dragons around them. "And you can all bear witness… as I rip them all apart."

His arm lifted. Koga's intuition tingled furiously, and he subconsciously went to grab _Sankaoken_ 's hilt, not noticing Apis move from behind him.

"NO, DON'T!"

'Shit!' The chronicler cursed, trying to grab her dress but felt the fabric in the fingertips before slipping away.

Sicko guy smirked evilly as he sent a blast of razor wind against her. The girl froze, wide-eyed, but fortunately Usopp threw himself and tackled her to the ground just in time. Koga relaxed just a bit.

"Calm down! You'll be cut into ribbons!" Usopp tried to reason with Apis as she struggled in his grip.

"I don't care! I have to protect the Dragon Nest even if it costs me my life! I can't let men like him destroy it! I won't let you hurt these beautiful creatures!"

Sicko guy seemed to grow angrier as he raised an arm again, an irk forming in his forehead. The chronicler bent slightly to stop him, but then a hand over his shoulder stopped him; he looked behind and noticed Luffy, his eyes shadowed by his straw hat, and understood the captain wanted him to be off this. Hesitant, his hand went lax on _Sankaoken_ 's hilt.

"… All of you can die! Sickle sickle… Whirlwind!"

His head whirled around, just in time to see Sicko guy's attack Usopp and Apis with that weird Devil Fruit abilities of his, but Luffy jumped in and took the blow.

"Luffy!"

Everyone yelled as their captain fell to his knees momentarily; Zoro and Koga stepped up, ready to assist him, but stopped when the raven-haired boy raised to his feet once more.

"Don't worry." He muttered mainly to Apis. "I'll deal with him. I made a promise."

'A promise?' The bicolor-eyed young man blinked. Could it be… Was he referring to Ryu?

As the battle between Luffy and Sicko guy began, Koga snapped out of his daze as he noticed that both Usopp and Apis were still in the same place. He reached them, pushing them to the side just in time to avoid Sicko guy jumping atop of a rock.

Luffy retracted his arm covered in slashes and looked darkly at the purple-haired man. Blood trickled down to the ground, but his face remained inexpressive.

"You'll have to do better than that rubber boy!" Sicko guy taunted, smirking. "You're no match for me, bouncy boy, so you might as well accept death now!" He raised his arm in a ceremonial way. "Sickle sickle…!"

But before he could even form his attack, the raven-haired boy had already moved. Sicko guy widened his eyes behind his weird-shaped sunglasses as the boy suddenly accelerated and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Gum gum…!" He yelled as his neck stretched back. "BELL!"

 **CLONK!**

Both foreheads collided forcefully, but Sicko guy received the most damage. He began to fly backwards as Luffy let go of his shoulders and stretched back his arms this time.

"Now Gum Gum… BAZOOKA!" His hands met Sicko guy's back with a sickening 'crack!' resonating. His yell went lost as he flew off to the horizon, disappearing on the blue sky like a twinkling star. "YOU LOSE!"

Everyone cheered, Apis the loudest of all. Now Lost Island was safe and the Sennenryu could live in peace until the island sank again. The dragons didn't seem bothered by all that fighting and the fact that they had been in danger until moments ago. But no one cared about the Sennenryu's gratefulness –or lack thereof– as they departed back to Warship Island.

As the Straw Hat crew got onboard the Merry, Koga looked back for a moment and tried to memorize everything he saw. For a moment, he wished to stay until the moment the island had to sink again, but he couldn't do that. The best he could do was portray everything in his chronicles and logbook.

Back on Warship Island again, and the responsibility of telling everything about the Sennenryu and Lost Island fell upon Koga –as the official chronicler of the crew. He didn't mind at all, of course, and was rather descriptive in everything he told, making sure every detail was as accurate as possible. Bokuden and the villagers looked shocked for a moment but later accepted everything quite naturally. And to help them remember and teach the later generations about the Sennenryu and Lost Island, Koga gave them a book with what Ryu told him about them in it.

Bokuden offered the pirate crew Pork Buns to celebrate but they quickly declined –except Luffy, of course, who was beaten by Nami and Usopp until he begrudgingly agreed. They couldn't wait three more hours to eat those Pork Buns if they wanted to get to the Grand Line before night settled down after all!

What really kept them from leaving so fast was the fact that they had to say goodbye to Apis. Apart from still being a kid –the Grand Line was simply too dangerous for her– her place was in the island, with her grandfather and the other islanders, helping them transmitting everything they learned to the later generations.

"You'll come back and visit someday, right?" Apis asked from ashore as everyone gathered on the railing of the Merry.

"Of course, you just wait for us!" Nami answered, waving goodbye.

Zoro raised the anchor and the ship began to drift away from the island. The crew waved goodbye at Apis and the villagers as the island shrank in the distance, quickly disappearing from their sights.

"Do you think she'll be able to look after that place by herself?" Usopp asked, still looking at the place the island had been.

"She may be small but she's determined to protect the dragons. She'll be fine." Nami answered with a smile.

"And she has her grandfather and the other villagers to help her." Koga commented, busy writing down everything that happened in the logbook.

"She was like a full-blooded member of this crew." Luffy said with his characteristic great grin.

"She sure was." Zoro agreed, and the others also nodded in confirmation.

There was silence, only broken by the sea waves and the scribbling of Koga's plume on the logbook, working tirelessly. No one had moved yet from the railing.

"You know, after seeing a place as amazing as Lost Island, it makes me wonder what other strange islands we'll find on the Grand Line." Nami was the one who broke the silence. She looked at the blond chronicler. "Do you know anything, Koga?"

As the others turned to look at him, his hand stopped writing for a moment. He then smirked behind his scarf, but didn't raise his head as he resumed his task.

"I can't pretend to know everything about the Grand Line, but… I can assure you that there are many strange things there. An island emerging from the ocean will be nothing compared to the things we'll see there. Everything's possible there."

"And we're gonna see it all!" Their captain exclaimed with a nod.

Everyone cheered as the chronicler simply smiled, but then he lost it as he thought of his own home, Kukkuri Island. He wasn't sure they were ready to visit it. Hell, he knew he didn't want to be near it for at least a good while.

'Well, time shall say.' He thought, closing the logbook and breathing in the salty air. 'Now, we're heading to the Grand Line.'

* * *

 **A/N: And that's all folks! Love ya lots, please don't leave without feeding the hungry beast, see ya next chap! I promise I'll upload sooner, so don't leave me here on my own!**


	25. Red Line

**25\. Red Line**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Hi hi! Now, as you have noticed in the title, I will make the title longer the more adventures the Straw Hat pirates go through in my fic. I dunno, I thought it was a cool idea. Or maybe stupid. Meh.**

 **-dog: Hey, long time no see! Everything good? Don't worry, I'm glad I'm hearing for you still. Mmm, you know I hate spoilers xD Okay, I'll answer. No, Sankaoken's not related in any way with Koga's parents' death, but it does have some kind of connection with his 'accident'. That's all I'm gonna say, hope you're satisfied with the answer (though I'm sure you feel I'm leaving with more questions than answers xD).**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. And now, Koga and the Straw Hats are off to the Grand Line, I'm so excited!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

It was nearly midnight. Everyone slept, except Usopp who had that night's shift. However, he too was asleep, wrapped in a thick sheet against the pole of the main mast, snoring loudly.

In the women's cabin, the largest of the whole ship, Nami slept peacefully after bidding goodnight to the photo of her family with a fond smile on her face.

In the men's cabin, loud snores filled the small room. Luffy was at the top hammock, his arms and legs dangling out at either side, his beloved straw hat over his eyes. There was an empty hammock under him, the place where Usopp slept, and Sanji slept face-down on the hammock above Luffy's. In another row in the opposite wall, three other hammocks hung from the floor to the ceiling. Zoro slept in the middle, his back against the wooden wall. And Koga…

Well, Koga was thrashing around, his sheet entangling with his body, cold sweat covering his whole body. Soft pants and an occasional gasp left his lips. At his feet, _Sankaoken_ hummed in sinister laughter.

* * *

 **xXxNIGHTMARExXx**

 **Fire. Fire eveywhere. I can't see, or breathe. The smoke makes my lungs burn, the flames lick my skin in a dangerous caress. I try to run, but my body doesn't move. Why, why can't I move my body?!**

 **There are laughter. Distorted, barely audible. Kids? I don't know, I don't want to know. They're calling at me; I hear them running along the wooden hallways of the ship. I wriggle, terror filling my lungs now, the fire slowly crawling towards me, towards my frozen body.**

 **"Hi, Koga!"**

 **I don't recognize that voice, so distorted by the fire. My eyes dart frantically around the impossibly dark room, engulfed by black flames; I can barely distinguish the silhouette of a small kid. But I don't recall who he is, or even his features.**

 **"Been a really long time." He suddenly sounds very near, his voice in my ear. My eyes grow wide in terror. "But I'm afraid you don't remember me, huh?"**

 **The flames are even nearer now. Only one and a half meters from my body. It's hot, too hot, and I can't breathe…**

 **"It's okay though…" The flames are about to reach me…! "You'll remember me soon… I can't wait!" A distorted laugh. "Until then, sweet dreams… And welcome home, my chosen one…"**

 **As my body is engulfed by flames, I finally open my mouth… And scream.**

* * *

"Wake up!"

Koga's eyes snapped open, filled with terror, and found himself sprawled on the wooden floor. Usopp and Sanji were looking at him with barely hidden concern gleaming in their eyes. Sunlight creeping through the small window near the ceiling revealed it was morning already; he also noticed that the others were dressed already, while he was simply wearing some loose pants for sleeping and the bandage of his arm.

He tried to calm down his quickened breaths and rubbed his face with his hand, noting his slight trembling and his cold-sweated skin.

"Koga, are you alright?" The sniper asked in concern, helping him sit up on the floor.

"Yeah, I guess…" He mumbled, not seeing the pair share a skeptic glare at each other. "What happened?"

"Well, you were thrashing around and then you suddenly fell." Sanji explained in a neutral voice. "You were muttering something in your sleep too. Something about 'black fire'."

The chronicler gulped and then shook his head. It had been nothing, he tried to convince himself. He didn't know who that creepy kid was, but he supposed the answer lied beyond the Grand Line.

But, did he really _want_ to know? Something about that kid seemed off. As if he were…

"Well, you should get dressed then." Sanji's voice interrupted his thoughts as he went to the staircase. "We're getting near the Grand Line."

At the thought of the Grand Line, his stomach constricted in anxiety. But still, he sighed and stood up, ignoring the long-nosed teen's worried look. The blond wore his usual attire since before going to Arlong Park. Usopp, knowing he wouldn't get any answer from his companion, simply shook his head in worry and followed him to the deck.

Sun blinded the blonde young man momentarily, but quickly got used to it as he watched the blue skies above him... and the sinister dark clouds on the distance they were heading.

"The Grand Line is over there..." He muttered, a hand caressing the hem of his beloved blue scarf.

Images of his previous nightmare flashed through his mind. His chosen one... Who the hell was that kid and why did he call him 'chosen one'?

Damn... Since his meeting with Yuuto, everything had been confusing around him. The Cursed, the Contracts, the demons... Things he knew and things he didn't, they blended and mixed together in his head.

"Koga, good timing!" Nami called out to him from in front of the kitchen, the chart she had stolen from Buggy unfolded in her hands and a frown on her face. "I need to ask you something."

"What about?" Koga strode towards her as Usopp went to the kitchen to take care of the rudder.

She showed him the map. It was a pretty detailed representation of the Red Line, a great mountain just in its center. "Isn't this chart wrong?"

"No, it is correct."

"Just as I feared. Everyone!" She called to the others, who were in the crow's nest (Luffy stupidly clapping Sanji and Zoro's backs in excitement). "Get in the cabin, we have to talk!"

Once in the cabin, where Usopp was fighting to control the helm, Koga absentmindedly chewed some crackers he had found on the ladder as Nami put down her map on the table. Luffy seated at Koga's right, and Zoro in front of both of them. Nami and Sanji were standing at either end of the table.

"Look at this." She said, and the crewmembers looked at her in confusion. "I heard the rumors, but it is also in this chart. If they are true, and Koga confirmed it, then the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain." Her finger pointed to the grand mountain drawn on it.

"A mountain?" Luffy asked, a glass gripped between his teeth.

"You mean we have to crash through a mountain?" Zoro piped in. "What the hell?"

"No, that's not it." Koga stood up and reached up to point his finger to the mountain. "This mountain's called Reverse Mountain. See these four lines at either side? Those are rivers, canals that go up the mountain, and this line over here..." He pointed to the thick line that went across the mountain right into the Grand Line "is the one that will take us down the mountain into the Grand Line."

"I knew it!" The only girl in the crew nodded, her doubts confirmed.

"What are you blabbering about?" The swordsman asked again. "Even if there was a canal, we still can't make a ship climb up a mountain.

"But that's what the map says!" Nami replied, looking at him exasperated.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Sanji yelled at the green-haired swordsman, making Koga cringe because of the loud tone. "There's no way Nami-san's wrong about this!"

"And what about me? Never mind..." The chronicler sighed before continuing his explanation. "Listen, Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island; that means there are massively strong currents that force the waters upward the canals..."

"And if the four currents from each the Blues meet at the top... It would push us down the one that flows into the Grand Line!" Nami finished for him, a huge smile on her face once she understood everything.

At last, Usopp shouted for someone to help him with the strong current, but it was useless. Nami also explained that the currents that collide with the Red Line were forced downward into the ocean floor; if they couldn't make it into the canal, the Merry would smash against the Red Line.

"Now I understand!" Luffy exclaimed, a hand rubbing his chin. "It's a Mystery Mountain, right?"

Nami and Koga looked at him sweatdropping. "You didn't understand anything we've explained..."

"Anyway, we need to be careful." The navigator continued. "We would be able to climb the Reverse Mountain in a canal, but if we mess up, it could end in disaster!"

"Nami-san, you're so wonderful!" Sanji's eye became a hart as he twirled around.

"I've never heard anything about ships climbing mountains." Zoro piped in once more.

As everyone around him talked about the rumors –or lack thereof– they had heard about the Reverse Mountain, Koga looked at the table with a small frown on his face. Nearly half the ships that tried to enter the Grand Line didn't make it. They had to be careful, as Nami said; it was easy to be caught in the mountain's current, but maintaining the course and avoiding the collision against the Red Line wasn't so much. The chronicler touched the bandage in his arm; he knew that that wound would be the lesser of his problems once in the Grand Line. Nothing was going to be easy for them.

Outside, it began to rain, and Nami ordered Sanji and Luffy to furl up the sails. Koga looked at the window from his position at the table and thought of how familiar it was the rain to him.

"OI!" Luffy's voice came from outside, piercing through the gathering storm. "I can see the Mystery Mountain!"

At those words, everyone hurried outside, except Koga, who strode calmly behind them. A massive stone wall stood in front of them, dark clouds obstructed the view of its peak. No matter how many times he saw it, it was simply impressive.

It was then that the ship began lurching forwards, bouncing upon a sudden increase in the current.

"We're getting sucked in!" Luffy cried out, bouncing up and down from the rafters. "Grab the helm!"

"Okay, leave it to us!" Usopp and Sanji hurried inside the cabin.

Suddenly, Koga's intuition began tingling. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there. He looked around but found nothing dangerous.

"Nami! Where's the entrance?! If we keep going straight, we'll hit the cliff!" Luffy shouted at his navigator.

Pushing his worries aside for the moment, the blond young man hurried to the girl's side. "There should be a crack on the cliffs! That's where the entrance is!"

"A crack...?" She repeated, before nodding and looking ahead through her binoculars. "There! Hold our path steady! The entrance is right in front of us!"

"Is that crack the canal?" The rubber captain jumped at the red-haired's other side.

"Yeah!" Koga answered, smiling along with his companions. "But we need to avoid the massive water gates!"

The ship began drifting to the left just as the chronicler finished that sentence.

"We're drifting! Hard right!" Luffy ordered.

"Right?! Then hard to starboard!"

Both Usopp and Sanji put all their strength in the helm, trying to move it.

 **CRACK!**

Everyone stood in shock, the sound ringing in the air for a few seconds. Sanji and Usopp pole-vaulted backwards because of the impulse, a great chunk of the helm with them.

"THE HELM!"

Koga swirled around and his eyes grew wide as plates. "Damn! We're gonna collide!"

A red flash darted past him, handing his beloved straw hat to his first mate, and leapt to the portside of the ship.

"Gum Gum... Balloon!" Thanks to his expanded stomach, the Merry simply bounced on him instead of colliding against the Water Gate, safely entering the canal. Before they lost their captain, Zoro hauled him back onboard.

"YAHOOO! WE MADE IT!"

Once the entire crew was reunited on the bow, Usopp and Sanji were arm-to-arm cheering loudly, Nami sighing in relief and Zoro and Luffy laughing wholeheartedly. Koga, though not as expressive as his companions, also had an unusual wide smile on his face as he watched them celebrate not having their ship destroyed.

"And now..." Nami announced brightly, taking off her rain coat and holding it over her head, "we'll just ride straight up to the peak!"

"Wohoo!" Luffy cried out, near his beloved seat at the figurehead. "Koga, you didn't tell us this was so incredible!"

"And spoiling the surprise?" Koga smiled at him, amused by his child-like behavior.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

A familiar voice resounded, and all the crew swirled around to find Sicko guy standing simbly on the railing. His sunglasses had disappeared, broken after the beating he received from Luffy, revealing thin closed eyes. A deep frown clouded his expression as he watched them –or so they thought he was doing.

"You again? You never learn..." The rubber captain protested.

"SHUT UP! Everything's your fault!" Eric raised a hand and everyone tensed. "Because of you, I couldn't obtain the Elixir! At least I'll take your head of thirty million Berri!"

Koga's hand closed on _Sankaoken_ 's hilt, and Sanji muttered, "This is bad. If he throws his techniques here..."

"We can't get away." Zoro completed his thoughts.

But then, Nami got an idea. "Oh look! Dragonite!"

And, just as stupidly, Eric looked at the direction she was pointing at. The navigator, taking advantage of his distraction, reached up to him and kicked his shin to unbalance him and throw him overboard. Mouths agape, the others could only watch as Eric the Whirlwind bounced a few times on the water before disappearing from their sights.

"Bye bye!" Nami chirped, waving a hand with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, I should've thought of that!" The others punched the palms of their hands in realization.

Just then, a familiar sound reached Koga's ears and he turned his head sharply, a sudden smile tugging at his lips at the beautiful landscape. "Guys, look at that."

Luffy and the others turned and smiled at the sight. While they were worried about Eric, the Merry was about to get through the clouds. The captain let out a cheerful laugh as everyone dispersed all over the ship; Koga decided to go up the crow's nest to enjoy better the sights. His arms posed against the railing, the light blue scarf and his own braid floating behind as he contemplated the ascension with a small smile on his lips.

'Here', he thought, just as they passed through the cold clouds. 'Here is where the story begins.'

The mountain's stone flew right past them as the white churning water rushed them forward to the peak. The blue sky welcomed them once they got through the thick white cloud, the rocks turning a rusted red as they neared the top. The summit was sparkling from the colliding rivers, a pulse of rainbows and colors dancing upon the top. Because of the impulse the water channel had, the Merry flew out as the water sprinkled around them, plunging straight into the gathering of canals.

"YAHOO!" Luffy cheered from his position at the Merry's sheep figurehead, his favorite seat, as they flew towards their intended course, landing solidly within the only downward steam with a loud splash.

"This is truly amazing..." Koga muttered, a great smile on his face as he gripped his scarf to keep it around his throat.

They then entered a massive cloud bank, hiding the Grand Line from their view. The chronicler enjoyed the speed and the cool air against his skin with a smirk, but then he heard something strange reverberating in the air.

"Did you guys hear something?" Zoro asked before he could, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, I did." Koga chimed in from the crow's nest, squinting his eyes forwards, trying to see something amidst the thick clouds. Thinking he saw something, he enhanced his eyesight with his Devil Fruit abilities and then called out. "Oi, Nami! Something is blocking our path!"

"What?" The navigator exclaimed. "That can't be!"

"I can see it too!" Sanji had a hold onto the rope ladder leading to the crow's nest, also looking to the front but aided with binoculars. "I think it's a giant mountain!"

"That's impossible!" She insisted, confused. "There should be only ocean after the Twin Capes!"

'That's also what I remember.' Koga thought, frowning as he gripped the railing tightly with one hand, the other holding his beloved scarf in place.

As the clouds dispersed around them, the crew's eyes widened as they saw a giant black... thing, blocking right their path.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sanji yelled, the only visible eye bugging out of its socket.

"It's a black wall!" Luffy screamed from the figurehead.

"No it isn't!" Nami responded, grabbing the railing with both her hands.

"Then what is it?!"

Usopp took the scope and looked through it... and paled so much it worried everyone. "I- IT'S A WHALE!"

The deep, blaring sound then was heard again, but so loud that Koga's sensitive ears hurt, making him cover them with his hands, a wince of pain in his face.

'A whale that gigantic can't be a normal whale...' He thought, not hearing the others freak out on the deck below him. 'That must be an Island Whale... But I heard that they were a species that resided only in the West Blue, so what the hell is an Island Whale doing here of all places?'

 _Hmm, may I remind you shitty host that at this speed we'll collide against that Island Whale or whatever that thing is?_

Crap, he was right! This wasn't the time to be stupidly daydreaming!

"... We can get by on the left!" He heard Zoro yell. "Turn hard to port!"

"Did you forget the helm's broken?!" Usopp shrieked at the swordsman.

Koga jumped from over the nest's railing, staggering a bit before straightening and going to help Sanji, Zoro and Usopp with the broken helm, desperation not letting him use properly his Devil Fruit powers. But they were going too fast, and the Merry's direction didn't budge! At that rate they were going to collide...!

 **BOOM!**

A cannonfire! Everyone got thrown forwards until getting back to their feet, confusion at the sudden decreased speed of the ship. Koga helped Usopp stand up before going to the upper railing and watching the giant whale just meters away from them. Luffy then opened the door that lead to the front cannon room with a wide satisfied smile on his face, emitting a proud "Done!"

Although seriously dangerous, it seemed Luffy's surprisingly brilliant plan served to slow down the ship so much that when they did collide with the giant whale, it felt like a tap... But a tap that broke the Merry's head, crashing it onto the deck right to Nami's struck body.

"NOO!" Luffy's horrified yell filled the ship as he got onto the deck and watched his beloved seat destroyed. "That was my special seat!"

Ignoring their idiot captain, the others looked up at the giant whale (not seeing its eyes anywhere, but Koga supposed they were at the sides of its head) and took in its enormous proportions. Fortunately, the cannonball didn't seem to affect it, or even attract its attention to them.

"Let's get out of here before it's too late!"

Zoro ran, going to grab the oars, with Koga right on his heels. Sanji and Usopp agreed and took the other side's. They paddled like crazy, terrified, the small gap at the left of the Island Whale's body a bright hopeful shine. Just as they reached its eye, the loud low noise rumbled again, making them stop momentarily.

"Hurry!" Usopp cried out, his voice barely audible above the noise of the whale calling out. "Just keep paddling!"

But Luffy stepped up near the giant eye. Koga's poor ringing ears didn't register what he said, but he suddenly punched the eye with his elastic arm, making everyone look at him in shock! The eye didn't react for a moment, but then it looked down at the tiny ship, and everyone freaked out, knowing it was going to do something.

 _Uh oh, big trouble right ahead._

Koga didn't hear _Sankaoken_ 's remark before the whale let out a huge roar, ten times louder and more deafening than the other rumbling noises it made earlier. The chronicler couldn't help but to drop the oar and cover his ears with his hands, dropping to his knees, groaning in pain as he tried to block the noise. The Merry shook underneath them and his body stumbled to the side, colliding with the railing, and he cracked open one eye to see the whale's mouth getting closer and closer. They were being sucked in! A freaking giant whale was going to swallow them whole!

But no one could do anything to stop it. And so, Koga watched helplessly, still unable to move because of the painful roar, as they were sucked inside it and its giant maws closed behind them.

* * *

 **A/N: Ta-da, cliffie xD!**

 **I'm sorry for leaving it like this, I just couldn't continue writing anymore. But well, at least they are already in the Grand Line! (and inside of Laboon's stomach xD)**

 **As you have probably noticed, no, Koga doesn't know Laboon or Crocus. He passed the Calm Belt with some well-prepared merchants that had a paddle-ship and that also had Sea Stone coated in the hull (that is how they avoided the Sea Kings). I had indeed thought in making Crocus know the Straw Hat's chronicler, but I couldn't think of a proper background of how they met, I'm sorry about that.**

 **Well, see ya next time, I'm waiting for your lovely reviews!**


	26. Laboon's stomach

**26\. Laboon's stomach**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **-dog: Don't worry, Koga'll be okay! Or are you talking about his nightmare? Because in that case, he won't be okay xD And here's the next chap, enjoy ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"… WE'RE SO _DEAAAAAAAAAD!_ "

Great. Koga winced as he retreated his hands from his ears and stood from his crouched position, still feeling his poor eardrums protest at the loud roar the whale let out before swallowing whole. His senses were always acute, and in moments like this he absolutely hated them.

But what the hell? Why couldn't he see anything? Koga blinked, thinking his eyes were still closed, but the pitch black darkness remained there.

"Hey, everyone okay?" Zoro's voice sounded somewhere.

"I think so." Sanji answered.

"Yeah, I'll live." The chronicler also added.

"I'm not!" Usopp shrieked, his voice hurting Koga's still sensible ears. "We're in a giant whale's _stomach_! We're nowhere near 'fine'!"

"That's right!" Nami also yelled. "We're going to be digested!"

Ignoring the two's panic, Koga blinked a few more times to get used to the darkness, but to no avail. It was as dark as a moonless night. Of course, it worried him that they were about to be digested inside a whale, but nothing could be solved out of panic. That was what he was going to tell the others…

… When he noticed something alarming.

"Hey, where's Luffy?" He asked.

Everyone shut up at that statement. Then…

"That's right, where is that moron?"

"I think I've seen him grabbing one of the whale's teeth before we got sucked in." Zoro stated. "He'll be okay."

"Well then, but NOT US!" Usopp screamed again, and then wailed something about having an incurable disease before Nami shushed him.

"Hey… is that light?" She asked in confusion.

Not knowing where she was pointing at, mainly because it was so dark he couldn't see his own hand, the chronicler had to do a complete turn over himself before spotting said light. It blinded him for a moment, but he noticed that it was growing larger, probably because they were getting near it.

No, that wasn't right… They were getting _sucked!_

"Guys, brace yourselves!" Koga exclaimed, hand closing over _Sankaoken_.

Nami and Usopp yelled in fright, but the chronicler did his best to ignore them as he prepared for battle, or for whatever that was beyond the light. The white ray blinded them when they passed by, and when they got accustomed…

…

"What do I make of this?" Zoro mumbled dumbstruck, asking Koga and Sanji.

"Yeah, what's your explanation for this?" The cook replied. "I could've sworn we got swallowed up by the whale…"

They were afloat in some kind of odd-looking substance, green and smelly. Floating in the middle of the water was a house that seemed to be sitting on a small island. Over their heads there was the blue sky with a few clouds. Save from the strange substance, one would've thought they were outside, instead of in a whale's stomach.

"Are we just dreaming or something?" Usopp mumbled, once he and Nami joined the three stronger male members on the deck, looking around. "Yeah, we've got to be dreaming or something…"

"Hell of a weird dream it is then, and how strange that the five of us is having exactly the same dream…" Koga grumbled, still keeping his hand close to his weapon just in case.

"And what's with that house on the island?" Nami pointed to the house. "It must be an illusion…"

 **SPLASH!**

Suddenly a huge squid jumped up out of the water right in front of the boat. Nami and Usopp yelled again at the top of their lungs as the other three prepared for battle; before they could attack, though, three sharp harpoons went through its head, killing it instantly.

"Seems like there is a person here…" The swordsman muttered.

"Let's hope it's a person." Sanji smirked, but it was a dangerous one.

The squid fell back in the ocean as it started to get dragged towards the floating house by the harpoons that had stabbed it straight through it. The door suddenly opened, and the sniper whimpered something about getting prepared to open fire in case they were enemies.

But Koga didn't feel any kind of animosity, and his intuition remained silent, so he relaxed his stance slightly.

"IT'S A FLOWER!" Sanji exclaimed, pointing at the house.

'A flower killed a squid?' Koga thought in confusion, but then he looked at the… man, he supposed, and he couldn't help but think that the enormous petals that grew on the back of his head gave the impression that indeed he was a flower.

He had a rather stocky and muscular body, was bald on the top of his head, but with white hair with yellow flower petal-like things, that have purple near the bottom of them, and a white beard that splits in two parts. His lower lip was noticeably larger than his upper. He wore a pink shirt with a yellow and green stripe with purple circles in the yellow along with blueish-grey shorts with sandals. He also wore glasses, a seaweed necklace, three gold bracelets, and a green-gem bracelet on his left wrist, and sported a scar on his left arm.

"No, it's a man." The chronicler deadpanned.

"What's with him?" Usopp murmured to himself, but everyone in the ship heard him. "That old man just took out that giant squid with one blow! Was he just fishing or did he do that to save us…?"

The old man lifted his head abruptly and shot an eerie glare at the pirates, and the air seemed to become even tenser.

A few seconds passed…

…

… And the old man simply walked away and settled down on a beach chair, picking up a newspaper as he did so.

"SAY SOMETHING!" Sanji and Koga snapped at the same time, who only earned a blank look as only response.

"I–If it's a fight you want, t– then you've got one!" Usopp cried angrily, one hand pointing at the old man while he hid behind the chronicler's body. "We have a cannon on our side!"

The man again shot another icy glare of his at the crew, who grew tense again.

…

… And he finally answered:

"Don't, or someone might end up dead."

"Oh?" The cook hissed moodily. "And just who would that be…?"

"Me."

"YOU!" Both chronicler and cook snapped at him again angrily, but Zoro put a hand over their shoulders, trying to chill them.

"Now, now, don't get so worked up. "Hey, old man. Would you mind telling us who you are, and just where is this place exactly?"

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself to others before asking questions, you know?"

"Oh, right, sorry about that–"

"My name is Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes." The old man interrupted the swordsman. "I'm 71 years old, Gemini, blood type AB."

"NOBODY MINDS IF I KILL HIM RIGHT?!" Zoro suddenly roared, pissed off, going to pull his sword out.

"Calm down!" Sanji put a hand over the green-haired swordsman's shoulder, though Koga didn't mind him killing that annoying flower-man; he pissed him off too.

"You're wondering where this place is? First, you trespass in my private resort and then start mouthing off with that attitude." Crocus frowned at them. "Does this place look like the stomach of a mouse?"

"So then, we must have really been swallowed by a whale…" Usopp commented as he walked towards the railing, stepping out from behind Koga's body.

"What do we do?" Nami hissed. "I don't want to be digested by a whale!"

"If it's an exit you want, the exit is right over there." He pointed behind them and sure enough, there was a large pair of double doors that looked just like an exit.

But… if there was an exit, why was the old man here? Ignoring Nami, Koga looked at the flower-man with a quizzical glare in his distinctive eyes, not knowing what to think. If they really were inside a whale's stomach (and judging how the others found out that the sky and the clouds above them were simply paintings made by Crocus), then he was there _by choice_ , not because he had been involuntarily swallowed by the whale, like themselves. He couldn't be a whale-hunter; if he had really painted that sky on the whale's stomach, then why would have he done it if he was going to eat it later? And surely he had been living in there a long time. There had to be another reason, but what…?

"Looks like you have a couple of questions in mind for me, young one." Crocus' voice brought him back to the present, suddenly realizing he had been observing the old man actually almost unblinkingly for a few minutes now.

"I have, but I doubt you would answer them anyways." Koga grunted, not used to being caught observing someone.

The boat suddenly began shaking, along with everything around them. Acting quickly, he grabbed the railing with one hand and the other caught Usopp just as he was going to be thrown overboard.

"What's that?!" The sniper yelped in shock, gripping Koga's hand with all his strength.

"Look!" Nami pointed to the small island the old man was on. "That's no island either! It's a ship! An iron one at that too!"

"So then this ocean is actually stomach acid! If we stay here any longer then our ship will be dissolved! Hey, what's going on?! Give us an explanation!"

"The whale," Crocus breathed out, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest, "has started bashing his head against the Grand Line again!"

"WHAT?!" Zoro and Sanji screamed in unison, and the chronicler ground his teeth together. What reason could that whale have to bash his head against a mountain?

"Now that he mentions it… I remember that the whale's forehead was covered in scars…" Nami breathed out, eyes wide. "And he was bellowing up at the sky!"

"What does it all mean?" Usopp asked.

Something tingled inside Koga's head as all the pieces of the puzzle coincided.

"It means that he is suffering." He answered gravely before the navigator could.

"He must be trying to kill this whale from the inside!" The red-haired girl pointed to the old man, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Now then, that's a nasty thing to say."

"I don't think so, Nami." Koga shook his blond head at the navigator, who turned a confused look at him. But there wasn't any time for explanations right then.

"AH!" Usopp yelped, just as Crocus jumped into the gastric acid. "That old man just jumped in! What's he trying to do?! He's gonna get himself dissolved!"

"He's swimming towards the exit! We should hurry up and make our way to the exit before the whale gets any more violent!"

Zoro, Sanji and Koga went to grab the oars, but a particular violent shake made the chronicler stumble and collide against the main mast with his injured arm, which made him hiss in pain and anger before going to help the cook.

 **BANG!**

Everyone's heads shot up, alarmed by the sudden noise, just in time to see a smaller pair of doors hanging from the 'roof', so to speak, and three figures falling from those doors towards the gastric acid. A male, a female and the third one was…

"Luffy!" Zoro murmured, wide-eyed. What was that idiot doing?!

"Hey guys, you're okay!" Luffy exclaimed happily, waving both his arms over his head before suddenly realizing his situation. "By the way… HELP ME!"

"You idiot!" Koga sighed in exasperation, leaving the oar and going to grab a rope to 'fish' the two unknown people and their moron captain once more. Luckily –or not– it wasn't sea water but stomach acid, so Luffy wouldn't sink– at least in theory.

Once the three were aboard, the whale finally calmed down and everything settled around them. Koga sent Luffy to take a long shower to get rid of the reek, and then he examined the strange pair before them.

One of them was a young man who wore a golden crown on top of his red hair and had a number nine written on each of his cheeks. He was dressed in a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf. His attire made him look like a prince or a king, but Koga only thought that he looked quite goofy.

The other…

The woman had long, wavy blue hair in a ponytail in a very high position, leaving no strands over her face. She had a slender body, but her attire was far less revealing than Nami's; she had a light green coat over a blue-stripped top and white shorts with equally white knee-length boots with high heels. She had a dark expression on her face as her dark eyes scanned the pirates around her, but seemed to doubt when finding his, quickly looking aside biting her lower lip.

Koga squinted his bicolored eyes. He had a feeling he had seen her before, or at least her face reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place…

"Well, just who exactly are you guys?" Nami asked at the two new people sitting at the front of the deck, Sanji annoyingly flirting with the woman.

Luffy, after finishing his shower, perched on the railing behind them and the rest of the crew were spread out on the deck. Koga was the farthest from the pair.

"I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon!" Crocus suddenly cried out from the small set of doors that Luffy had come through. "For as long as I live!"

"Who's that old man?" Luffy asked in confusion, not having met him yet.

Koga opened his mouth to answer, but his intuition began tingling with alarm. He noticed the strange pair bringing his _untied_ hands behind and under their clothes with a small devil smirk on their faces.

"But we are inside the whale now…" The strange man muttered.

And just like that, with that simple sentence, his body sprang into action.

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed." Koga mumbled, and everything around him slowed down, like jelly. He walked calmly to the pair, took their guns from their grasp and stepped to his previous position, annulling the technique.

"– to blast holes in its–! Huh?" The strange man blinked and began searching through his robes frantically. "Where's my gun?!"

"I can't find mine either!" The woman exclaimed.

"Looking for these?" Koga cockily asked, raising their guns in both his hands, and the pair watched them with bugged eyes. "I'm afraid your whaling activities end today."

"You!" The strange man exclaimed with anger in his voice. "Those are our weapons! Give them back!"

"So that you could harm this whale?" The blond shook his head. "No can do. Luffy, if you please…"

And the chronicler smirked when Luffy stepped behind the pair and punched them both in the side of the head, knocking the two against each other and sending them to the ground. He then hastily tied them up with Zoro's help– and ignoring Sanji and his protests of how to 'properly treat a lady'.

Seeing as the Straw Hat pirates were really good people, Crocus finally helped them get out of the whale's –or rather Laboon's– stomach. All he had to do was to open a large door that lead outside, finally out and in a normal ocean instead of gastric acid threatening to dissolve their ship. Koga breathed in the salty air, delighted of the lack of that stink that was in Laboon's stomach.

"Now that we are outside…" He suddenly commented out loud, attracting everyone's attention, including Crocus', "I'd like to know what an Island Whale from the West Blue is doing here in the Grand Line, and why he is attacking Reverse Mountain."

"Oh, I'm surprised you know about Island Whales." Crocus blinked in surprise at the chronicler, who merely shrugged.

"I travel a lot, and I've seen one or two Island Whales in West Blue." He commented. "But don't avoid my question."

The old man hummed, before finally sighing and complying with the blond's request. He explained that Laboon was actually friends with a group of pirates as a baby whale. When they came down Reverse Mountain, they decided to leave Laboon with Crocus while they went to explore the Grand Line. In reality, Koga understood why they did that; even being an Island Whale, Laboon had been a baby back then, and that sea's dangers were unpredictable and certainly deadly. It hadn't been an easy separation for either one of them, but it was necessary, and the whale had understood that they were leaving without him for his sake.

The problem was, the pirate crew had promised to be back in two years, three at most, but fifty years had passed already, and no one had passed through to pick up Laboon again. This broke the poor whale's heart, as he considered the pirate crew as his pod members, his family.

"But to think it's been waiting here for fifty years…" Zoro muttered, seated in the table and sipping his tea. "Does it still believe his friends will really return?"

Everyone turned their heads towards the giant whale. Perhaps it was because he had heard his story, but to Koga, he looked… very sad.

"Those pirates sure are taking a long time…" Luffy noted.

"You idiot, this is the Grand Line." Sanji sighed as he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. "They promised to be back in two, three years, yet they are still not back after fifty years… The answer is obvious. They're long dead by now. They won't come back no matter how long that whale waits…"

Koga sighed as he closed his eyes, interrupting his task of writing down on his chronicle. He sure wouldn't have used such harsh words, but reality was reality, and sugarcoating it wouldn't make anything easier.

"I hate to say it, but that's probably true." Nami agreed. "Back when those pirates sailed the Grand Line it was uncharted territory; way more dangerous than it is today."

"Why do you have to go and say such cold thing?" Usopp snapped in anger at them. "You can't say that for sure! They might still come back! Can't you appreciate such a moving tale about a whale who still believes in his friends' promise?!"

"But it is true, Usopp." Koga calmly stated, making the long-nosed teen divert his angry glare at him. "The Grand Line is cruel with its residents, and also with its visitants. If this pirate crew wasn't ready to face them, then they are long gone by now."

"The truth is far crueler, though." Crocus turned away solemnly. "Laboon's cohorts abandoned their quest; they left the Grand Line."

The chronicler's hand suddenly hesitated in his scribbling.

That pirate crew abandoned a friend, a _nakama_ , without even leaving a sign to let him know that they were still alive. In his head, it was indeed much crueler than just dying in the Grand Line. Maybe they were still alive, but the fact that they didn't even _tried_ to contact with Laboon, to let him know that, even if they couldn't come back, they were still living…

 _Sounds familiar to you shitty host?_ He could hear _Sankaoken_ 's voice in his head.

'No.' The rotundity of his negation only served to make the demon snicker evilly.

"So you're telling me these pirates were a bunch of cowards who cared more about saving their own asses than keeping a promise to a friend?" Sanji growled.

"How could they abandon such a loyal creature?" Usopp demanded, just as angrily. "That's just beyond cruel!"

Koga closed his eyes, clenching his jaw, trying to keep his tenebrous thoughts for himself.

"Why haven't you told Laboon any of this?" Nami asked.

"I did, down to the last miserable detail." Crocus answered, sadness tainting his voice.

Apparently, Laboon had refused to listen to him, and in fact, the first day the old man told him the truth, the Island Whale had gone mad and started to bang his head against the Red Line, blaming it for separating him from his friends.

Seeing that he couldn't concentrate on his task, Koga closed the logbook with a sigh and hopped off the rock, going to stand beside Nami and look at the whale.

"But if he keeps hitting his head against that mountain, he could die." He said to Crocus, who simply nodded with a sigh.

"We have an odd relationship, but he's still my companion that I have lived with for over fifty years. I can't just stand by and watch him die…"

"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"

Suddenly, a familiar-sounding voice cried out and Koga raised his head to see something moving up Laboon's back; squinting his eyes and enhancing them slightly with his Devil Fruit powers, he noticed it was Luffy… carrying out something very large behind him…

"Hey, is that a mast?" Zoro dumbly commented.

"Yeah, I think it's our ship's…" Sanji answered him.

"Yup." Usopp added. "It's our main mast all right."

Koga's jaw dropped as Luffy reached the top of Laboon's head and _slammed the mast into a recently-opened wound of Laboon's_! His eye twitched angrily, unsure of how to react…

" **BUOOOOOOOHHH!** " Laboon cried out in pain, and the chronicler flinched as his sensible ears caught the sound. The whale started thrashing his head around as Luffy clung to the mast with all his might.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!" Nami, Zoro and Sanji exclaimed at the same time, horrified looks on their faces.

"Luffy, stop tearing up the ship!" Usopp yelled in frustration, tears running down his face.

"I don't know what to do with him now…" Koga sighed, before suddenly realizing something. "Oh no! The crow's nest! My stuff was in there!"

He promptly turned around to see the damage, but the next loud roar and the thrashing of the water –Laboon's doing, no doubt– made him stumble and grip the railing once more. Not having stability to safely wander around the ship to inspect the damage done to the main mast, he could only watch as Laboon took a flying leap into the air and slammed his head right onto the cape, throwing Luffy and the mast off.

"The boy!" Crocus yelled in horror. "He's dead!"

"It'll take a lot more than that to kill Luffy!" Though angry, Nami reassured him as everyone watched the titanic battle between the whale and the rubber teen.

Thankfully, the roaring stopped, and Laboon assessed Luffy as they began to fight. Zoro asked his captain if he wanted them to step in before he got killed, but it seemed he didn't hear the swordsman, so concentrated he was on the fight. He was thrown against the lighthouse, and the whale began charging him.

"It's a draw!"

That yell served to stop Laboon in his tracks, mostly due to confusion than anything else, but at least he had stopped. Luffy rose to his feet with his characteristic wide grin.

"I'm stronger than I look, but I have a feeling you knew that already. I can tell when someone's itching to fight; you miss sparring with your old friends, don't you?"

The whale's eyes began tearing up, and Koga brought a slow smile to his face, hiding it behind his blue scarf.

"How about this? After my friends and I travel the Grand Line, we'll come back for you" and you better be ready for a rematch!"

Though loud, this time Koga didn't feel the need to cover his ears as Laboon raised his massive head to the sky to let out a gentle call of happiness, nothing compared to the angry roars or the sad bellows of earlier. It was… a nice sound.

To make sure Laboon didn't bang his head against the Red Line ever again, Luffy painted a rather… horrendous rendition of the Straw Hat pirates' Jolly Roger upon Laboon's snout, right over his scars. Seeing as everything was good, Koga sighed as he jumped to the deck and began collecting his things, which were scattered after being thrown out of the crow's nest thanks to Luffy's idiotic actions.

He picked up the feather from their adventures with the Sennenryu, and promised himself to find a more appropriate place to treasure it with a smile on his face. He then gathered the many pencils and pens for his logbook, and the small notebooks he used from time to time to write down general ideas for the logbook. But then, he began searching around frantically, noticing something very important for him was missing…

"Looking for this?" A voice called out to him from his right, and he whipped his head around to glare at the person, softening a bit when he found out who it was.

"Yeah, that's mine." He rose to his feet and extended his hand, demanding the object.

Nami held out a black-leather covered book, with a distinctive Jolly Roger on it. The mark of a smiling skull with a scar over his left socket, that instead of a pair of bones, it had a paper airplane drawn behind.

"I didn't know you were a part of another pirate crew." She commented, handing him the notebook.

The chronicler didn't answer her indirect question, though, as he simply picked it and went to his bedroom to put it on the table with all his other things, resolving on putting them back at the crow's nest once it was repaired. He couldn't help but to stare at the small black notebook and the emblem drawn on it before going back upstairs and towards the lighthouse, where the others were gathered, waiting for Sanji to finish cook up the prize he had won in the Cooking Contest back in Loguetown.

As he got near them, a shrill scream from their navigator split the air and made the chronicler cover his ears with a cringe.

"The compass is broken!" She shrieked in terror, pointing at her tool's needle spin recklessly around and around the dial.

"It's not broken, Nami." The blond sighed, coming beside her and taking her compass. "The Grand Line has a powerful magnetic field surrounding it, causing not only its chaotic weather, but also all compasses to be useless. That's why navigators in the Grand Line use a Log Pose."

"It's good to see that at least one of you youngsters has a useful head on their shoulders." Crocus commented as he appeared from inside the lighthouse and stepping towards them.

"I was born here in the Grand Line, so I know this kind of stuff, more or less." Koga shrugged again, hiding his face behind his scarf to hide the blush and beginning to eat down the delicious fish Sanji had prepared.

"Hm, I see…"

"Um, what's a Log Pose?" Nami asked, just as Luffy's arm stretched to steal away some of the massive fish in front of them, attempting to grab Koga's plate but failing as he snatched his hand around his wrist. On it, he had strapped a wrist watch with a glass orb sitting on top, and a needle floating inside the middle of that orb suspended from the top by a thin piece of metal or wire.

"This is a Log Pose." Koga answered simply, showing Luffy's new ornament to the others.

"I see… Well then, Luffy…" Nami asked innocently, before her face turned furious in a split of a second. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE ONE?!"

 **POW!**

"Ow!" Luffy protested, before answering while nursing his new lump. "I dunno, I found it on the deck… Those two weirdos must've dropped it."

'So, they must have escaped.' Koga deduced, seeing as they were nowhere in sight, and then sighed before continuing his explanation.

"A Log Pose reads the magnetic field of an island and then points towards the next one we have to go to… Which will eventually lead us to the Red Line… and sometime after that, our final destination… Raftel." He smiled at the last statement.

"Enough with this navigating talk!" Zoro protested. "I'm hungry, let's eat!"

"Alright!" Luffy cheered with a mouth full of fish. "Sanji's cooking is the best! Hey old man, want some?"

"Heh… Sure." He nodded with a smile and took a seat before they all began digging in.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Probably this will be the last chapter I'll publish until mid-January or so, because of my college exams :'( Wish me luck, by the way!**

 **Well, see ya later, love ya lots, please feed the hungry beast!**


	27. Whiskey Peak

**27\. Whiskey Peak**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **SURPRISE! I know, I said that I wouldn't update until mid-January, but… Well, let's just say that I didn't want to leave without leaving a little… Christmas present for you ^^! So, here it is, the chap in Whiskey Peak, hope you enjoy it ^^.**

 **Ah! Before I forget, in case I can't upload sooner... MERRY CHRISTMAS ^^!**

 **I feel kinda disappointed because I'm not receiving as many reviews as I would like, but I understand these are bad times for everyone, so I won't press the issue here.**

 **-dog: Thanks! Here I have a chap for you, hope you enjoy it ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Finished his part of the meal, Koga played with a small fishbone caught between his teeth as he watched in silent amusement how Luffy, Sanji and Usopp struggled for the privilege of having the last morsel left of the delicious fish. Zoro was at his side, also snickering at the tree crewmates' antics, and Nami stood by Crocus, who was explaining to her how the Log Pose really worked.

As he barely paid attention to the ruckus created by a certain rubber idiot –mainly by smashing the Log Pose– Koga remembered the blue-haired whaler, and wondered not for the first time why she was so familiar to him. That awkward feeling that kept nagging his mind was beginning to drive him crazy.

With a loud splash, Laboon the whale dumped Sanji and Luffy back onshore after receiving a huge beating from Nami for breaking the Log Pose. He also observed with interest how the whale also dropped two other familiar figures; the ginger-haired crowned weirdo, and the subject that obsessed the chronicler's mind at that moment. Wanting to hear what was going on, he stood from his seat and approached the small group, seeing how the whalers bent to their knees.

"We have a request to make." The tattooed man declared.

Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes both in confusion and mistrust –well, except Luffy, who merely looked at him with a blank expression on his face. The two weirdos, as their captain and the majority of the crew called them, introduced themselves as Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday, and pretty formally pleaded them to take them back to Whiskey Peak since they had no way to get there by themselves.

"Whiskey Peak?" Luffy tilted his head to the side. "What a weird name. What is it?"

Mr. Nine bowed low. "It's the town where we live…! Erm… Sir." He added as an afterthought.

"Have you been there, Koga?" Usopp turned towards the blond chronicler, who thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I've heard about it, but never been there myself." He answered truthfully, and then shrugged. "Nothing interesting to say about it, though."

Nami sidled up to the wannabe king, an evil-looking grin on her face. "Wouldn't that be too kind of us, Mr. Nine?" She asked in a falsely sweet tone. "Considering you tried to kill that poor whale?"

"That's right!" Usopp piped up, pointing at them. "Just who are you two anyway?"

Miss Wednesday gasped and then shook her hands frantically. "We– we cannot say!"

"Can't, or won't?" Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes at her, still trying to figure out who that girl was. For some reason, her face turned a crimson red as she avoided his piercing glare. "You want to come with us even having the Log Pose broken?"

Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday both sprung up to their feet, yelling in unison. "You broke it?!"

"That was mine!" The ginger-haired wannabe king wailed in frustration. "Those things aren't cheap you know!"

The chronicler's brows knitted together in suspicion as Nami showed them Crocus' Log Pose, snickering at their dramatic fall. His intuition hadn't tingled, meaning those two weren't exactly life-threatening dangerous people, but there was something about them that looked… wrong. Considering their overall looks, a Log Pose should've been too much expensive for them, so could they be in possession of one…?

"It's fine, you can ride with us." Everyone turned to look at Luffy in shock, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed. "Why would we take them anywhere?!"

"It's fine. Don't sweat the small stuff, we'll be fine."

"Are you certain?" Crocus butted in. "Once you've set sail from here you'll be committed to that course."

A smile showed in their captain's face. "Hey, if we don't like it we'll just choose a different route next time."

'As if that was so easy.' Koga groaned before sighing. He wasn't particularly thrilled about having two unknown people in their ship. Even if his intuition remained stubbornly silent, he still felt there was something off with those two, something that he couldn't quite put the finger on.

After taking a look back at Laboon, that was surprisingly silent, Koga joined the others in boarding the Merry and helped set off the Twin Capes, waving goodbye at the giant whale and the lighthouse keeper with the promise to come back again. Once the two figures left their sights, everyone dispersed on the small ship to do whatever they wanted; Zoro went to sleep back against the railing, Usopp to continue fixing the ship's main mast, Sanji to the kitchen, Nami to look at her maps and Luffy at the Merry's figurehead. Everything expected. As they were new in the ship, Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday entered the kitchen.

For once not wanting to spend his time writing down on his logbook yet, Koga went to Usopp and helped him with the main mast, hammer and nails in hand. The long-nosed teen was grumbling under his breath something about murdering their captain if he broke their beloved ship again, much to the chronicler's amusement.

"Oi, Koga…" Usopp mumbled to the older boy, and the other hummed while hammering the metal plate against the main mast to hold it in place. "You think it's safe for us to have those two here?"

He interrupted his task to look at the teen. "I'm not sure." He sincerely answered. "My intuition doesn't detect anything dangerous in them."

"Really?" He looked doubtful.

"But I can feel there is something odd with them." The blond picked another nail from the toolbox and another metal plate and smiled at Usopp. "Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes open."

He then continued repairing the mast along with Usopp, whose face had relaxed noticeably after his nakama's support. Even if the older boy didn't know it, everyone in the crew trusted him in terms of warning them about dangers and also in everything else they needed. As they worked together in companionable silence, Usopp felt somewhat closer to his reserved and quiet nakama.

Not even an hour after they fixed the main mast –the best they could, of course, snowflakes began falling down from a suddenly dark sky. It started to snow so heavily, the Merry was completely covered in a thick blanket of snow in mere minutes. Of course, Luffy and Usopp grew excited at the sight of the snow and began creating their own snowmen along with barrels and spare wood.

Sanji and Koga were put to shovel snow by Nami's orders, while the other two played in the snow. Everyone had to put on their winter clothes –Koga dressed a pair of khaki combat pants that covered his black boots and a thick brown leather jacket over his tight t-shirt. Thanks to his clothes and his blue warm scarf, he ensured not to freeze himself. Well, thanks to that, and also to the shoveling, that was doing a pretty good job to keep him warm.

"Why is it snowing?" Sanji growled as he shoveled the snow overboard to the sea. "We're in the middle of the sea!"

Koga grinned knowingly. "This is the Grand Line, Sanji. Weird stuff happens." He answered, and then shrugged. "There's a scientific reason for the mad weather here but I don't know how to explain it… Maybe Nami could–"

 **FWOOOSH!**

"NAMI-SWAAAAAAAAAAN!"

… And there the dumb cook went, like a black tornado, towards their navigator.

"But help me first you prick!" The chronicler exclaimed angrily, growing shark-like teeth. He shoveled and shoveled muttering under his breath until Sanji came back, a few painful lumps evident on his head but his visible eye heart-shaped. Knowing that he had enough punishment with Nami's beatings, Koga decided to let the cook be as he threw the snow overboard once more.

They continued like this until an ear-piercing shriek coming from the cabin alarmed everyone –sans Zoro, who kept blissfully sleeping, even half-buried in snow. Alarm evident in her face and voice, Nami came out in a bolt and began barking orders frantically:

"Turn the ship around! We somehow reversed direction! Luffy, Usopp, turn the brace yard and catch the wind from starboard, get us 180 to port! Koga, get the aft sail! Sanji-kun, take the helm!"

With loud 'Aye!' or with a silent nod, everyone sprang into action; Koga jumped to Nami's orange grove and leapt yet again to grab the sail's robe, shifting it following the navigator's instructions, all while unconsciously using his Devil Fruit powers to avoid it to capsize. Above their heads, the sun began to glow bright but was quickly shadowed by thick dark clouds carrying a huge storm with them.

Muttering a curse at how volatile the weather was in the Grand Line, Koga promptly tied the aft sail once he was done and jumped back to the deck as the snow they had enjoyed –mostly Luffy and Usopp, though– blew away with the huge gusts of wind, rocking them back and forth.

"ZORO WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!" The said long-nosed teen screamed at the napping swordsman, too caught in his sleep to notice the chaos around him.

"Iceberg at eleven o'clock!" Luffy yelled from the brace yard.

"I'm on it!" Koga exclaimed, and then turned to the sniper. "Leave him, and take the helm!"

"Ah– Roger that!"

"Nami-san, incoming fog!" Sanji exclaimed from somewhere behind him.

Koga gripped the hilt of _Sankaoken_ and unsheathed it, the demonic weapon transforming into the long naginata.

 _You really gonna use me against an ICEBERG?!_

'Okay, shut up demon.'

The chronicler whirled the naginata in his left hand as he leapt gracefully into Luffy's prized seat, just as the iceberg emerged from the thick fog like an apparition. With a roar, he swung the naginata diagonally and cleanly cut the giant piece of ice in two; smirking at his well-done job, he landed on one of the destroyed chunks of ice, the blade of the naginata digging in it to avoid falling in the water, and once the Merry was close enough, he infused his legs with power and jumped back to the railing, his katana already in its sheath.

However, it seemed there had been some hidden ice below the water, as Miss Wednesday suddenly emerged from the trap that led below deck: "We're taking water below deck!"

At this, Usopp dashed past her, his arms carrying supplies and his trusted toolbox into the Merry's belly.

"The wind's getting strong!" Nami yelled from above the gusts of wind. "Take in the sails or else we'll capsize!"

Sanji came out of the kitchen, a large platter full of rice balls in his hand.

"Everyone, eat up!" He exclaimed, raising his voice against the incoming storm. "It'll keep your energy up!"

Luffy and Koga looked at each other and nodded, the rubber man climbing up first thanks to his Devil Fruit abilities and once on the daft he hoisted the chronicler up. Both of them hurried to furl the sails as fast as they could before jumping back to the deck just as Sanji tossed one towards Koga as he dashed past him to help with Mr. Nine and one of the ropes that was loose. The storm was suddenly upon them, and the waves rocked the small caravel back and forth madly, the sky filled with lightning, the winds battering the ship… Everyone worked tirelessly against nature trying to overturn them.

After what felt like eternal hours, everything quieted down at last, the storm stopping and the ship still on course thanks to Nami's surprising navigation abilities. As everyone collapsed on the deck, too exhausted to utter a single word, Koga sat with his back against the main mast with his arms and legs sprayed, chin against his chest and breathing heavily. He had forgotten for a moment how hard the first part of the Grand Line was.

From his right, he heard a relaxed yawn at the stupid sleepy marimo awoke at last.

"C'mon, I know the weather's nice but that's no reason to be lazy." Zoro commented, watching the members of the crew and their two hitchhikers sprayed on the deck, blissfully ignorant of the sudden angry atmosphere that arose at his comment. "We better be on the right course."

"Shut up Zoro…" Sanji, Usopp and Koga mumbled angrily.

Shrugging, the swordsman ignored them as he suddenly noticed Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday's presence; Luffy explained rather goofily how he decided to take them to Whiskey Peak, as he had been asleep during all the conversation with the two 'suspects'.

Humming in interest, the green-haired teen knelt in front of them with a dangerous smile on his face. "What were your names again?"

For some reason, both of them visibly startled and stated their 'names' with trembling voices, and ignoring the tiredness in his muscles, Koga watched the exchange with a furrowed brow.

"You know…" Zoro's smile widened creepily. "Those names sound familiar and that's what's bugging me… In fact, the more I think about it, I'm certain I've heard them before…"

'Is he trying to scare them, or is he saying the truth?' The chronicler looked at the swordsman, and then noticed an angry figure approaching him from behind, earning a wicked smile on his face hidden under his soaked scarf.

Three punches to the head later, Zoro was nursing brand new lumps and Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday were eyeing Nami as she straightened from behind the defeated green-haired teen and looked at everyone else.

"Listen up, everyone!" She exclaimed with an authoritative voice. "There's no telling what's gonna happen next! My navigation skills may be useless…" Her fists clenched at that statement, but her face was a mask of determination, "but I swear I will guide us through this!"

 _Girl has guts, huh._

"In fact, we're here! Our first island on the Grand Line!"

At this, everyone went to the front of the ship and smiled broadly at the sight. A pretty huge island, with those gigantic cacti popping from the ground that made the island look even bigger.

'So that's Whiskey Peak huh?' Koga thought. He turned his head just in time to see Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday leap over the railing and bid everyone farewell before jumping into the ocean, swimming towards the island. 'That's weird… They asked us to get them to Whiskey Peak, but we're not even _there_ yet…'

 _Maybe they like swimming among Sea Kings_.

'Ha-ha, so funny.'

"That was a quick exit." Nami commented while watching the two approach the island before them.

"I guess we'll never find out what those nutjobs were up to." Usopp let out a sigh.

'… I think we will however.'

"Who cares, we're landing!" Luffy cheered as their ship entered a waterway, leading them to the shore line and a fog slowly surrounding us.

"I'm a bit tired of mist here…" Koga growled under his breath.

"Oi, there are people on shore!" Sanji noticed. "I can barely make them out though."

"Everyone… Be on your guard…" Zoro advised dangerously as he handled his blades, Koga quickly imitating him as his intuition slightly tingled of danger.

They slowly entered deeper, Usopp's frantic muttering accompanying them in their tense state. Until…

 **POP-POP-POP-POP!**

"AAAAAAYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Usopp's heart near got out of his chest via his throat as he stiffened with his hands in the air, mouth agape. Everyone else though, barely registered his frightened scream as they watched what was happening.

Everywhere, the islanders were throwing confetti and loudly cheering on them, welcoming them to their island with surprising open arms; each woman, man and child approached them with huge smiles on their faces, praising them, almost _worshipping them_.

So confused and bewildered he was at the stunning scene splayed before him, Koga almost forgot the small tingle of his intuition in the back of his mind, and he quickly erased the dumbstruck expression on his face to be replaced by a careful blank one, his mismatched eyes watching everything in suspicion.

As the ship docked, Luffy and everyone else disembarked, the chronicler being the last as he continued watching the people approaching them from everywhere. He tried to keep his hand out of his sword's hilt though, to keep unwanted attention away from him.

"Welgo– AHEM! Mah~ mah~ mah~ mah~! Welcome! My name is Igarappoi, the mayor of Whiskey Peak, the town of fine drinks and fine people!"

'Fine drinks and fine people?' Koga almost snorted as he continued to watch the crowd. 'More like suspicious…'

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted though, as Luffy answered the mayor, when he turned his head and saw who his captain was talking to.

Eyes about to pop out of their sockets, he saw a large man with a small red nose and had blonde, really curly hairstyle, and he dressed like a gentleman. He has the number 8 at the tips of his collar, the curls in his hair also look similar to the number 8. Strapped at his back, a saxophone stuck out.

'I know this guy!' Koga thought.

Like in a flash, his mind brought out a magnificent castle, a large splendorous library, and three angry guardsmen that tried to catch him… One of them with really curly hair…

'Igaram, the captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard!'

"… Care to join us for a celebration and share your wondrous tales of adventure?" Igaram was saying kindly, a wide smile upon his lips. "We would be mosd… AHEM! Mah~ mah~ mah~ mah~! Most delighted to have you as our guests."

"OF COURSE!" Luffy, Usopp and Sanji –upon seeing lovely ladies among the crowd– all cheered as they linked their arms in a joyful dance.

Blinking rapidly, Koga brought back a neutral look on his face with a lot of effort from his part. He didn't know why Igaram was there of all places instead of Alabasta, but maybe if he simply stood aside from this 'party'…

"I'll pass." He called out, waving a hand and turning to go back to the Merry. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a fleeting recognizing look on Igaram's eyes, surprise showing on his face for a moment. "I'm tired and I wanna nap. 'Sides, I can't stand alcohol. But thanks for inviting me anyway."

"PARTY-POOPER!" The three morons all shouted at once at the chronicler, who simply ignored them with a shake of his head and entered the ship, trying to maintain a neutral façade the best he could.

He didn't have to look at Zoro to know that the swordsman also thought that everything was _definitely_ odd.

Sneaking down the trapdoor towards the men's quarters, Koga sat down on his hammock as he thought of the fact that _Igaram_ was there. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand the _reasons_ behind his presence there, so far away from their sandy kingdom.

With a sigh, he ruffled his hair with one of his hands, and then remembered something he read some days before on the newspaper. It said something about a civil war that had lasted almost seven years already, occurring in Alabasta; the news were alarming, as the Revolutionary Army encountered multiple casualties as they fought against the Royal Army… Unfortunately, he couldn't recall anything else, and he growled in frustration, passing a hand over his face and absentmindedly tugging on his scarf.

'Okay, let's just make a rewind of all this… First of all, that blue-haired girl… There's definitely something off about her, but I can't precisely recall _what_. Maybe…?'

Without him knowing, his mind drifted off to his memories…

* * *

 **xXxNINE YEARS AGOxXx**

 **'This is it.'**

 **'I've waited too much for this.'**

 **'Now, the legendary 'Legends and Myths of the Alabastian Kingdom' will be certainly mine and _mine alone!'_**

 **'But I can't be too hasty, or they'll catch me. I have to be patient…'**

 **And that's what I do, perched on the ceiling arch, waiting for the guard to move away from the entrance to the palace. One misstep and I'll be back at the beginning, or worse, rotting in a cell.**

 **To a fifteen-year-old boy, that perspective is definitely _not_ attractive at all.**

 **My muscles tense, seeing my opportunity as the guard turns around towards the door and yawns loudly, his back momentarily unguarded. The door is barely open, but enough to let my skinny body get through the gap. Letting myself fall to the floor on my bare feet –and stiffening a yell at how it hurt– I sneak inside swiftly and quietly behind the guard and entering the palace.**

 **For a moment, the luxury of the hallway stops me in my tracks. There are armors lined both sides of the hallway, standing proudly as silent guardians. Expensive-looking paintings and murals decorate the walls, and the ceiling is so high I can barely see it! But then I remember my task, the library! I have to sneak in, get the book, and sneak out without getting caught.**

 **Hm, sounds easier said than done.**

 **My heightened hearing maximized, I wander through the moonlit hallway, the silence almost creeping me. I almost wish there would be _someone_ …!**

 **'There! Steps! Stop, stop, and hide somewhere…'**

 **A childish giggle stop me in my tracks, and a small figure turns a corner directly in front of him. Is that a… girl? She has a blue wavy gown and sandals, and looks like she has just up. Her navy blue hair's slightly disheveled but her mischievous brown eyes show she's wide awake at the moment. It strikes me that she has such pale skin in comparison to the people outside the palace.**

 **She suddenly notices me standing stupidly in the middle of the hallway, and stops walking and giggling.**

 **"Who are you?" She asks me childishly. She can't be more than six or seven. I open my mouth to answer when a huge smile appears on her face, suddenly remembering me of Karen. "Wanna play with me?"**

 **"Uh…" I answer dumbly. But then a plan forges in my mind, and smile. "Yeah, sure, but only if you do something for me."**

 **"What?" An intelligent sparkle shines in her eyes.**

 **"Can you show me the library?"**

 **She puts a face then nodded. "Okay! Now let's play! You're it!"**

 **"Ah, no fair!"**

 **-An hour later-**

 **"Okay, this is it, the library!"**

 **Both of us are standing in front of a giant wooden door, surprisingly unprotected. I frown, but my intuition informs me the kid's not trying to deceive me, which is good. I turn towards her and smile kindly, opening my mouth to thank her, when…**

 **"PRINCESS!"**

 **Startled by the sudden shouts, I turn my head to see three figures running towards them in a frenzy, one of them especially tall with a weird eight-shaped hairstyle…**

* * *

Koga awoke startled. He had fallen asleep on his side in the hammock. Night had long settled, from what he could see from the small window, and everything was calm and quiet.

"That's it!" He muttered in excitement, rising to his feet. "Now I remember why she looks so familiar!"

 _That's great and all, but you have more urgent problems right now._

The snicker in his demon's voice was almost evident as the chronicler's intuition began tingling suddenly. Quickly snapping out of his reverie, he drew out _Sankaoken_ and got out of the men's quarters sneakily…

… Only to meet some dude's face right in front of him just as he got out of the hideout. He looked fairly normal, not too tall or too small, he was neither handsome nor ugly… But he certainly looked weak, an impression the chronicler confirmed when he knocked him out with a simple uppercut to the temple at a blinding speed but not using his Devil Fruit powers.

"Okay, so whatever was freaking me out earlier now is confirmed." He mumbled as he threw the unconscious body to the water, it emitting a loud 'splash!' before looking around.

The ship, except for the dude, was absolutely empty, but the town had somehow erupted in a frenzy of activity. When he approached the railing to look better, he noticed the activity came from the local townsfolk, armed with various weapons, running from here to there, yelling at each other and seemingly looking for something… or rather, some _one_.

His doubts disappeared when the blond young man noticed Zoro defeating a bunch of the people with his three katana on top of one of the buildings; though he was too far to see it directly, he could almost distinguish an excited grin on the swordsman's face as he beat down one by one the people around him almost effortlessly.

"Oh my…" Koga sighed as he raised his scarf up to his nose and jumped to the deck. "I'd better find those two before Zoro kills them."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Hope you liked it, see ya next time! Please feed the hungry beast!**


	28. Secrets revealed

**28\. Secrets revealed**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Hi! We're celebrating a hundred followers, yay ^^! I JUST HAD TO STOP STUDYING AND POST SOMETHING RIGHT NOW TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HUGE SUPPORT! So here you go guys, hope you enjoy it ^^!**

 **Okay, SO! There's a million reviews and the majority were posted on previous chaps, but I'm gonna answer them here in this chap. Hope the ones that reviewed in previous chapters would continue reading my story and see their answers xD**

 **-Yuki Artsa (from chap 1): Welcome! Aww, thanks, you made me blush~!**

 **-Guest (from chap 1): Welcome! Oh yeah, I actually didn't think about that hahaha! I watched Bleach, and I liked Hiyori Sarugaki, and I wanted my OC to have that surname 'cause I thought it was pretty funny xD**

 **-Guest: Hey! Don't worry, no matter if you're a Guest or a user of FF, I appreciate your comments, they honestly give me quite a boost here ^^!**

 **-Yuki Artsa (from chap 4): Hey again! Hmm, similarities with Kohza? Well I can't tell exactly anything about that, they kind of know each other (yay mega-spoiler once more xD). Haha, glad you like Koga so much xD I hope when Alabasta's Arc is over I can show you a picture of Koga ^^!**

 **-Yuki Artsa (from chap 8): Thanks! Fights are very hard to describe, and I personally like them to be portrayed as accurate and intense as possible. I also like the bromance (is that even a word xD?) between Zoro and Koga, and he's actually quite worried about his crewmates– and their stupidity xD. I think he'll grow grey hair before even being fifty if he continues with this crew xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Thankfully, Koga didn't have to fight as much as Zoro did. But still, he drew out _Sankaoken_ and gave it the naginata's form as he ran through the streets, the ground covered with the unconscious bodies of the townsfolk. Though the chronicler didn't have the slightest clue about why the swordsman had attacked the people, but he trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't do such a thing without a good reason.

He was beginning to assume everyone was unconscious until a small group stepped in front, wielding different weapons on their hands.

"Hey, he's one of the pirates!" One of them exclaimed. Rather dumbly.

"Does he have a bounty?"

"I think not, so let's just kill him instead of Roronoa Zoro!"

'Bounty hunters, huh?'

Koga avoided one of the guys that launched himself at him with a battle cry, armed with a morning star and slammed the back of his head with the naginata's pole, dropping him unconscious. His intuition warned him of someone sneaking up behind him, and without turning his head he turned his naginata around abruptly, catching the enemy just as he was going to plunge a knife to his back.

"What the–!"

 **WHAM!**

And another was down with another swing of the naginata.

"Be careful everyone!" Without him noticing, the amount of people had increased.

"It's as if he has eyes on the back of his head!" Another protested, a pistol in each of his hands.

Koga sighed as he put a hand on his left hip, boredom evident in his face. "You won't let me pass even if I ask you politely, will you?"

"Hey, less mocking you prick! Everyone GET HIM!"

 **WHAM-WHAM-WHAM! THUD!**

"Huh. Such weaklings. I didn't even need to use my Devil Fruit powers. But I can't distract myself now."

And the chronicler left hurriedly, leaving behind a small mountain of grumbling defeated bounty hunters, too hurt to even move. One of them let out a low whine, incredulity filling his voice: "Who the hell is that guy…? We couldn't do _anything_ against him…!"

Of course, the young man didn't hear a thing as he heard battle sounds coming from directly in front of him, and a somewhat familiar voice screaming something. Recognizing it as Zoro's, he grumbled a low curse as he picked up the pace, trying to stop the green-haired teen from doing a stupidity. However, as he got closer and closer to the noise, he then heard Luffy's enraged voice, and even Nami's! What the hell was going on?

His silent question was answered when he rounded a corner and found himself watching a very peculiar scene that made him sigh in fond exasperation.

Standing with her back to him was Nami, holding two weakly struggling Zoro and Luffy by the back of their shirts as they punched and kicked each other. The blue-haired girl was on the ground, watching wide-eyed at the terrifying navigator berate the two male crewmembers, one of them being her own captain. He felt relieved upon seeing one of his objectives still alive.

"… glad that the girl is safe." The red-haired navigator was chiding at them.

'The girl?' Did she mean…?

"Hey guys." Koga called out.

The girl squealed in fright, and Nami merely turned her head, with the two morons still struggling in her hands.

"You're late!" She exclaimed, scowling at him. "These two here almost cost me my one billion Berri!"

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Miss Wednesday asked in confusion at the navigator. "And why did you save me?"

'Seems I missed a lot of action around here.' Koga thought with a sigh.

"Ah, that's right, you don't know anything yet…" Nami said as she tried to keep Luffy and Zoro apart as they kicked and pulled each other's hair like kids. "How would like to make a contract with me?"

"A… contract?"

"SETTLE DOWN ALREADY!"

 **BONK-BONK!**

And down they were again. Koga couldn't help but to shake his head in exasperation.

Once everything settled down, Zoro revealed that the townsfolk were disguised bounty hunters from an organization called Baroque Works who had deceived them to lower their guards and murder them in their sleep, and then take Luffy prisoner to be delivered to the Government because of his bounty. He explained that all he did was to avoid having his nakama assassinated.

"Hahaha! You should have said so earlier!" Luffy laughed gleefully as he sat atop a barrel, with Koga at his side, katana already sheathed. "I thought you went and attacked those people because they didn't cook your favorite food or something!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?!" Zoro snapped angrily, leaning forward from the crate he was laying against.

"That's something _you_ would do, Luffy." Koga confirmed, nodding his head seriously.

As captain and first mate went on talking, his mismatched eyes found Nami and Miss Wednesday talking aside about something about an escort. The greedy navigator tried to negotiate with her, one billion Berri in exchange of escorting her to Alabasta, but the blue-haired girl weakly refused it. Deciding to do something, he walked up to them.

"… But you're a princess, aren't you?" Nami was asking in confusion, one of her eyebrows raised in incredulity. "Doesn't that mean you're loaded?"

Just as Miss Wednesday opened her mouth to answer, Koga beat her into it with a sad smirk:

"That's true in a normal situation, but Alabasta's not any normal situation." His remark made everyone look at him, even Zoro and Luffy who began paying attention too. "From what I've read, the once prosperous country is now embroiled in rebellion and nearing full civil war due to a massive drought that has plagued it for near seven years."

"And now... with the revolution gaining momentum… I learned from a secret organization behind it all… Baroque Works!" She snapped angrily. "I infiltrated them along with my long-time caretaker, Igaram."

"The curly-ossan?" Luffy asked, making motions of him fluffing imaginary hair.

"Yes… With his help, we were able to figure out that Baroque's Boss, a man known only as Mr. Zero to their organization, fueled the rebellion for one objective: seizing the Alabastan throne! I need to return to my country and let them know that this has all been fabricated! The insurrection and everything was his doing! If… if this continues…" She was near crying, stifling sobs as she thought of what would become of her home.

"I see…" Nami pursed her lips, looking away. "Civil war must mean money's tight."

"So, who's the Boss?" Luffy asked excited, practically bouncing.

Koga could see the color drain out of the blue-haired girl's face from fright as she answered frantically: "N– no! I can't tell you that!"

Unfortunately, it gave the opposite effect on their idiot captain: "Oh come on… Who is it, huh?"

"Please! I'll answer anything but that! If I tell you, it'll spell disaster!"

"Oho! Please~!"

"No-no-no! There's no way you could even stand against someone like him!"

"Well…" Nami stated a bit cowardly, fear evident in her voice. "I guess that's for the better then… Someone wanting to take over an entire country must be pretty powerful…"

"He is… No matter who you are… How strong you are… You can't match him… A member of the Shichibukai, CROCODILE!"

Everything around the small group fell into silence suddenly, and then Luffy tilted his head to the side in confusion. Nami's face had contorted into one of horror.

"Who's that?" He merely asked.

Koga's intuition then tingled softly, and he turned his head just in time to see an otter wearing some sort of pajamas with sunglasses and a vulture with a leather pilot's helmet with goggles staring blankly at the group, their shadows looming over them. Then they flew away, and Nami was sent into a complete fit as Luffy and Zoro grinned in excitement over their new enemy.

"Only in the Grand Line for a few days and already hunter by a Shichibukai…" The navigator wailed, sobbing. "It has been nice knowing you all! I'm out of here before they memorize my face!"

She began huffing away until the two animal companions presented facial drawings of all the pirates.

"Oh, what lovely drawings~!" Nami smiled falsely, before turning around and shrieking in fury as the vulture took off again. "NOW I CAN'T EVEN RUN AWAY!"

"DO NOT WORRY!"

The booming voice coming from downstream made everyone look… and Koga could only blink when he saw a larger version of Miss Wednesday –even with the shorts– and was slightly covered in poorly-applied makeup.

"I'll protect the Princess even if it costs my life!" He proclaimed proudly, four dummies held in each of his arms.

"Igaram!" The Princess exclaimed in worry.

"We'll be going with him." A tall, muscular woman with dark skin and pink hair pulled into short twin-tails approached them helping a beaten Mr. Nine to his feet; she was wearing a short dress with a magenta and white diamond pattern, and three green flowers. What shocked the chronicler was the unusual high-pitched voice she had, that contrasted her bulky size. "They'll have a better time believing it's you on that ship if they see us there too."

"Yeah, baby…" Mr. Nine stuttered with a weak grin, making a trembling salute at a confused Miss Wednesday.

"Who said we'll be taking her anywhere?!" Nami again yelled, butting into the conversation.

"Oh, is that what all this is about?" Luffy prompted, making Koga sigh. "Hey ossan, is this guy really strong?"

"Yes… Before he was a Shichibukai, Crocodile had a bounty of 80,000,000."

"Eighty million?!" Nami shrieked in terror again. "THAT'S FOUR TIME ARLONG'S!"

"Come on, Nami, Luffy beat Arlong before he even had a bounty." Koga tried to calm her down… with no success.

The large man then looked at the chronicler and smirked in recognition.

"I knew you looked familiar to me." His declaration made everyone blink in confusion, eyeing the two of them alternatively. "So you joined a pirate crew, didn't you?"

"Wait-wait-wait." Nami interrupted Koga's possible response. "You know each other?"

"Uh, yeah, sort of." The bicolor-eyed young man shrugged while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"He sneaked on the palace a long time ago." Igaram explained with a laugh. "All because of a book we had in the royal library. The guards and I had a bad time because we thought he had entered to kidnap our Princess!"

"He _what_?!"

"Hey, it was a rare book!" Koga hid his red face behind his scarf. "I wanted to read it!"

"Ah!" The blue-haired girl then exclaimed, pointing at the blond young man as realization struck her. "You're that boy from then!"

"Oh, I'm surprised you remember." He smirked at the princess. "You were but a kid when we met. Vivi."

Vivi's face turned a bright red before exclaiming: "I wasn't a kid! I was seven!"

"Still a kid." He turned to Igaram. "Don't worry, Igaram, we'll take her with us. Right captain?"

"Sure, sounds like fun to me!" Luffy answered eagerly.

Igaram's face was priceless. As everyone helped the three former agents load and board a small vessel bound for Alabasta, Vivi was biting her lip near the shore. Once finished, Koga jumped back to the shore and put a hand over Vivi's shoulder with a smirk.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine." She turned a pair of watery eyes at him. "Now you have to come with us and trust them. Okay?"

She sniffed and cleaned her nose with a handkerchief before nodding weakly, smiling at him. "Yes, you're right."

He returned the nod and turned to wave goodbye to Igaram and the other two former agents –he later learned that the soft-voiced woman's name was Miss Monday. As he did so, he inwardly prayed that everything would be well in their trip –well, as well as possible considering they were in the Grand Line– and that they could rejoin safely in Alabasta, for Vivi's sake–

Intuition tingling. There was no time for warning–!

 **BOOM!**

The horizon exploded in pure _fire_.

The boat, that had harmlessly drifted away not even half an hour ago, had been engulfed in a massive bonfire, illuminating the dark night with a terrifying yellow and orange-ish color, cruelly imitating dawn. As he watched as wide-eyed as the others, Koga barely registered Vivi's anguished scream at his side or her slumping in the ground because of the shock and the pain; he could only watch, even as his eyes hurt for having them unblinkingly watching for so long, but he couldn't do _anything_. His mind numb, his body unmoving…

… And the demon inside him claiming for _vengeance_.

Only when the flame-engulfed vessel drifted into nothingness, consumed by the hellish explosion, did Koga register what happened around him. He heard Luffy shouting, Vivi crying and Nami trying to console her. And just then, he snapped out of his daze with a furious shake of his head, a heavy scowl forming in his face as he bottled up his growing fury and turned sharply towards the sobbing princess, kneeling before her and grasping her shoulders in a firm grip.

"Vivi, listen to me." He demanded a bit harshly, his body blocking her eyesight of what she just witnessed. "We _have_ to move. The longer we stay, the sooner they'll arrive to get you. Come with us. _Now._ " As she numbly nodded, not really knowing what she was doing, he turned his head towards Nami, kneeling at Vivi's side too. "What about the Log Pose?"

"Uh… It's set." The red-haired girl watched the still flaming boat and gulped visibly, pale as a sheet.

"Alright, then let's move before they come." Zoro declared, his dark eyes hard as he also watched the inferno.

Koga dragged Vivi to her feet, leaving her in Nami's care as the two of them hurried away towards the docks with Zoro closely behind them, and then looked around at the place where the ship had been before exploding. Luffy was still there, his eyes shadowed by his beloved straw hat and his mouth set in an uncharacteristic serious frown.

"I'll keep her save, Igaram." He mumbled very quietly, almost to himself. He then quietly addressed the raven-haired teen. "Let's go, captain."

"… Yeah."

And both followed their friends, leaving behind a flaming beacon in the middle of the dark ocean.

Not even ten minutes later, they were boarding the Merry along with Zoro, Nami –carrying Usopp and Sanji, still blissfully sound asleep– and Vivi, alongside a giant duck that had hidden in the ship when shit hit the fan. Koga's heart felt heavy with remorse at not warning them earlier about the sudden tingle of intuition he had before the ship got engulfed by flames.

As Vivi directed them how to set their course to the sea again, Koga felt his body weaken and had to stop for a moment and rest his back against the main mast.

'Just a second…' He thought, sighing and rubbing his face.

"Koga, are you okay?" Nami stopped to ask him as the others redirected the ship towards the open sea.

"Yeah…" He smirked before shrugging off his tiredness and straightening himself again. "Just a bit tired."

"No wonder." Zoro commented as he passed by them and looked at Vivi, who was looking at the horizon her back towards them. He then clapped Koga's shoulder. "C'mon, help me with the anchor."

After a few moments of scrambling around the ship to help redirect the ship towards the course the Log Pose was pointing, everyone except Sanji and Usopp reunited in the deck and watched as it began to dawn, the sun timidly showing up in the horizon.

Nami stretched her arms over her head. "At last, it's morning!"

And then Koga's intuition tingled as an unknown voice giggled at their backs. "Hmmm… A long night, wasn't it?"

Everyone spun around, meeting a tall, slender woman perched atop the cabin railing. Her skin was slightly-tanned and her hair pure black, contrasting with her light blue eyes that scanned the crew and the princess on-board with an amused glint in their pupils. She dressed a purple short skirt, a tied shirt that exposed her cleavage, cowboy boots, and a small cowboy hat hid the top part of her face.

"Who the hell are you?!" Luffy roared, enraged at seeing a stranger so comfortably on _his_ ship without his permission.

"I saw Mr. Eight and his friends just a few minutes ago… He wasn't faring so well…"

'She set their ship on fire!' Koga realized, and darted in front of Vivi with a hand over the hilt of his katana, ready to attack. The woman's gaze followed the chronicler's move and her smile widened for a moment.

""Miss… All-Sunday…" Vivi spoke up from behind him, shock filling her voice. "W– What are _you_ doing here?"

"It entertained me… A princess who actually thought she could make enemies of Baroque Works and save her country…" She sneered. "It's just… so pathetic."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

As one, Usopp and Sanji appeared at both sides of the woman pointing pistols at her head. Zoro, Nami and Koga also took their weapons… But something slapped their hands, dropping them to the deck noisily clattering.

"Please don't point such dangerous weapons at me." Miss All-Sunday softly said, as she simply kept her stance without moving a finger. "That's extremely rude."

And then, she drew something out that made Koga's blood stop and boil at the same time.

"What is tha–?" Usopp began to speak.

 **WHOOSH BAM!**

"Agh!"

Alarmed by the sudden noise, the crew whirled and saw Koga splayed on the deck, with some things that looked like arms protruding from the deck and straining him down, holding his arms and legs and upper torso tightly. What had happened? Simple; Koga had tried to launch himself at Miss All-Sunday, but she easily saw through his move and tripped him. The rest was easily dealt with.

"Koga!" Nami and Usopp yelled in unison.

"Give me back that…" The chronicler growled, and raised his head the best he could from his position to shoot a furious glare full of death at the woman. " _That's mine you motherless bitch_! Keep your filthy hands off it right _now_!"

"Oh my, such language…" Miss All-Sunday sneered again, opening the black book and flipping a page. Koga let out a sound of pain as the arms restraining him suddenly tightened against the deck, knocking the air out of him. "Completely opposite with the language in this interesting book over here…"

"HANDS OFF MY CHRONICLER!" Luffy roared, furious at the cowgirl. His arm stretched back to launch a powerful punch to the woman. "Gum gum…!"

"Luffy, wai–!"

Nami's warning went unheard as the captain launched the powerful punch to Miss All-Sunday… who simply dodged it by moving a few centimeters to her left, letting the punch past her with a smug smile on her face. As the arm snatched back into place, the raven-haired teen cursed loudly.

"There's no need to be so hasty." Miss All-Sunday sneered again. "I just want to talk."

"Then let Koga-san go!" Vivi exclaimed at her.

"If he behaves…"

"Give me back my book." Koga growled from the wooden floor, still glaring angrily at the raven-haired woman. "Only then I'll 'behave'."

The woman just widened her smirk and put the book over the railing, lifting both arms to indicate she wasn't going to touch it anymore. As if on cue, the arms that had been restraining his body suddenly disappeared and the chronicler stood up slowly, still eyeing the woman but not making any move to attack, as promised. She then reached behind her and tossed something at Vivi.

"That is an Eternal Pose." Miss All-Sunday explained as the princess held up said Pose. "It's set for an island just north of Alabasta called Nanimonai. It is an unused route by our organization, but if you continue to go the route your Log Pose sends you to… you will end up in Little Garden. A place which you will never escape alive."

"It could be a trap." Zoro eyed Miss All-Sunday.

"Oh, how mistrustful." The woman sneered. "I wonder about that…"

Luffy's arm stretched and took the Eternal Pose from Vivi's hand. "Enough wasting time."

 **CRASH!**

His hand closed tightly around the Pose, smashing it into pieces, leaving everyone gaping at his actions.

"Are you an idiot?!" Nami screamed, kicking fair across the face. "She came out all the way here to teach us the safest route to Alabasta! What are you going to do if she turns out to be a good person?!"

"Honestly, I don't trust her." Koga growled, still a furious scowl shadowing his scarred face, but his comment went unnoticed.

"DON'T YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE THE PATH OF OUR JOURNEY!" Luffy raged at Miss All-Sunday, completely ignoring his navigator.

"Hm, I see…" The raven-haired woman whispered, still with a smile on her face. "Well, it's a shame… Let us meet again soon, if you survive."

And she walked off the boat, jumping over the side on to a large turtle. Only when she sailed far enough everyone relaxed, and Koga picked up the black book with the Jolly Roger on its front, holding it tenderly. And although the others shot him confused glances, he didn't offer an explanation to his reaction when Miss All-Sunday took his book.

That book… It held painful memories, but it was also one of his most unbreakable ties to his memories of Karen and Yuuto and the kids from the orphanage.

Vivi explained to them that she had had to trail Miss All-Sunday because she was Mr. Zero's partner, and also her suspicion of her being the one uncovering their identities –hers and Igaram's– to Crocodile. Sanji and Usopp were also informed of what had happened while they were asleep in Whiskey Peak and how near danger had been in reality. And of course, as expected from them, both of them agreed wholeheartedly to help bringing Vivi and her duck Carue safely back to her home in Alabasta, to stop the rebellion and to defeat Crocodile and his minions.

And now that their destination was clear, Little Garden, Koga couldn't help but to think the danger that woman told them about was real. Sure, between the four strongest men in the crew everything could be dealt with rather easily, but still, the way how Miss All-Sunday had been so sure about their certain deaths before even reaching Alabasta had put him a bit on edge. If danger was really coming for them, Koga felt more than ready to face it all on.

And as he caressed the black book's cover, he swore himself to look out for the others. Even if it costed him his own life.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! And pretty soon, another chap will be posted so heads up everyone! And you know, if you liked it, R &R, and F&F! Remember, I'll post a new chap very soon– probably tomorrow 'cause I didn't quite finished it yet xD. See ya!**


	29. Little Garden

**29\. Little Garden**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **As promised, the other chap I wanted to post! Hope you enjoy it ^^! Though I did promise to upload it yesterday. Oops, sorry xD!**

 **-dog: Yeah, Koga's kind of hard-headed in that sense. Yay, I can't wait to read them ^^! I'll check 'em out right away! Thanks, please keep supporting me!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"I wonder if it's going to snow…" Luffy mumbled to himself.

The male members of the crew were all relaxing on the deck, sunbathing, completely at ease with the warm weather and the for once clear and calm waters around them. Koga, as always, was writing down on his logbook, seating with his back against the railing and one leg over the other, smirking at his captain's sudden remark.

"I doubt it." He said out loud, attracting their attention. "The crazy weather we had at the entrance of the Grand Line only happens there. We'll see more snow when we're near a Winter Island."

"Oh boomer…" Luffy pouted, his cheeks like little balloons.

"What kind of island is yours, Koga?" Zoro asked the bicolor-eyed young man.

As expected whenever someone asked him about himself, he stopped writing for a brief moment before resuming, not raising his head for a moment.

"An Autumn Island. Rainy and cold. Not an interesting place to talk about."

As the others interpreted that as a close to their brief conversation, Koga felt the injustice in his statement about his island. Though certainly evocating some dark memories he preferred to maintain buried, he had to admit that yes it was rainy, and yes it was also cold, but Kukkuri Island _was_ interesting. Full of nature, practically almost untouched by civilization, wild and beautiful in its own way. Many gardeners and nature-lovers would describe the island as their own paradise.

"Hey, then tell us about how you met Vivi!" Usopp exclaimed.

A smirk crossed Koga's lips as he set down the logbook. "Well that's a story to tell, though it's a bit embarrassing."

"YAY, A STORY!" Luffy and the sharpshooter chorused in happiness, and Zoro hummed in interest.

When the three of them were settled to listen, Koga cleaned his throat and began: "It was nine years ago, only a year after I left my homeland for personal reasons. I was fifteen at the moment, and a professional hitchhiker, when I got aboard a giant pirate ship and traveled through the Grand Line to various islands. When they discovered me, they hired me as a chore boy in exchange of a bed and food –thankfully, because I had spent five days hidden in the lower deck."

"A pirate ship…!" Luffy exclaimed, before Usopp shushed him in a harsh but low tone. Koga smirked behind his scarf and continued.

"I soon had to leave them when the Marines began pursuing us, but before they got me those pirates left me in Alabasta, with Berri enough to take care of myself. While eating in a restaurant in Alubarna, I heard about a mystical mythology book kept in the palace's library, and I wanted to check it out right away." He rubbed his head with a blush. "I was quite foolish back then, but at night I managed to sneak into the palace without being spotted. On the way to the library, though, Vivi caught me."

"And what did she do?" Usopp asked, as caught in the story as Luffy was.

"She asked me to play tag with her." He smiled widely at their dumbfounded faces. "Well, actually she asked me who I was, and _then_ she asked me to play with her. I had to do it to convince her to take me to the library. We played for about an hour before Igaram and the other chief guards caught me and brought me to the King's presence."

"Ah, so _that_ 's how you met that curly ossan…" The long-nosed teen nodded with a serious face, before realizing what Koga had said at the end. "Wait, they brought you to–?"

"To the King's presence, yes. To Vivi's father's presence. Fortunately, he thought of me as a harmless kid, and gave me the book I was looking for before getting out of the palace. After that, I could enter the palace as many times as I wanted to play with Vivi and her friend, Kohza, but only at nighttime, because during the day I was busy working as a waiter."

"Wow, you're really lucky!"

To that he merely shrugged. "I guess I am. Other Kings would've skinned me alive for much less than that."

Sanji then walked out of the kitchen, holding a platter full of blue-colored drinks. "Oi guys, anyone care for a special drink?"

"YOU BET!" Luffy and Usopp cheered loudly.

"Oh, good timing, I was thirsty already after that story." Koga smirked, standing up and taking a glass. He didn't know what it was made of, but it was sweet and cool. "Hm, this is nice."

"Of course it is." Sanji also smiled, and then looked at Carue as the duck took out the straw from the glass. "No, no, like this."

The cook stopped it and put the straw again in its place. Carue then got the idea and chug the whole glass in one gulp.

"Well you sure are thirsty, have another."

Everyone watched in amazement and amusement as the duck drank through several more glasses in one go. Where did all that drink go to? Laughter exploded as finally Carue got overwhelmed from sweetness overdose and slumped to the deck, feeling quite light headed. An uncharacteristic huge smile tug at Koga's lips as everyone else rolled on the floor laughing.

"Oh look, a dolphin!" Sanji pointed at said animal leaping out of the water. "Pirates' best friend!"

"Beautiful!" Nami exclaimed with a smile.

They all watched with smiles in their faces as it jumped towards them… getting bigger and bigger… and the smiles dropped into shocked expression as the dolphin –of a freaking hundred feet long– directly _jumped over the Merry_!

"It's HUGE!"

As the dolphin dug back into the sea, it created a huge wave and Luffy suddenly ordered: "Let's go!"

"AYE!"

Koga and Sanji took quick care of the sails as the dolphin reemerged this time behind them, creating a giant wave as it landed that the Merry quickly caught to avoid being overthrown. Luffy's excited laugh resonated all over the small ship as it escalated the giant wave effortlessly.

"Where to now, Nami?!"

She checked the Pose. "Port side, full!"

"Turning full!" Everyone yelled in response, Usopp doing just that as they landed back into the calmer sea once the dolphin disappeared from their sights.

"Oi guys, an island just up ahead!" Koga then announced from the crow's nest.

The crew turned as one and watched as the island came closer and Nami checked the Log Pose once more. "No doubt about it, that's our next stop!"

As Koga jumped back to deck, Luffy was grinning from ear to ear in evident excitement. "This is it, our second island on the Grand Line!"

The new island –Little Garden everyone supposed– was full of trees, which looked gigantic and incredibly old. Just by seeing them Koga felt overwhelmed and suffocated. The air felt hot and humid when they got closer enough to the island, so hot that Koga had to take off his leather jacket, leaving him with a plain white t-shirt.

As in Whiskey Peak, Little Garden had also a river that split the island in two, and the Merry headed its course inland through that river. As soon as they entered, the atmosphere grew incredibly, the looming trees way higher over their heads, the sun barely passing through the branches. The deafening noises of a populated jungle –and not precisely with the kindest animals– filled their ears.

"Little Garden, huh?" Koga mumbled, reunited with the others at the front deck, hand against the railing.

"This island looks pretty harsh to me." Nami commented, wary. "Why call it Little Garden?"

"Y– yeah, it looks like a jungle out there!" Usopp stammered, half-hidden behind Zoro. "Maybe we should skip this one!"

"The only way to reset the Pose is to go ashore." The navigator pointed out.

"Not to mention we're in dire need of restocking our food supply." Sanji added, taking a drag of his cigarette.

Oh yeah, thanks to a certain bottomless pit… Koga spared a glance at an excited Luffy as he asked about a barbeque restaurant that made everyone sweatdrop comically. Did he really think there would be a barbeque restaurant in the middle of a _jungle_?

'What kind of island is this?' Koga thought, gripping the hilt of his katana while frowning at the enormous trees looming over them. Everyone cringed when suddenly loud screeches began coming from the trees threateningly.

"I haven't seen stuff like this in books!" Nami said again, unsurely.

Once the screech quietened, Usopp began panicking again –thankfully Nami punched him to stop his nonsensical blabber. After that, Sanji was saved from what seemed a giant bird with huge talons that had been about to snatch him out of the boat. And then, a gigantic booming that sounded like an explosion made the birds on the trees escape flying, screeching loudly.

"Is that the sound you hear in a normal jungle?" Nami whimpered.

"That sounded like a volcano! We're all gonna die!" Usopp wailed in response.

A growl came out of the jungle, a large tiger emerging from between the trees. It was _huge_ , greater than a normal tiger, its head easily reaching Koga's chest. As Usopp and Nami backed away from the railing with a start, the others watched tense as sticks as the tiger followed them along the shore with the ship, not stopping growling for a single second. Suddenly, the mighty predator let out a pained roar and flopped to the ground, blood forming a pool around it.

"Okay, I know normal, and _this_ is not it!" The red-haired girl exclaimed, hiding behind the main mast along the long-nosed teen.

"Log Pose and food be damned, we're not setting for on that island!"

"The problem is, we need to restock the ladder and also to reset the Log if we want to continue." Koga turned towards the two, pointing at the Log at Nami's wrist.

She thought about it and then nodded stiffly. "We can still reset the Pose on the ship; we'll just sit tight and wait until then."

Sit tight? With a captain like Luffy? Koga hid a smirk behind his scarf as he watched the raven-haired boy almost beaming in excitement at the perspective of exploring a dangerous, potentially-deadly jungle. As the anchor was finally dropped, he laughed almost maniacally.

"Sanji, go make lunch!" He exclaimed. "Make it a great big pirate bento with lots of meat and no veggies! I'm gonna need lots of energy!"

The chronicler snorted as he shook his head good-naturedly. "I knew it…"

"What?! No, you're not leaving here! What do you even want to do?"

"You know, fun stuff. C'mon, Sanji, I'm starving!"

Sanji blew on his cigarette as he strolled back to the kitchen. "Be patient," he answered waving a hand, "I'll have it out as soon as I can."

"Could I come with you, Luffy-san?" Vivi volunteered.

"Sure, sure!"

"Vivi, you too?!" The navigator screeched at the princess.

"Just standing around here doing nothing is only going to end up making me think about my worries again." The blue-haired teen explained to the others. "So I may as well try to clear my head until the Log Pose finishes recording. It'll be fine! Carue will be at my side after all!"

At this, the duck's beak opened dramatically to the ground with a horrified expression crossing his face.

"Your trusty bodyguard looks too scared to even quack…" Nami commented, sweatdropping.

"Then allow me to make a bento of love for you Vivi-chwan~!" Sanji cooed, as he stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"Could you make another drink for Carue as well?!"

As the cook answered in agreement, Koga scratched his stubble around the chin with a pensive look on his face, eyeing the jungle and inwardly cursing the humid heat. He hated the heat. So much. As Sanji gave Vivi, Luffy and Carue their bentos and they hopped off the ship, he sighed before turning towards the others.

"I think I'll take a walk around the island, see what I can find." He declared, earning terrified looks from Usopp and Nami.

"WHY?!"

"I'm worried about what that Miss All-Sunday said." He frowned, looking at the dense jungle. "About us dying if we set foot into this island. I want to figure out why exactly she said that."

"Isn't it evident already?!" Usopp screeched, gripping the front of his t-shirt and shaking him like a maraca. "THERE ARE MONSTERS IN HERE!"

"I agree with Koga." Zoro interrupted, making the long-nosed teen stop shaking the blond. "We four can handle some wild animals. It makes no sense declaring that we're going to die because of it."

Koga nodded, and then jumped over the railing to the shore, making sure not to land into salt water. Zoro followed after him, mentioning something about going on a walk too on his own. Sanji called for them to bring some food to the ship, but somehow that simple request resulted in a competition between him and the swordsman to see who would bring the biggest beast. Or was it the one that had more meat?

Confused, the chronicler could only blink as the two disappeared from their sight, snapping retorts to each other as they went. He sighed as he ruffled his hair with one hand, the other hidden in his pants pocket.

"How simplistic can those two be?" He murmured to himself, half-amazed at that fact.

"WE CAN HEAR YOU!" There came the answer, and the oldest member of the crew merely shook his head before turning to the two left in the ship, who were watching him tear-eyed.

"Well, I better get going then. You keep watch on the ship."

"Wait! What if something happens to us?!" Usopp wailed loudly, stopping Koga in his tracks and making him turn around once more.

"C'mon, it'll be fine. I have my intuition, remember?" He pointed at his head with a finger. "I'll come back if I sense any trouble, I promise."

"O… kay… You better come back then!" Nami exclaimed, putting suddenly a brave front.

And he smiled wider and nodded firmly, turning his back to them and walking among the gigantic trees, not looking back.

Once in the jungle, the heat enveloped him completely, and he huffed as he tied the scarf around his head instead of having it around his neck as usual. Nevertheless, he tried to not think of the heat and concentrated on how unusual plants there were, growing around him. The scent of humid earth filled his nostrils with each breath he took in. It was a little paradise for someone who loved nature.

However, as he found out soon, not everything was lovely in that jungle. He faced dinosaurs the size of giant mansions that tried to get a bite of him– and that found quite a difficult prey to take on. Koga concluded that Little Garden was a Prehistoric Island– obviously, judging how many dinosaurs were left unconscious or even dead in his path. He knew they weren't any threat to Luffy, Zoro or Sanji, but Usopp and Nami were alone, so he tried to keep close to the ship in case they found danger.

Koga had been strolling for a few hours –and had felt the ground shake and the volcano go off a few times too, when he suddenly grew concerned all of a sudden. Why the hell didn't his intuition alert him of anything? He couldn't believe that everything was going smoothly, considering the crew he was in…

 _Danger. Danger._

… Okay, that was another thing.

He turned sharply on his heels and ran towards the direction his intuition was pointing at, avoiding the dinosaurs the best he could. Soon, as he reached his destination, he caught on some noises.

First, there were roars.

And then, there were two familiar voices that made Koga sweatdrop.

He got _Sankaoken_ out of its sheath and it transformed into his brass knuckles, and he smirked confidently as his speed suddenly boosted the closer he got to his destiny. In a rush, he went past a screaming Usopp –who barely caught who had gone past him–, to sucker punch with a roar at the stegosaurus that had been following the sharpshooter, his razor-like teeth about to get a chunk on his sorry ass.

"KOGAAAAA!" Usopp tackled him to the ground in a hug.

"Gah! Get off me!" He almost punched him before remembering he had his brass knuckles still on, so he simply got the sniper's face away from his. Once the teen calmed down, both stood up and dusted off their pants. "Okay, what happened?"

Usopp explained the best he could how he and Nami met a giant named Brogy and his 100-year battle against his fellow giant Dorry for a reason neither of them remembered, before cutting his explanation suddenly.

"Nami!" He exclaimed, looking around frantically. "Where is she?!"

"How the hell should I know?!" Koga roared, before realizing. "She was running away from that dinosaur like you, wasn't she?"

"Yeah!"

"Dammit, probably she got lost. I'll find her, you better find Luffy."

"Luffy? Why?"

"I don't know, it's a feeling."

"Wait, I have to find him _alone_?!"

"I can't guide you to two different people at once!" Koga groaned in frustration, rubbing his face. "Okay, go north-east, about five hundred yards from here. Luffy should be there."

"O– okay! Got it!"

"I'll go this way then!" He turned northwest and broke into a run, while shouting over his shoulder: "Don't get caught with the dinosaurs!"

"YOU WARN ME ABOUT THAT _NOW_?! DAMN YOU KOGA!"

But his shout got lost among the trees, not leaving an answer behind.

Koga ran as fast as he could, jumping over scattered branches and overgrown roots that stuck out of the ground, barely avoiding –once more– the legions of bugs and dinosaurs trying to get a bite of him. Worriment guided his every step, the intuition in his head endlessly sounding.

At last, his eyes caught an orange light among the trees, and he burst out…

… Before stopping in his tracks, his eyes witnessing an unbelievable sight.

The first thing that he saw was a giant white something that reminded him of a cake with a lit candelabra spinning at a great speed on its top, with Vivi, Zoro and Nami trapped in it. At one side, covered in what seemed white powder, a giant that was gravely injured was lying face-down, frustration evident in his gigantic face; remembering Usopp's confusing story, he deduced it was Brogy or Dorry. Standing in front of the giant cake-like thingy, a man stood back facing him, with a little girl at his side that seemed to be eating something.

The girl turned first, and he saw that it was a small child, with relatively large eyes and circles of blush on her cheeks. She was fairly short in stature and wore her dark red hair tied in braided pigtails. Her attire consisted of a wide-brimmed pink hat with a green band, a dark blue T-shirt with the word "GOLDEN" written on it in orange, a sky blue cloud-patterned button-down shirt, a maroon-colored overalls skirt with the top folded down, blue striped stockings, and big red shoes with white cuffs and white soles. She merely blinked at him as she ate rice crackers.

The man turned then, letting the chronicler see his features. He was an average-sized man with a rather frail-looking build. He both had 3's visible on his vest design, upper part of his glasses, and one big 3 achieved through his top knot. He also wore glasses and has neatly combed hair. "Oh look at this. Another pirate."

"Koga/Koga-san!" Vivi and Nami exclaimed in delight, while Zoro simply smirked.

"I'm going to assume that you're Mr. Three." Koga stood in a fighting stance with his fists over his face, a scowl on his face. "Would you _please_ set my friends free before I beat your face into a pulp?"

"And destroy my beautiful artwork?" Mr. Three extended both arms eloquently. "I'm sorry, but I have to decline! Why don't you come here and become one of my wax sculptures along with your friends?"

"Oh-ho, it seems we're going to have a contest in politeness." Koga smirked cockily, attempting to hide it behind his scarf before remembering that it was tied at his head.

"STOP WASTING TIME AND GET US OUT OF HERE!" Nami screeched in frustration.

"We're going to get turned into wax sculptures!" Vivi agreed.

The blond shot a sideways glance at the trio. "So you're in problems huh?"

"Not really." Zoro shrugged, his arms crossed over his chest and his ankles cut, probably his doing.

"YES WE ARE!" Both the navigator and the princess snapped at both of them.

"Geez, I was joking." Koga rubbed his ear with his pinkie before shooting a glare at Mr. Three. "Sorry, but I'll have to destroy your 'artwork' here."

Mr. Three drew a smile on his face. "Then I have to consider you an enemy. A shame… So be it!"

And he shot something white at the chronicler at a blinding speed, making him roll on the ground to avoid being hit. Refusing to use his Devil Fruit powers yet, he roared as he dashed forwards, right arm cocked back to throw a mighty punch at his rival.

"Eagle Punch!" He yelled.

"Wax-Wax Art: Shield!" At the same time, something white covered Mr. Three's stomach.

 **CRUNCH!**

"What the–?!" it didn't do anything! One of his most powerful punches didn't even leave a dent!

"Wax-Wax Art: Hammer!"

"Shit!"

Koga threw himself to the ground, barely avoiding the suddenly gigantic hammer that tried to smash him. He then jumped back using his Kaizen Kaizen Fruit abilities a bit, wincing at the fleeting shot of pain that went up his legs. He resumed his fighting stance with a serious expression on his face.

"Koga-san, be careful!" Vivi called out to him. "He has Devil Fruit powers; he's a Wax-Man!"

"You could've warned me before, dammit!" He groaned. "Before I threw myself at him, for example!"

And then, his intuition tingled. Again. Coming from behind him.

From among the trees came strolling a tall, dark-skinned man with black hair in short spiky dreadlocks wearing a brown trench coat with a "5" on it, along with a pink cravat and a pair of sunglasses, and a woman with short blond hair and bright green eyes; she wore a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, and white high-heeled shoes. She also added a blue jacket with white stripes over this attire and carrying a bright green parasol with blue stripes.

"Oh, Mr. Five, Miss Valentine, good timing!" Mr. Three boasted with a wide grin on his face, opening his arms side to side once more. "Help me get rid of this pest!"

… Oh boy.

* * *

 **A/N: And yay, huge cliffie xD!**

 **Sorry, I had to stop it there! But I promise everything will be solved out in the next chap, so heads up everyone! So, love ya lots, leave me some comments here, and HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!**


	30. More problems

**30\. More problems**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Hi! FIRST CHAP OF 2016! Wow, I'm so excited! I have the feeling this year will be fantastic, I hope everything goes as well as I imagined!**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Wow, thanks for that long comment! Let's see... Thanks so so much, I'm so flattered! Seeing as I'm not an English native speaker, it's quite difficult for me to write down this fic, so I'm glad all my efforts are being fruitful! Don't worry about not having commented anything until now, I'm glad you've been simply reading it. And about your comments about Yuuto... I'm not going to say anything, sorry, but I admit that's a pretty good idea! Yeah, you're right, I try to develop Koga's feelings as accurate and descriptive as I can, but I simply lack a lot of vocabulary, me being Spanish and all that xD However, I promise to keep trying though. This chap has a lot of feelings, read on and let me know what you think ;) And Happy New Year to you too!**

 **-14fox: Hahaha, don't worry, he won't! But he'll suffer a bit... xD I'm sadistic xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 _Seems like you're in deep shit._

'Shut up.'

The three agents had surrounded him in a semicircle, watching the bicolor-eyed man like a predator stalked his prey. Koga's head flew between them, facing the three with his fists raised to his chest in a fighting position, ready to take them all on if necessary. Miss Valentine and Mr. Five, the newly-arrived agents, had told Mr. Three about how they had killed Luffy, Usopp and Carue, but no one in the Straw Hat crew had believed them of course.

"So this is the one Mr. Zero told us about." Mr. Five commented idly, hands buried in his coat pockets. "The one that has connections with Princess Vivi."

'How do they know that?' Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes.

"Kyahahahahahahahaha!" He cringed at Miss Valentine's high-pitched laugh. "Then let us begin!"

Mr. Five took a hand out of a pocket and stuck his pinkie into his nose, taking out a snot and holding it toward Koga, who put a disgusted face at something so unhigienic.

"Koga-san, be careful!" Vivi suddenly exclaimed, her face visibly paler.

But he didn't need any warning.

"SNOT BOMB!"

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!"

 **Fwoosh KA-BOOM!**

'Shit, that was so close!'

Koga cursed mentally as he avoided the explosive snot that flew past him, a few centimeters away from his body. He rolled on the ground and raised his head just in time to see Mr. Three's white wax about to encase his left arm, and another curse left his lips as he jumped backwards, the wax spluttering in the ground.

'Where is...?'

"10,000 KILO DROP!"

His head shot up abruptly just in time to see Miss Valentine plunging down at an alarming speed, and with a yelp he used Kaizen Kaizen no Speed again to avoid being squashed, wincing at the shot of pain that flew up his legs and also at the large crater that the blonde woman's body had created. Koga crouched on the ground and breathed once, twice, before plunging into the offensive.

"Iron Punch!" He launched himself at Miss Valentine, arm cocked back to attack her, but she simply laughed maniacly before dodging him by suddenly launching herself up and high... and Mr. Five replacing her just seconds after.

"Fist Bomb!"

'No time-!'

 **KA-BOOM!**

"KOGA/KOGA-SAN!"

Nami and Vivi's horrified screams filled the clearing while the four captives watched the uneven fight, the women wide-eyed, the giant in impotence and the swordsman with his eyebrows knitted together. Miss Valentine smirked while floating mid-air thanks to her Devil Fruit powers and her umbrella, and Mr. Three crossed his arms over his chest in satisfaction. The great dark cloud the explosion had provoked dispersed suddenly as a figure shot out of the smoke, rolling on the ground before jumping to his feet, a fit of coughs assaulting him.

The women smiled when they saw it was Koga, his clothes charred and his hair pointing in every direction but overall alive. He seemed quite pissed off, however, as he eyed the front of his once white t-shirt to discover a great circular burn that had destroyed his t-shirt and partially burned the skin of his chest.

"I should really stop destroying my clothes." He grumbled as he took the remains of his t-shirt off, leaving him with his chest bare, and he also took off the bandage of his arm, remembering he still had it on even having his wound healed. He didn't notice Mr. Three and Miss Valentine glaring the tattoo on his chest wide-eyed, evidently having recognized its design and what it meant.

"I am surprised you're still alive after that." Came out Mr. Five's voice from the dark smoke as it dispersed, revealing his intact figure. "You're tougher than you look."

"Jeez, thanks." Koga readjusted his scarf tighter around his head and resuming his fighting stance once more. As he did though, his right leg twitched painfully, making him wince. Maybe things wouldn't be as simple as he thought they would be.

Miss Valentine laughed as she floated down beside her companions. "Shall we do our combo attack?"

"I'll help too." Mr. Three volunteered, hands melting into liquid wax with a grim smile on his face.

Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes as the three of them dispersed, once more displaying into a semicircle formation around him.

The blonde woman cackled as she flew up again using her Devil Fruit abilities, but the chronicler couldn't get too distracted as Mr. Five suddenly began throwing him snot-bombs non-stop, making him curse loudly and use again his Kaizen Kaizen no Speed to avoid being hit by the bombs once more. Occasionally Miss Valentine would suddenly drop from the sky to squash him but he quickly avoided it at the last seconds.

However, the frantic scapade was wearing out him too quickly, as his breaths came out in fatigued pants and his dodgings much more slower than usual. The agents noticed that, and Mr. Five sneered as he launched even more snot-bombs to his attacks.

"Agh!" Koga cried out as pain flared up his right leg once more, stumbling away from a snot-bomb but unable to keep avoiding getting hit by one.

"Finally, my turn!" Mr. Three exclaimed, and then threw his arm toward the falling chronicler. "Wax Art: Lock!"

'Dammit, _MOVE_!'

His muscles didn't answer him as the white wax wrapped itself around his ankles and quickly hardened, making him stumble.

 **BAM!**

"Kuh!" He exclaimed, falling face-first to the ground. He tried to stand, but a foot slammed down on his back with unexpected force, a heel painfully digging in the middle of his spine.

"And where do you think you're going, handsome?" Miss Valentine's voice sounded from behind him, and the chronicler groaned as he watched her with the corner of his eye. She was smugly smirking down at him, one foot pinning him down and hands twirling her umbrella over her shoulder.

"Koga-san!" Vivi called out to him in worry, though she could barely speak as the wax had already covered most of hers and the others' bodies.

'Ugh! I have to get them out of there...' He tried to move his free left arm -the other had got stuck under his own body- but a sudden weight slammed his back once more and a heel-dressed boot stopped his hand, the other foot annoyingly tapping the back of his head.

"I wonder, how much weight can you endure before your spine breaks in two?" Miss Valentine sneered, seating comfortably on top of his back. She only needed a drink to complete her relaxed stance.

Horror filled him as he groaned in pain as she began increasing the weight, a sadistic smirk on her face. The chronicler tried to breathe as the air began being scarce, his lungs not properly filled, his ribs creaking alarmingly.

"1,000 Kilos..." Miss Valentine sneered.

"Koga!" A familiar voice called out to him, muffled but still easily audible. Was that Usopp?

The chronicler, who still couldn't breathe, cracked open an eye he had closed because of the pain to see Luffy, Carue and the sharpshooter seating atop the duck trying to get themselves closer to him, being their path closed by Mir. Three and Mr. Five, followed by Miss Goldenweek.

"'Bout time you idiots..." He managed to grunt out before letting out a short groan of pain as the weight continued to increase slowly but steadily.

"5,000 Kilos...!" Miss Valentine chirped happily.

 **CRICK CRICK!**

"Guh!" Koga coughed some blood, black dots filling his sight. All but pain seemed very far away from him, the situation no longer under his control.

 _Idiot, use your Devil Fruit powers!_ He heard _Sankaoken_ shrieking in his mind, and he could almost imagine the tiny demon jumping up and down indignantly.

'It wouldn't... stop... her from... squashing... my bones!' He desperately thought, as the ground under him began to bend at the force and weight and Miss Valentine called out: "10,000 Kilos!"

 **CRICK CRICK CRACK!**

"Gaha!" The chronicler spat out even more blood.

Suddenly, a hot wave of air smashed them both from the side, making Miss Valentine stop smashing him to the ground with a squeal, but didn't let go of his prey. He didn't notice it anyway, the weight was still excessive and his lungs burnt from the lack of air. He knew he would lose his conscience if the situation didn't change soon...!

And then, the body on top of his back abruptly disappeared, and he breathed in with eager greed, ignoring the sharp pain of his ribs and the occasional coughs that shook his body. Someone slapped his back softly, muffled voices calling him near his ear.

After a few seconds he cracked open his eyes and saw it was Vivi, with Nami standing by her side, both of them wearing worried expressions on their faces and sporting some little burns on their skin. His face reddened a bit when he noticed Vivi's shirt all charred and Nami wearing only a blue bra.

The princess smiled when she noticed him watching her. "Oh, you're okay!" She visibly relaxed at that confirmation. "I'm glad!"

"You almost didn't get here in time you IDIOT!" The navigator yelled at him as the blue-haired teen helped the chronicler sit up gingerly, trying not to force his ribs and back.

"Hey, I got here..." Koga grunted, still blushing because of Nami's... special attire. He wished he had brought at least his leather jacket to lend it to her; who knew what kind of illness-bearing insects were floating around in that blasted jungle...?

"Okay, so how do we get you out of that wax lock?" Nami had raised an eyebrow, but then decided to let him be and looked down at the lock around his ankles, effectively trapping him.

"Leave that to me..." A booming voice sounded from behind the navigator, and the three of them looked up to see the giant that had been trapped (Dorry? Or Brogy?) walking up towards them still trying to get rid of the remaining wax on his body and hair.

"Just don't smash my feet!" The chronicler managed to grunt out, still out of breath.

"Don't worry little human, I'll be careful."

Considering he's a giant...

Koga couldn't think of a smart-ass retort as the giant brought his sword down to the wax lock with a mighty roar.

 **GONK!**

Buuuuuuut it didn't break.

And the poor young man's ears ringed because of the thundering noise, as well as the other two female companions'. The navigator protested loudly with her hands over her ears.

"Uh? It didn't break... Sorry little human..."

"Ugh, don't sweat it..." Koga rubbed his ear with his pinkie.

They had to wait for Usopp to actually melt the wax imprisoning his ankles, and by then the battles were all already over. It turned out the giant that tried to help was Brogy, a giant that had spent nearly a hundred years battling against Dorry; however, Baroque Works had busted up their honorable fight and had caused a great damage to Dorry's stomach, and still he had tried to battle against Brogy. He had ended up being defeated, but Brogy discovered what had happened and took no pride of being the winner.

And there they were all, beside Dorry's body, watching in respectful silence as Brogy loudly mourned his friend's death. Koga stood by Zoro with his arms crossed over his aching chest, his ribs causing him great pain and his lungs couldn't get much air, making him wheeze a bit. But he stubbornly kept quiet, not wanting anyone to worry about him. Besides, his Devil Fruit powers eased his pain quite a bit, though they couldn't erase it completely.

"Even his crying is ear-splittingly energetic!" Nami gritted out, hands over her ears.

"It's like looking at a waterfall!" Zoro pointed out from Koga's side, referring to Brogy's tears.

"Oi look at that!" Luffy called out in awe. "You can see a rainbow behind him!"

And as idiotic as it sounded, it was true. The tears that fell from Brogy's eyes were forming a massive waterfall, and the sunlight had reflected in it to create some colorful rainbows.

Suddenly, Dorry's body stirred a bit and began sitting up with a low grunt, a hand gripping his bloody shoulder. Brogy abruptly stopped crying, his eyes along with everyone else's bugging out in surprise.

"Seems I've passed out for a bit..." Dorry grumbled.

"Dorry! You're...!" Brogy exclaimed, unbelieving what his eyes told him.

"Dorry-san!" Vivi exclaimed in awe.

"It's most likely because of our weapons..." Dorry huffed out, hunching over slightly and trying to give an explanation on how the hell he was alive.

"The weapons...?" Usopp dried the tears from his eyes -as he had been also crying along with Brogy over Dorry's 'death'. "Ah, that's right! Even Elbaf's weapons couldn't withstand all the stress of a duel that's been going on for a hundred years!"

A hundred year battle... And all because of a reason neither Brogy nor Dorry remembered. Though Usopp found it honorable, Koga couldn't agree; personally, he needed a reason to fight for, even as something as stupid as a hunting contest like Zoro and Sanji. Well, maybe not as stupid...

"GABABABABABABABABABA!" Brogy laughed loudly, embracing his dear friend. "Thank God you're alive my dear friend!"

"Ouch... Don't but me so much Brogy, you're hurting my wounds... Gegyagyagyagya!"

"It's a miracle..." Usopp murmured, watching wide-eyed at Dorry in disbelief.

"A miracle? It's only expected... If anything, it's a miracle those weapons still look like weapons after a hundred years of constant usage." Zoro pointed out, and Koga nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the wielders themselves still wanting to fight after so long..."

As the giants taunted each other with large grins on their faces, Koga sighed as he took his scarf from around his head and tied it back on its rightful place around his neck comfortably. He then drew a smirk on his own scarred face as the pair of giants stood up and began battling again, much to Nami and Vivi's exasperation and Luffy's delighted amusement, who was laughing his ass off and cheering to them loudly with lifted fists.

Once both giants managed to calm down a little, they all sat in a tight circle.

"We wanted to thank you." Brogy declared solemnly, looking down at the small crowd of humans, as Vivi finished patching up Dorry's wounds the best she could. "For saving our lives."

"Gegyagyagya. I forgot we're still wanted by the Government." Dorry laughed, his back against a giant boulder.

Viví hung her head low in shame upon realizing something. "Because of me, those people are coming to this island..."

Nami sighed and walked out to her, pinching her cheek forcefully and earning a low "Ouch!" from the princess.

"Stop speaking nonsense." The ginger-haired teen berated her.

"Yeah Vivi, stop worrying about that." Luffy agreed, seating with Usopp and earning both some rice balls. "Do you want some rice balls?"

"Where did you get that from?" Nami sweatdropped while watching her companions happily eating.

"Let's hace a rice ball party!" Luffy called out.

Koga then noticed something as he looked around. Where the hell was Sanji? It was strange that he hadn't arrived yet, considering the one who had problems with orientation was Zoro and not the cook. Thankfully.

"But now we hace to wait a full year for the Log Pose to mark the next destination." Said swordsman grumbled.

"Yeah, that's a problem." Nami mused, raising an eyebrow at their problem.

"Can't you do something, ossan?" Luffy asked the giants with his mouth full of rice.

"Of course not. That's the only thing we can't control." Dorry answered with a wave of his giant hand.

'Neither them nor anyone, as far as I know.' Koga thought, grimacing at a new wave of pain. 'Unless we obtain an Eternal Pose to somewhere else...'

His ears then caught up a loud voice emerging from the woods and he turned his head just in time to see Sanji entering the clearing they were at turned into 'love-Sanji'.

"Nami-swan, Vivi-chwan, I'm so glad you're alright!" He cooed, his visible eye turned into a giant heart.

"Oi, Sanji!" Luffy waved at him.

"He didn't do anything!" Usopp protested.

Before he reached them, Sanji stopped on his tracks his eye bulging at the presence of the giants. "Are you Mr. Three?!"

"How do you know about Mr. Three?" Nami questioned him, arching an eyebrow.

The cook turned to answer but then he noticed Nami's current attire... Or lack thereof.

"Nami-san, you're so sexy!"

"Can you at least answer one question!" Koga snapped angrily.

After much arguing, mainly between Zoro and Sanji, the cook finally explained why he knew about Mr. Three. While wandering and searching for a giant dinosaur to beat Zoro on their bet, he discovered a white small tea-house with a Den-Den Mushi inside. He had an interesting conversation with Mr. Zero, the head of the organization, about Vivi and the Straw Hat crew's removal, and Sanji made him believed he was Mr. Three and that indeed he had eliminated them.

"So you were talking with Mr. Zero!" Vivi exclaimed. "And he believes we're all dead!"

"But even if we're safe, we can't get out of here yet." Koga hated to ruin the humor, but they had to be realistic.

"Can't get out, why?" Sanji then remembered something and ruffled inside his pocket, bringing out something. "By the way, I just got this thing." Everyone watched wide-eyed at the object he was holding, and he noticed. "Huh? What's up?"

"An Eternal Pose to Alabasta!" Usopp cheered, jumping up.

"Let's have a rice party!" The captain added once more.

But Koga quickly butted in, not really wanting to ruin the mood again. "Luffy, we have to get out of here." Luffy looked at his chronicler. "Vivi's people are in danger, and now that we don't have to wait for a whole year to the Log Pose to settle, we have to be quick."

Vivi, who had thrown herself at Sanji and had been hugging him in ecstasy -blissfully ignoring his nosebleed, suddenly separated from the blonde cook and shot a grateful look at Koga, who merely raised his scarf with a blush and began walking towards the ship, his back to the others.

That was when he suddenly heard several breaths stopping, and he looked over his shoulder to notice the others looking with eyes bulging at his back.

"What?"

"Koga, your back..." Nami pointed at his back with a trembling hand.

Sadness suddenly swarmed him as he imagined what had shocked his companions. His back was full of old scars, the majority of them from lashes and beatings. But none of them were shocking, or at least not as much as the one that covered his entire left shoulder blade; an old wound similar to a great star that had exploded in his back, deep and certainly life-threatening. As if reminding him of its presence, his old scar pulsed painfully as he closed his mismatched eyes with a grim expression on his face.

"Right, I never told you about these, huh?" He managed to crack a smile at the crew, whose expressions had turned serious. "Can we talk about this later at the Merry?"

And, not waiting for an answer, he strode quickly towards the Merry, trying to bury his past once more. After a while, the others followed after him, Zoro and Sanji bickering about their hunting competition.

As Koga walked towards the Merry, he thought about his scars; he had no problem talking about the lashes and the beatings he got during his childhood -ones rightfully earned, the others not so much but still received- but the star-like scar at his shoulder blade was another thing completely. It served him as a reminder.

 ** _It hurts to trust._**

He flinched as he reached the Merry, jumping to the deck and going straight to the infirmary, wanting to check on his ribs before the others arrived. They ached, a lot, but thanks to his Devil Fruit abilities it felt distant, if not a bit annoying but easily bearable. Hiding a hiss of pain, he managed to wrap some gauzes around his chest to try to hold his ribs in place and then went to the men's quarters to put on a sleeveless shirt, black with the words 'WAR' in capital white letters at the back, with a red raging face under it.

When he got out, everyone was back on the ship, Usopp and Vivi calmly conversing at the bow, Nami and Luffy at the side railing watching Zoro and Sanji still bickering about their respective hunts, arguing who had taken down the largest one.

"It's not that they're all going to fit on the ship anyway..." Nami grumbled as the chronicler walked out to her side. "Just bring up all that we can carry!"

It took some more terrifying 'convincing' from her side to actually make the two of them obey, and after storing away all the dino meant they could, the Merry began sailing away from the shore, floating down the river, and upon reaching its mouth, they found the two giants standing upon opposite banks of the river, capes billowing dramatically in the wind and carrying their heavily beaten weapons.

"For all the humans who have come to this island..." Brogy began speaking ominously.

"... The biggest threat to them leaving is right ahead..." Dorry continued.

Right on cue, Koga's intuition began tingling as he stopped watching the giants and directed his bicolored gaze to the front, eyes narrowed in concentration. There was a danger nearby, he could feel it.

"You guarded our honor with your lives..."

"And for that, we must do the same... No matter the foe!"

"Now then, believe in us and go straight ahead!" Both giants bellowed in synch. "Do not falter from the course ahead!"

Luffy, with his trademark grin, yelled back from his perch at the figurehead: "Okay! We to straight ahead, no matter what!"

"Oi, there's something about to lunge at us!" Koga warned, running to the front -and ignoring his aching ribs once more.

Not even twenty yards away from the island, a freaking giant goldfish emerged from the water, mouth fully agape and right in their way to devour them whole! Darkness surrounded them as they entered the goldfish's giant mouth and into its stomach, right ahead, as the giants had ordered them to do. Luffy and, surprisingly, Usopp were chanting that order, though the latter was doing it more as a pray more than an order, considering the tears that ran down his cheeks.

 **FWAAASHHHOOOOOOMM!**

The sound almost buried by the terrified screams of Nami, Vivi and Usopp, a sudden burst of spiraling blue and red energy pierced the goldfish, creating a tunnel right through its body, and also whisking them away on its backslash, sending them flying through the air out of that creature's stomach. Koga smiled broadly while gripping the rope ladders to the crow's nest, the other hand holding his scarf in place, the sun warming his face. He looked down and almost laughed as he saw Carue and Sanji roll back against the cabin with loud thuds.

Once everything calmed down, Koga jumped back to the main deck and watched his Captain laugh merrily with a fond smirk on his own face. It seemed that, no matter where they went, as long as Luffy was with them, everything would be alright and would end well.

Noticing him sitting by the railing with the logbook on his hand, Vivi strode towards him with a smile, it broadening when he returned the gesture with one of his own smirks, and sat down next to him. For a while none of them talked, him occupied with his task and her contented with watching him write down. The others were sprayed on the deck, Zoro near them taking a nap -as always- Luffy, Carue and Usopp boasting about the giants of Elbaf and Nami -now with a proper shirt on- checking on the Eternal Pose they got thanks to Sanji; speaking of whom, whe was no where to be seen.

After a while, and after Koga closed the logbook having finished his task, Vivi gained a serious expression and spoke quietly, as if fearing making him angry at her.

"Koga-san, can I ask you something?" He hummed in reply, not meeting her eyes but instead his gaze fixed in his logbook. "Where did you get those scars?"

The chronicler, having expected that question, breathed heavily as he closed his eyes, lifting his scarf up to his nose. It incomodated and pained him, talking about his past, but he... He felt at ease with this crew, and Vivi too. He felt that he could tell anything.

"Let's just say, I wasn't a good kid for my teachers' standards." He grumbled nonetheless, blushing when Vivi cocked her head to the side. "This was the... usual way of re-education, as those assholes proclaimed. A kid answered his teacher 'cockily', he got beaten; another broke a window, another beating. It was the usual. I think in the end, none of us escaped without receiving at least one beating in our lives."

Not getting any answer, the blond young man turned his head to notice a slightly pale princess, horrified because of what she had heard.

"But... You were a boy back then!" She exclaimed in worry. "Didn't your parents do anything about it?"

Koga flinched inwardly, having remembered that he had never told her -or anyone for that matter- about his past. Or at least that little detail.

"They couldn't say anything." He raised his head to the sky, his face turned into a blank mask. "They're long dead."

She gasped, horror evident in her face, and then glanced down. "I'm sorry, I..."

"I was raised at an orphanage, along with a bunch of other kids that couldn't 'fit' in the village." He interrupted her, raising his hands to quote. "Hooligans, rioters, disaster-bringers... Misfits. No one older than fifteen and no one younger than five. Rules were simple: obey, and you won't get beaten." He snorted softly. "Not that anyone listened anyways. We were too wild to be controlled. Too young to understand."

Without him noticing, and that was saying a lot, everyone was listening to Koga's story.

"I was luckier than most of those kids though. I had... some people out of the orphanage, but couldn't live with them as we were too many in a small house. I chose to stay in the orphanage instead."

'And good thing I did.' He thought bitterly, thinking back of Karen and how delicate she had been, even before her illness. He had chosen to live in the orphanage mostly to protect her, knowing fully well she wouldn't have survived long enough with such savage kids. Needless to say, they were all boys.

"Older kids despised me." Koga sighed, rubbing his face tired. "The younger feared me. The teachers, they simply didn't stand me. With my weird looks, my unnatural intuition... and my Devil Fruit powers. But I didn't care about any of that shit. Whenever I got caught in a fight, or punished by this or that stupid reason, I wouldn't care."

Vivi gulped before asking: "And why? How could you bear something like that?"

'Because Karen was waiting for me.' Koga closed his eyes, a pain that didn't come from his ribs making him grimace, his lips pressed in a thin line. 'Because, no matter how hard and dark was my day, Karen would brighten it up for me. She was the light in my shit-deep soul.'

He hadn't answered the princess, but when his hand came up to softly touch his light blue scarf, she instantly understood; she had learned in the past how important that simple piece of cloth was to him, and with that gesture, she understood that whoever gave it to him, he or she had been the reason why he endured all those punishments.

She smiled softly, but then her face sombered as she remembered the star-shaped scar on his left shoulder blade. The same side where his tattoo -that marked him as Cursed- was too, she noticed. The blue-haired girl felt that it had a different story behind; she wanted to ask, but didn't want the chronicler to feel uncomfortable or hurt, or even to lash out at her.

So she kept the question to herself.

Usopp, however, felt too curious to let that rare moment slide -of Koga answering questions about himself, even a bit vaguely.

"And what about that star-shaped scar?" He asked.

Several feelings passed through his scarred face in a flash, but none lingered enough to be recognized. He kept his gaze on the floor as he pressed his lips even tighter, a scowl forming on his face as his hand went up to touch at his left pec, where his tattoo was hidden under his shirt. He then shook his head and stood up in a fluid motion and went towards the men's quarters.

"Koga...?" Usopp asked, worry evident in his face.

The chronicler stopped, and then turned his head slightly. Not enough for the crew (mainly, Nami, Usopp and Vivi, who had been the ones actively listening, as Luffy was at the figurehead, Sanji smoking at the side and Zoro still sleeping) to see his whole face, but enough to see his golden left eye glimmering with an unknown feeling that gripped their hearts tightly.

"That was the price I paid..." He mumbled, voice broken by his haunting memories. "For trusting someone."

And, ignoring the others' looks, he disappeared into the men's quarters.

Once alone, he threw the logbook to his corner of the room and deflated into his hammock, sighing as he ran both hands through his pale blond hair, coughing because of the pain, the pressure of the bandages around his chest and also because of his breathing trouble. Once his coughs stopped, he watched his slightly bloodied palm before cleaning it with a rug, thinking about Karen, the kids at the orphanage, Yuuto, his grandfather, the people at Kukkuri Island... And realized he didn't want to go back. He felt unprepared.

Not yet, at least.

He then thought about Vivi and the Straw Hat crew. That had been one of the few times he had been able to tell something about himself. It had been hard, and painful, and surely he didn't want to repeat that experience anytime soon. But he also felt a bit liberated, enough to feel some peace inside that he had been unable to feel in all those years of bottling everything up, waiting for the correct -or wrong- moment to _explode_.

After a while of calming his swirling thoughts, Koga stood, ignoring the sharp pain of his ribs once more, and went back to the deck. Sanji was, as usual, preparing some snacks in the kitchen, Zoro was training with his giant weights, Nami and Vivi giggling under the mast watching Usopp and Luffy were still singing about giants... making Koga sweatdrop with a fond smirk hidden behind his scarf.

Deciding to talk with Zoro about training with him -it irked him that he had lost against Baroque Works- he looked at Nami -who was alone sitting at the mast, and saw her struggling to keep her eyes open, her face a bright red and droplets of sweat beaded on her forehead. Worried, Koga walked out to her.

"Nami, you're not looking well..."

"Just... a little tired... from Little Garden..." She smiled weakly through heavy breaths, as though every word drained her energy.

Eyebrows crinkled with worry, he crouched down and put a hand over her forehead, surprising her a bit. "You're burning up. C'mon, I'll take you to your bed."

"No, no, it's..." She tried to struggle as he put his arms around her to lift her, but she suddenly went limp against his body, head against his chest.

"Nami!" He called out to her in worry.

"What's wrong?" Vivi walked out to them, alerted by Koga's exclamation, leaning over Nami as Koga scooped her in his arms.

"She's gravely ill! I need ice water and some clean towels!" He yelled, rushing Nami into the infirmary.

Everyone's heads poked up from their respective positions, yelling as one: "WHAT?!"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it, end of this chap!**

 **I hope you're having a lot of fun on holidays! Well then, see you next chap, leave some nice comments please!**


	31. Taking care

**31\. Taking care**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Alright people! First of all, I'm so sorry for the delay of both the delay and the messing I made with chapters 1 and 5. I've been trying to correct the mistakes I made –grammatical, orthographical and the ones regarding the story itself that would've ruined the whole plot– but I made a pretty bad job about it xD**

 **But ANYWAYS, now everything's okay, chap 1 I don't quite like it (but at least I made up with the mistakes xD) and chap 5 grew longer than before, so no complaints people xD**

 **And now, review answers~:**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Don't worry about it! I admit that I'm also quite lazy so I understand xD I'm glad that you kept reading though! Yeah, he has a pretty nasty past, and I'm sure the other will help him ^^! But first he has to tell them… I actually thought about letting Koga be bitten, but then I thought about Koga's past and Karen's illness and… Well, you'll find out ^^**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Wow, thanks! That star-scar has a major importance in Koga's future Arc, so keep a good eye on it! And yeah, I think everyone in the Straw Hat crew has that in common, their painful pasts –in their own way of course. However, the events regarding the orphanage and the kids are only the tip of the iceberg xD I love making my poor OC suffer. And about your question… No, he hadn't make that kind of deal, because he doesn't trust Sankaoken. It's that simple xD Anyway, keep in mind that he's a demon, and his only mission is to go wild, whether they be enemies or allies; he doesn't care if Koga's his master or not, as the demon thinks he's only a lowly human.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Surrounded by the crew's –except Zoro, who was maintaining their route– panicked yells about Nami's wellbeing, Koga soaked a cloth in cold water and after twisting it to get rid of the excessive water, gave it to Vivi. He then touched his chest gingerly with a grimace, ignoring a new painful pang directed at his ribs.

The chronicler had done his best to ignore the pain when he had found out about Nami's illness, but at each passing hour it began being harder and harder to push aside. Of course, he had occasionally used his Devil Fruit powers to lessen his pain sensation, which did not erase the pain but at least would help him endure it. With Nami like this, they didn't need another one of the crew bedridden because of some broken ribs.

And then, he looked at the girl in the bed struggling to breathe as Vivi explained to the others something about the Grand Line weather being the possible cause of her condition, and felt a pang of remorse. There he was, using his Devil Fruit abilities to lessen his own pain, whereas she was literally fighting to overcome her high fever. How could he be this selfish?

Vivi checked on the thermometer and gasped. "Her fever's gone up again! It's almost at 104 degrees!"

Koga's head snapped up as he applied another cool cloth on the navigator's forehead, and then pressed his lips in a thin line, worry filling his bicolored eyes. "That's not good…"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked, oblivious, as he cocked his head to the side. "It's just a fever, right?"

"I don't know, I've never been that sick before." Usopp admitted.

But it was Vivi that answered for him, her face revealing all her anguish and worry.

"Morons!" She exclaimed. "Can't you see? This is really bad! She shouldn't have this high a fever unless she's fighting an infection! Whatever this is could be life-threatening!"

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

"You mean Nami's gonna die?!" Luffy screeched.

"PLEASE NAMI-SAN, DON'T DIE!" Sanji babbled out through his tears.

 ** _"It's your fault she died!"_**

"No!" He exclaimed, effectively shutting everyone up at his sudden outburst. Koga breathed in and then relaxed his stance the best he could, though a slight tremor ran through his body. "No…"

"Koga-san…" Vivi muttered.

"She can't die. I won't allow it. Luffy, we need to find a doctor, and fast…"

And as Luffy looked into his chronicler's mismatched eyes, he could then perceive something in them, a desperate plea to listen to him, an unspoken nightmare that quenched and twisted the blond's soul. And then he made a decision, one that had already been taken but not openly declared.

"Of course, we'll find a doctor to heal Nami." The raven-haired teen nodded to the older boy, who visibly relaxed and even nodded at him in gratitude.

"No…" A weak voice called their attention towards Nami, whose clouded eyes had opened and turned towards them. "V– Vivi…"

"Oh, she's cured!" Luffy cheered, losing his serious expression instantly.

"No, she isn't!" Usopp hissed, chopping his head in exasperation.

Evidently fighting the pain, Nami lifted herself up, and talked to the princess between ragged breaths.

"Go… to my desk drawer…" She indicated the blue-haired teen. "In the top drawer… There's a newspaper…"

Vivi, obeying, found the newspaper and, with growing horror, began reading aloud the latest news, which was from 2-3 days ago. 300,000 of the Alabastan Royal Guard defecting to the Rebel Army, the signs of Alabasta being on the verge of a civil war and wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. If Vivi couldn't get back in time, everything would end in a bloody slaughter, and she wouldn't have anything left to save from a crumbling kingdom.

"I'm sorry… for hiding it… from you…" Nami apologized, barely keeping her eyes open and her breath still heavy. "The rebellion's… gaining momentum… Vivi… She needs to get… to Alabasta… as fast as possible…"

"And you need a doctor for your illness, Nami." Koga declared, crossing his arms over his chest in disapproval, once more ignoring the pain on his ribs at the movement.

"No… Really… I'll be fine… It's only a fever…"

She shakily got out of bed despite everyone's warnings and got out of the small cabin, followed by the rest of the crew, but Koga and Vivi were left behind.

The princess' face was buried in the newspaper, desperation overwhelming her, and the chronicler felt sadness and pity at her inner dilemma, the same dilemma everyone else had, including himself. Should she go straight to Alabasta, knowing that the journey would still last at least six or seven days, and let Nami collapse from whatever illness she had? Or should she divert their route and search for a doctor, even knowing that there were slim to none possibilities of finding one around the area? They didn't know if they were close to an island, much less if it was inhabited and with an available doctor.

But the real question that really frightened all of them was, how much time would Nami last before collapsing?

As he watched his friend with a somber expression on his face, Koga knew how Vivi felt, he knew how torn she was feeling right now, the indecision and the anguish of not knowing what the right decision really was…

"Koga-san, what should I do?" Vivi then muttered, rising her head to look at him; big brown eyes sought guidance, some sort of counsel from him, her feminine pale hands tightly gripping the newspaper. "What _must_ I do?"

His face darkened even more, and avoided her pleading gaze with a grimace barely hidden by his lifted scarf. Why did she ask _him_ , of all people? She shouldn't… He wasn't fitting, he couldn't tell her to 'favor' one side or the other. He couldn't _her a princess what she should do_.

But then, _who could_? He was there, she knew him– though nine years had passed since they were friends, and both had greatly changed. The only other friend she had was miles away from her, buried in a nonsensical war driven and maneuvered by Crocodile; the same could be applied to her family. He trusted her enough to make the right decision; he only just needed to give her a little push, to give her some piece of mind…

"You know the answer, Vivi." The blond turned towards her. His bicolored eyes, though still concerned about the whole situation and a haunting memory lurking in their depths, had a new light of determination hidden in them. "You don't need me to tell you what to do. Breathe, think. And then you'll know."

The girl looked at him, still deeply unsure, but then she obeyed; closing her eyes, she breathed in, let it out slowly and allowed her whole body to relax. She had to repeat the motion twice before opening them again, her face and eyes set in determination, and stood up from her kneeling position.

Koga breathed when he saw her, and then tensed a lot as she stood and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Koga-san." She murmured.

He coughed, his face a bright red, and ignored once more the pang of pain when her arms surrounded his chest. No need to let her know he was in pain too.

"Uh…" The blond grumbled, grabbing her by her shoulders and disentangling her arms from around his body. "No problem… Just… do what you feel you must."

Vivi smiled softly and spared a glance at the bed Nami once occupied; then firmly nodded to herself and, without looking back at the chronicler, went up the stairs to communicate her decision to the rest of the crew. Koga followed behind, feeling grateful that she didn't see his fleeting grimace.

Once outside, the crew was busy turning the ship around; why, Koga didn't know. But they quickly stopped whatever they were doing once they noticed Vivi had come out with the blond chronicler behind. Nami, both hands grasping the railing turned towards them and smiled weakly, her face as red as Koga's had been before.

"Everyone… I have a request to make!" She shouted determinedly, her hand grasping the railing and the other the blasted newspaper. "Right now… we're heading towards my country, which every moment is closer to annihilation! I cannot afford the slightest delay…!"

From his position beside Nami, the bicolor-eyed young man perceived slight disappointed and confused looks on most of the crew, but he knew she hadn't finished speaking.

"Of course, Vivi…" The female navigator smiled. "That's what we promised…"

And then, the princess turned towards her and drew a small smile on her face, before looking at the male members of the crew –sans Koga.

"Which is why we need to find a doctor as soon as possible to cure Nami-san!" She finished then. "The sooner we get a doctor the sooner we can get to Alabasta."

Nami's face turned to utter confusion and disbelief, and all the others smiled at the blue-haired girl, understanding how hard it had been for her to make such difficult decision. It meant a lot for them.

"Alright, everyone!" Luffy shouted, grinning widely in determination. "Let's find a doctor to heal Nami!"

"YEAH!"

"So then, Nami, come back to bed before your condition worsens."

After those words, Koga scooped her easily, ignoring her weak protests and her attempts to change Vivi's already settled mind and brought her back to the infirmary, softly settling her in the only bed with Vivi following close behind. Before doing anything though, the princess changed her into her pajamas and by then everyone in the crew –even Carue– had gathered around the sick navigator.

Koga groaned as he sat on the edge of the bed, Vivi occupying the only chair at the bedside, and scowled at the panicking Sanji and Carue running around and screaming. But Vivi simply ignored them as she checked the red-haired girl's temperature again, and sighed in defeat and worry.

"Not good. Her fever continues rising non-stop." She mumbled.

'Nope, that's not good at all.' The chronicler bitterly thought, looking at Nami's red face, scrunched in pain as she tried to breathe through ragged breaths. He then glanced down at his own hands, frowning deeply in thought. 'I must at least help her.'

"Koga-san, what are you doing?" Vivi asked in confusion, seeing him taking one of Nami's hands from under the covers and grasping it between both of his.

"YEAH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU SHITTY EYE-FREAK?!" Sanji raged in fury.

"Will you shut up for a minute?!" The other blond snapped back, actually surprising everyone because of his loud tone. "I'm trying to help, dammit!"

"Help how?" Usopp asked confused.

Koga's face scrunched in concentration as he answered: "My Devil Fruit powers. They won't heal her, but at least I can ease her pain a bit."

"Are you sure you should do that? You're not looking… too well."

And the sniper was right; as soon as Koga's Devil Fruit stopped applying to himself and went to Nami's unmoving body, his face paled and began to sweat, his breath coming out ragged too.

"Yeah, it's…"

But Koga's attempt to reassure them went lost between violent coughs that alarmed the crew. As he retired his hand from his mouth, Vivi –the one nearest to him– saw in horror that it was bloodied.

"Koga-san, you're bleeding!" She exclaimed in horror. "Are you injured?!"

"No! No, no, this is uh…"

 _Caught red-handed, huh?_

'Shut up demon!'

A new wave of pain suddenly flared at his chest, and he gasped as he touched it gingerly, unable to stop himself and hide it. As fast as lightning, Sanji went up to him and abruptly lifted his shirt, revealing the tightly bandaged chest. The cook, noticing this, scowled deeply and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And what the hell is that? Your new garments? Show us what you're hiding."

And thus, the blond had but to unbandage his chest, and Vivi gasped as the others watched wide-eyed at the horrible black-and-red bruises all over his chest around the ribcage area. He also had to explain that he had received them during his fight against Miss Valentine, and then during that fight she probably cracked some ribs.

"'Probably'?!" Vivi exclaimed, examining his bruises with a shocked and also horrified expression on her young face. "This is terrible! You might have, four, even five broken ribs and some others cracked! How did you manage to overcome the pain this causes you?!"

"Devil Fruit. It helps." He grumbled. "Can I tend to Nami now?"

"Absolutely not! You're as injured as she, you should rest! Honestly, I don't understand why you didn't tell us before!"

"Wha–! But I don't need to stay in bed!"

"Yes you do!"

After much arguing, it was decided that Koga could help Nami bear with the pain, but in turn he had to take it easy and leave the ship's maneuver to the other guys and let himself be tended by Vivi. Not that he liked being left behind, but at least he was helping the navigator, as he had wanted from the beginning.

The rest of the day it went like that, with Koga and Vivi tending to Nami and the others checking on her from time to time, bringing food to the 'nurses' to keep their strength up. Her condition worsened, but at least it was more bearable with the chronicler's help. It was exasperating, hearing their panicked yells –mainly Sanji and Luffy's– but at least they seemed to do good for Nami, letting her know her friends were close.

At one time in the afternoon, while the rest of the crew was out on the deck and there was only Koga using his Devil Fruit powers on Nami, Vivi entered the room dressing a purple winter coat, along with Sanji, who was carrying a bowl of cold water. Carue had been there in the room too, looking in worry from a corner.

"Snow, huh?" Koga asked rhetorically, and then stood up. "Here, let me…" A fit of coughs assaulted him then, small drops of blood smearing his pale lips. His condition had worsened too, his coughs aggravated and spitting more blood, but he had convinced the crew that Nami needed more attention than himself.

Sanji deposited the bowl on the floor beside Nami's bed as Vivi helped Koga sit back down on the chair.

"Don't overexert yourself." She said, and then changed the damp cloth from Nami's forehead, replacing it with a colder one.

"She doesn't look too good. Her fever still isn't going down." Koga groaned, holding again Nami's hand and resuming his task of keeping down the pain.

"At this rate, she won't last much longer." Sanji muttered, for once not smoking.

The princess nodded, worry evident in her face. "We have to find a doctor soon, for Nami-san and Koga-san."

"I already said–"

Whatever Koga was going to say, it was cut off as the ship suddenly rocked violently, and both the cook and the blond chronicler held onto the sick navigator to avoid getting toppled out of bed. In the corner of the room, Carue quaked in terror.

"What's going on?!" Vivi exclaimed.

Eventually, the movements calmed and Sanji scoffed angrily, raising from over Nami's body. "Vivi-chan, Koga, stay here!"

"No way, I'm going too!" The chronicler also stood up as the cook disappeared upstairs, but was stopped by Vivi.

"Nami-san needs you now more than them. Please stay."

Looking between her, the stairs and Nami, he scoffed as he slumped back into the chair. The princess was right; whatever was causing Nami this pain, he could at least alleviate her from some, maybe making her last longer. And those guys were strong; they didn't need him to deal with whatever pest standing in their way. The sounds of gunfire made Vivi widen her eyes in fear and disappear upstairs too, after ordering both Koga and Carue to stay.

What really pissed Koga, was that his intuition was stubbornly silent. Did that mean they were all safe? He really hoped so. Then he heard Zoro and Luffy fighting and soon after everything went silent again. Then Vivi, Sanji and Luffy came downstairs, none of them looking injured.

"What happened?" Koga asked, being chorused by a questioning quack from Carue as well.

"Some weird pirates were in our way." Luffy answered, with a frown in his face.

"I suggest you not to talk to Usopp now." Sanji added, hands in his pants pockets. "That fatso tried to eat the Merry and now he has to fix it again."

'Eat the Merry?' Koga raised a blond eyebrow, but then decided to let it go.

The rest of the day passed, but Nami showed no signs of recovering, despite the chronicler's efforts to maintain her stabilized. She was sweating a lot, her hair greasy and her skin just got hotter by the minute. As the night fell, it was decided to drop the anchor and wait for the next morning, all of them agreeing in not continuing the journey without Nami's counsel.

That night, everyone –minus Sanji who was on lookout duty, and also in case the strange pirates returned to attack– decided to sleep in the small infirmary, even if it was a bit uncomfortable. Vivi slept with her head on Nami's bed, her arms crossed in a makeshift pillow. Luffy snored in the farthest corner of the room, with Usopp at his feet with his back to the cabinet; Carue was sleeping on the floor with Zoro using its body as a pillow. Koga slept soundlessly in the same chair he had been occupying at the bedside, arms crossed over his chest and head hanging over it.

Nami rose up from her feverish sleep and sat up, the damp cloth falling to her lap; she then looked around, taking in everyone who had opted to bunk with her, refusing to leave her alone while still sick.

"OH IS THAT RIGHT?!" Usopp suddenly shouted, causing Nami to jump in fright at how sudden it was, before he began mumbling and drifting back to sleep once more. She could only smile at them.

Koga then groaned, making the navigator jump again, and the chronicler opened bleary eyes to shoot a furious look at Usopp's sleeping form before turning and see her awake.

"Nice to see you still kicking." He mumbled, smiling softly at her.

"Everyone…" She turned her gaze to the sleeping crewmembers.

"They didn't want to leave you alone. But now you have to sleep." He then put an arm around her shoulders and laid her down, tucking the covers over her. "Don't worry, we'll find a doctor. You'll be okay in no time."

She smiled at him before falling back to sleep. Now serious, the chronicler put a new cold cloth over her forehead and let out a heavy sigh as he accommodated himself again in the chair.

'We must find a doctor soon…' Those were his last thoughts before sleep took him once more.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Wow, pretty long chap, and quite difficult if I may add.**

 **The crew has discovered Koga's injured too! Now let's see how everything turns out, shall we? Next chap, they'll arrive at Drum Island, and to CHOPPER! I'm so excited~!**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast please! Love y'all lots!**


	32. Drum Island

**32\. Drum Island**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Nothing to report here, except I'M GONNA DIE WITH MY EXAMS, DAMMIT! DON'T GO TO COLLEGE KIDS, IT'S EVIL! ... On second thought, you better go. You'll earn a good future xD**

 **-14fox: Yeah, very VERY unhealthy. Bad Koga! Thanks so much~! He's so thickheaded sometimes, he just can't see that he's Luffy and the others' nakama too. Idiot. My dear, lovely idiot.**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Thanks~! Yeah, I also found out many fics like that (it's not that I don't like them but man, OCs can be also taken care of, right?) Yeah he'll climb the mountain... Sort of... Just read and see xD Thanks for that, I just wanted to fix some things, and ended up doing a mess xD Just me being a noob, I think xD**

 **-InuKamahira: ... Wow. Thanks so SO much~! I just, I never thought someone would like my fic so much, it really flatters me! I know that this fic is not even remotely the best ever written, but I don't care if there are people like you that really put nice reviews like this! OMG now I'm blushing xD Anyway, thanks so much again! And about the rest of your comment, don't worry, everything'll be okay, but I need to... torture my OC... a little. Hehe. I really love Koga, mind you, but... I dunno... Maybe I'm too sadistic xD**

 **-Jag: Thanks! Sorry, no can do for now! Koga will suffer a bit more~! About the demon bit... I'm sorry but I can't say! Yeah, the only character from the Grand Line by Oda is Chopper, if I'm not mistaken, and I wanted to add someone else from Grand Line. I could've made him from South Blue since there's no Straw Hat from that Blue (I think), but then the story would've been much less interesting in my opinion.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Please, Koga-san, just this once…" Vivi insisted once more, pleadingly, great hazel eyes boring into Koga's, trying to convince him once more to let her tend his battered chest.

And the storyteller groaned once more, holding in another coughing fit under the crew's stern gaze.

During the night and early morning, his condition had aggravated even more if possible, his continuous coughs making difficult breathe normally. His normally tan face had paled at the blood loss, which also caused an extreme overall weakness that almost got him in bed like Nami. Only his natural stubbornness and his conviction of not letting the crew worry about him kept him on his feet –though the latter wouldn't be admitted even to himself.

And it didn't help that the crew was as concerned for his wellbeing as they were for Nami's. Usopp and Luffy were always trying to cheer him up while stuck in the infirmary room tending to Nami, and Zoro would –as always– simply keep him company, often in silence, but sometimes keeping some light conversation. Hell, even _Sanji_ made him some pastries, when everyone knew he only gave such treatments to women! Not that he disliked the attention, mind you, but it simply irked him that there were so many people concerned about him.

Right now, Koga was practically struggling with an equally stubborn blue-haired princess from 'poking' him even further, but his patience was quickly growing thin.

"I already told you, I'm okay." Koga grumbled, his normally hoarse voice sounding even gruffer because of the coughs. "It's Nami you need to focus on."

"Of course we're worried about her, but you're also injured! Just sit still and let me…!"

"Dammit Vivi, stop prodding me already, I told you I'm fine!" He slapped away her hand furiously and got out of the mini infirmary room without looking back, not wanting to see her hurt in her eyes.

Once outside, the cold temperature hit him like a slap, and the chronicler zipped up his leather jacket to protect himself better against the cold, though he really liked it. He then strolled to the stern of the Merry, ignoring his shaky steps as he grasped the railing for support.

He found Zoro training in the stern as he thought, using a freaking huge weight with Carue on top, both unaffected by the cold –or that it seemed anyways. Koga pursed his lips, knowing what he was about to ask the swordsman was crazy, but not having other choice but to do it.

Carue quacked in greeting, making Zoro turn his green head towards him and raise an eyebrow.

"Yo, Zoro, Carue."

"… You should be resting." The swordsman only said as greeting, the duck agreeing with a loud 'quack!'

"C'mon not you too…" Groaning, he ruffled his blond hair in exasperation. "I'm feeling fine, I just need to get out of that damn infirmary for a few minutes."

The swordsman scowled deeply at him, not believing one word coming from Koga's mouth. For him, the storyteller looked plainly sick. The blond simply sighed at his censoring glare and supported his back against the wooden wall, watching as his companion resumed his training.

 **CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!**

"What got you so riled up about Nami's illness, anyway?" Zoro asked between gritted teeth after a while. "You've been giving her your powers to let her last longer."

Koga merely glared at him, lips pursed in a thin line.

'It's not like he knows about my past… And still, thinking about her hurts too much still…' He shook his head while lifting his scarf up to his nose, avoiding the dark gaze. 'I just… I don't want to relive the past… I just wanted to avoid more suffering…'

 **CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!**

"What's with that worried face?" Zoro broke the silence again, continuing his training without looking back at his friend, who looked down at the floor with bangs of hair covering his mismatched eyes. "Have a little faith, man. We'll get a doctor to cure that greedy witch, even if it's a great pain in the ass. So rest easy."

 **CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!**

Silence grew between them for a few minutes.

Koga never considered himself a pessimist, but a 'logical analyst of events', a realistic person. And from his personal point of view, the probabilities of finding an inhabited island were dim, even more one with actual doctors. And even with Koga helping her bear the pain, none of them knew how much time she would last.

He opened his mouth to admit this to his companion…

"LAND HO!"

… And closed it.

 **KACLANK!**

"Finally." Zoro smirked while putting down his weight and looking at his friend, who looked baffled and with a hint of hope in his bicolored eyes at the island in the horizon. "It's not like you to be this pessimist. Cheer up a bit."

And with Carue right behind, he left him on the stern.

The storyteller quickly shrugged off his surprise and followed them with a smirk.

'I should've known by now…' He mused inwardly, watching Luffy and Usopp dancing and chanting around the ship, watching the straw-hat teen especially. 'Destiny sure has its own weird ways of messing with us, right, Luffy?'

 _It seems that brat can't be stopped, even by destiny. You sure have your ways to find the most interesting people, shitty host._

'Have I?'

But the demon didn't answer.

Twenty minutes later, the crew minus Nami plus Vivi gathered on the deck once they approached the island. It was beautiful, a Winter Island covered in snow and a series of drum shaped mountains that grew up over the clouds. Vivi came out of the infirmary with a worried expression, but instantly felt relief when she saw the island.

"Alright, someone needs to go find a doctor." Zoro stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Probably should find some people first."

"I'll go!" Luffy cried out throwing on a jacket– after being reminded that they were in a Winter Island.

"Me too!" Sanji also volunteered.

Koga nodded seriously to indicate he was in too, but had to refrain another coughing fit.

"Okay, good luck to you!" Usopp exclaimed.

"HOLD IT PIRATES!"

Multiple sounds of guns cocking made them swirl around in alarm. There, on the shore, nearly fifty heavily-dressed people were pointing at them with rifles upon the banks, their expressions clearly unwelcome and mistrusting.

'How the hell didn't I notice they were there?!' Koga thought, wide-eyed but not bringing his hand close to _Sankaoken_ 's hilt; they were only villagers as far as he knew.

 _It doesn't work if you're sick, idiot._

"Oi, there's some people." Luffy remarked indifferently. Of course, bullets didn't affect him.

It was then that an imposing man, with slicked black hair and a goatee came out from the crowd. He wore a long, white fur-lined green tunic and has armor plates on his arms. He covered his head with a green and white fur lined hat, equipped with ear-flaps against Drum Island's intense cold, and long boots. His eyes were as cold as the snow surrounding them and the villagers' gaze.

"Pirates…" He spat with distaste. His voice sounded gruffer even that Koga's. "We hereby demand you raise anchor and leave here… immediately!"

"We only came here to find a doctor!" Luffy tried to explain, his face serious.

"Our nakama are sick and injured!" Vivi backed him up, but the mob seemed uncaring and unwilling to listen to any explanation.

"Don't try to trick us, pirate scum!"

"You think we'll just let you land here and invade us?!"

"Get out of here, sea-dogs!"

'They're so closed to us… But is there a reason, or they're like this with ever y pirate?' Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes. 'No. Everything in our stance indicates that we don't come to pillage. But then, why?'

"Man, they really hate us… And we only just met." Sanji remarked, flicking the ash from his cigarette.

That seemed to suffice as one of them snapped.

"Keep your mouth shut!" He yelled, holding a pistol and firing off a shot that landed an inch from Sanji's leg.

 **BANG!**

"They fired!" Usopp shrieked from behind them. Koga drew out his rusty katana, but didn't unleash its powers.

"You'll regret that." Sanji promised darkly, unnerving the shooter with his gun still pointing at them.

"Wait, Sanji-san, don't!" Vivi threw herself in front of the seething cook, wrapping her arms around his body to keep him at bay, but failing in doing so.

Intuition tingling! Koga wasted no time.

 **BA–!**

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!" He quickly muttered just as he heard another bang from the distressed villager.

As in slow motion, the storyteller rapidly noticed the spiraling bullet aiming oh-so-accurately at Vivi's heart, and flashed in front of both Sanji and the princess to divert the bullet with his rusty katana, cancelling the technique at the same time.

 **–NG!**

"What the–?!" The shooting man shouted in confusion at the man that suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of the duo, who also gaped at him.

 _Wrong move._

Koga's eyes bulged out of their sockets as suddenly pain flared and twisted his bones, driving out a choked scream and an inevitable fit of coughs as he dropped to his knees with a loud 'thud', his mouth clasped over his mouth to contain the blood.

"Koga/Koga-san!" Everyone exclaimed, and the princess dropped to her knees beside him, touching his shoulder gingerly, Usopp coming down on his other side. What worried the kind-hearted girl was the tremors invading his body and the unnatural heat that emanated from it– since when had he this high of a fever?

"Why you…!" Luffy seethed, he and the other two preparing to fight against the islanders to find help if necessary. They also got out of their astonishment and cocked their guns at their apparent leader's orders.

"Wait, Luffy-san!" Vivi shot to her feet and stopped him. "Fighting is not going to solve anything!"

After making sure the reckless captain wasn't going to charge the islanders, she turned slowly towards them and dropped again to her knees, hands following suit in the deck. "It's alright, we won't land. But can you please get us a doctor? Our nakama is dying from a serious illness, and another one is gravely injured. I'm begging you, please help us!"

"Vivi…" Luffy muttered looking at her kneeling on the deck, her forehead touching it in plea.

"You are not fit to be the captain of this ship, Luffy." The blue-haired girl looked at him from the corner of her eye, scowling. "Not everything can be solved by rushing into a fight. You have to think about Nami-san and Koga-san, and if they really matter to you, you should of what is best for them."

The raven-haired teen looked back to the door leading to the infirmary, presumably thinking of Nami, and then to his prostrated chronicler, whose entire frame was shaking in both the cold and the coughing fits. He then turned to the villagers, face blank.

"Yeah. Right. I'm sorry about that." And much to Koga's astonishment, he dropped to his knees and hands and drove his head to the deck, his precious straw hat rolling on the deck. "Call a doctor. Our nakama need you."

'He knelt on the deck for Nami… and for me? I mean, of course he would for Nami, but why for me?'

The leader's gaze bore into the two begging people, drifting from one and another member of the crew still standing, and lastly to the kneeling blond boy whose lips were covered in blood and his skin damp and pale.

"Fine, I'll lead you to our village. Follow me."

Relief washed over all of them, and Koga could see Vivi smiling at the captain as they both stood. "See? They understood."

"Yeah." The boy quietly agreed, putting his straw hat back in its rightful place. "You're incredible, Vivi."

 **xXxNO ONE'S POVxXx**

Vivi wrapped Nami in a thick coat and Sanji began to piggyback her to the village; Usopp helped Koga walk with an arm over his shoulders, and for once the chronicler didn't dare protest for the help he so desperately needed. It was then decided that Zoro and Carue would stay behind to guard the Merry in everyone else's absence.

As they walked –or rather trekked– through the snow after the big man they supposed was the leader, he presented himself as Dalton. Though he still looked not quite trusting the pirates, at least he was talking to them.

"I should warn you, the doctor in this country is a witch." Dalton said.

"What the hell is up with this country?" Sanji asked as he shifted a draping Nami on his back onto the sword he used to prop her up with. "What _is_ this country anyway?"

"This… country… doesn't have a name." The huge man answered grimly, his face serious.

"EEEEYAAAAHH! A BEAR!" Usopp shrieked in Koga's ear, who cringed visibly at the loud tone. A massive white bear with a pickaxe was trotting towards them in its hind legs, walking as a human. "Hurry everyone, pretend to be dead!"

"Wait, Us– OUF!"

In the sharpshooter's defense, he had completely forgotten his friend he was army-lifting and both fell backwards to the snow as Dalton explained it was only a Hiking Bear and that they had to bow to him. After doing it –and the bear returning the gesture– Vivi punched Usopp in the face for not remembering their injured storyteller.

They reached the village where Dalton lived about half an hour later, called Bighorn. It was fairly bustling, people walking through the 'streets' as beasts of burden hefted heavy loads to and fro. All of them greeted the big man with huge smiles on their faces and worry too for being accompanied by pirates, but he quickly dismissed the danger and took them to his home. Once inside, Nami was put to sleep on his bed –at Dalton's request, and Koga on a comfortable chair near the lit chimney.

"Forgive me for not formally introducing myself…" Dalton said as he put a heavy shield he had been carrying on his back against the wall. "I am Dalton, Captain of the Island Guard. I must express my apologies for our… rather unkind welcome." He looked at the sweating Koga and then to Vivi, before squinting his eyes at her. "Excuse me, but may I ask you a question? It's just that… You look familiar to me for a reason."

Vivi jumped and turned away quickly.

"N– No, that can't be! I just… I just have one of those faces, I guess. Anyway, can you tell us more about this doctor, or witch, if that's what she is?" She quickly drove away the subject, making Dalton look at her in suspicion. "Nami-san's fever is 107!"

At that, his eyes widened.

"107?" He exclaimed in shock. "How long has she had the fever?"

"It's been several days and it just keeps getting higher."

"I see… She'll likely die if it gets any worse." Then he looked at the pale-looking blond young man. "And what about him?"

His bicolored eyes shot up to his own, looking bleary but aware of his surroundings. Dalton blinked in surprise at his unusual eyes and at the strength he perceived in them.

"I'm not in that danger." He gruffly murmured, a hand wrapped around his torso in what seemed pain. "I just need some medical attention to my injuries."

The blue-haired girl seemed ready to argue, but quickly closed her mouth with a small frown on her lips.

"The witch's name is Kureha… and she lives in our former king's castle, atop the southernmost mountain of Drum, it'd be the closest one you see." Dalton told them, Sanji turning to the window…

"YOU DOLTS ARE DEAD!" He roared for whatever reason, coming out and beating the hell out of the two idiots before dragging them back in with huge lumps. "Damn, why the hell does she live all the way up there? Anyways, just call the old bat down here!"

"We have no way to contact her…" Dalton hung his head apologetically. "She comes down when she pleases, searches for patients, and when she has taken anything she wishes as compensation, goes back up…"

"Oi, Nami… Nami… Nami…"

When everyone turned, Luffy was kneeling at the bedside, softly slapping the navigator's red face to get her awake.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Usopp, Sanji and Vivi yelled at once, but quickly shut up as Nami opened her eyes barely to see her captain.

"Oi Nami, we're going mountain climbing, we're gonna get you and Koga cured!" He said, a face-breaking smile plastering his mouth.

"I… need to… get… well… fast… for Vivi…" She murmured, her breaths getting out even more ragged than before. "Take good care of me… Captain…" She weakly smiled, taking out a shaky hand from under the covers.

"Alright!" The teen cheered, clasping his hands into hers.

"Are you crazy?! In her condition?! What if you drop her?!" Vivi screeched at the reckless captain.

"I'll be going too…" Koga stood up, shaking but at least standing on his own two feet.

Vivi simply gaped at him, before reaching out in a flash and pinching his cheek, hard, screeching furiously: "YOU'RE ALSO INJURED! You should be resting instead of climbing a mountain!"

"Vivi-chan's right." Sanji agreed coolly. "But Koga needs attention too. If Luffy is really serious about bringing Nami-san and this idiot up there, then I'm going too… To protect Nami-swan!"

With that settled, there was no way of changing the captain's mind, so Vivi and Usopp had no other choice but to strap Nami securely at Luffy's back, using some sort of belt Vivi made with some spare clothes. They both decided to stay in Bighorn with Dalton instead of accompanying them.

"If you lot are serious…" Dalton announced, coming over and making the three turn at him with serious faces. "I must warn you, there is a species of bear-like rabbits called Lapahn. You must beware of them and avoid them at all costs."

"In that case, Luffy, don't you dare fight." Koga turned to his captain.

"What, not at all?" He whined.

"If you do, the shock of being hit or striking will go right to Nami." Sanji agreed, lighting a new cigarette. "Leave the fighting to me."

The chronicler glared at the cook. "You mean _us_."

"No, I meant _me._ You're injured you dolt."

The bicolor-eyed boy groaned but didn't correct him. Perhaps he thought the cook was right and decided to let it be, mostly to save his breath.

"Be sure to bring back Nami-san and Koga-san good as new!" Vivi said worriedly.

"And be careful!" Usopp added.

"Let's go guys!" Luffy shouted as he rushed on ahead, "before Nami dies!" He laughed as he said that last part.

"Don't laugh about that you shithead!" Sanji berated him furiously, both he and Koga falling into step behind Luffy.

Not even twenty minutes later, the wind picked up, carrying snow with it, blowing it right into their faces. Sanji and Luffy talked about some ridiculous rumors they heard about people living in constant snowing places. As they chatted, a small white fur-ball tried to lunge at them for whatever reason.

"Okay then, did you know that women in snowy countries have skin as smooth as silk?" Sanji asked, in a somewhat loving voice.

"How come?" Luffy seemed genuinely interested in what the dumb cook was saying… believing everything he told.

"Isn't it obvious? When you get cold, you rub your skin to warm it up, right? It's always freezing cold in snowy countries like this one, and so women keep rubbing their skin all the time. So their skin becomes all white and silky smooth."

"Okay, then how comes it's white?" Luffy asked.

"Because of the snow, it's constantly falling all over them and dyes their skin all white."

"Jeez, you both are dumb…" Koga commented, containing his ragged breaths as he tried to keep up with his companions and at the same time avoiding the creature's attacks. Normally it wouldn't be that difficult, but he was seriously injured, and so his intuition didn't work as well as he wished.

"What did you say you bastard? And you…" He growled, leaning his foot back.

 **BAM!**

"… Are becoming a great pain in the ass!" The cook finished his sentence as he punted the creature away into the distance.

"What the hell was his problem?" Luffy wondered casually as they bounded through the snow.

"No idea, but we better pick up the pace. The wind's starting to blow a bit faster." Sanji answered, shrugging.

And said and done, the three of them picked up the pace a little, Koga with a little more effort from his part. He had been applying his Devil Fruit powers over himself to avoid capsizing, but it was sincerely difficult. Having used the Speed before had been a great mistake.

"Koga, you're not looking well." Luffy suddenly said, stretching his neck to stare at his sweating face.

"Yeah, well, I… Don't worry, Captain, I'll be okay." Koga smiled, but it wasn't convincing, judging the younger boy's face.

"What the hell?"

At Sanji's astonished question, the two of them turned to see the weird scene before them. From amidst the wind and the snow, some dark tall creatures stood in their way, grizzly-bear-sized gorilla-rabbits with blood red eyes gathered in front of the pirates, staring them down.

"I will assume those are the Lapahn Dalton told us about." Koga groaned, scowling, taking his katana out of its sheath.

"Idiot, what the hell are you doing?!" The cook snapped at him. "I told you I would take care of them, you're in no condition to fight!"

"And who says so, you?!" He shouted, following after the cook in delivering attacks. However, due to his weakened state, he couldn't quite defeat any Lapahn, making Sanji help him the best he could.

 _Such useless host…_

"Now, towards the mountain!" Sanji ordered, seeing the Lapahn leaping into the air at once. "If we fight all of them, it'll last until nightfall!"

They ran, but lines of them began hopping across the snow to their sides, no doubt faster than them in the snow, whereas they were ankle-deep buried in it. Luckily Luffy found a way up and away from the Lapahn, who were mocked at by the moron captain once he thought they were all out of harm… Making them angrier and striding towards them in huge leaps and the pirates to try to escape even higher up.

"Shit, they're blocking our path again!" Koga cursed between ragged breaths, seeing the lines of Lapahn standing above them in the path.

And then, the carnivorous animals began jumping up and down repeatedly.

"What the…? Are they pissed because they're hungry?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side.

"What are those shitty gorillas doing?" Sanji clenched on his cigarette, sending a murderous glare at the giant bunnies.

 **Rumble rumble rumble!**

"I… don't like how that sounds…"

Koga's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as well as his companions', when they saw a huge wave of white snow plummeting towards them at an alarming speed. As one, the three pirates pivoted on their heels and began running as fast as they could in the complete opposite direction between panicked yells.

"What do we do?!" Luffy yelled, looking around frantically.

"All I know is that Nami-san comes first! And second! And third and fourth and fifth!" The cook scanned the area as frantically as his captain, locating a safe area. "Over there!" He pointed a rocky outcropping.

The avalanche was almost over them when they turned towards the cliff in a frantic sprint, but Koga felt they weren't going to make it on time. Sanji reached it first and beckoned his friends to catch him, but Luffy was falling behind because of his precious cargo and the chronicler, though a bit ahead of him, felt about to collapse, the pain and the difficulty to breathe wearing him down.

But there wasn't a need for three of them to fall, especially if one of them was gravely ill.

And so, he stopped on his tracks and grabbed the captain by the back of his collar, making sure in not to harm Nami in the process, and roared as he launched the two of them towards a gaping Sanji; he thanked the cook's quick reflexes as he leapt into the air to cushion their landing, and smirked defiantly.

"KOGA!" Both Luffy and Sanji yelled at him, identical desperate masks in their faces as they saw his smile. He murmured something quietly, and they read his message on his lips.

 _Don't come after me_ , they said.

The avalanche was already over him–!

 **RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!**

–and quickly wiped him out of their views.

Still with the avalanche wiping everything in their views, the rubbery boy launched an arm towards the white sea of snow, as far as he could, and finding something to grab on, quickly retreated it, only to find Koga's blue scarf around his hand, drenched in cold snow.

" **KOOOGAAAA!** "

Only silence answered Luffy's shout.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Oh boy, poor Koga xD**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast please! Love y'all lots!**


	33. Enter Chopper

**33\. Enter Chopper**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Wow! I've never had so many reviews at once in one chap, I'm so glad ^^! I know you all want to know what the heck happens to poor Koga after he was buried by the snow, but in this chap we'll jump directly to Kureha's castle and into direct treatment. I had actually thought on writing a chap with Sanji or Luffy's POV, but I lacked the time and patience to do that, so sorry if I disappoint someone.**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Hahahaha, thanks! I love cliffhangers, they keep my intrigue and make me want to read more! Yeah, he is like Ace (with his own quirks of course), but he'll eventually understandhe doesn't have to carry such heavy burdens alone. Thank you, and hope you like this new chap!**

 **-14fox: Don't worry, he won't die…! Yet xD Damn schoolwork, I hate it! You and I both shall prevail over school!**

 **-Jag: Yeah, too self-sacrificing xD But he won't die just yet. Here's the update, enjoy ^^!**

 **-Muito: Sorry, now the wait is over!**

 **-InuKamahira: Wow hahahahahaha! Such funny reactions xD Oh yeah, I am mean with my own OC, I just love it to make them suffer *grins wickedly and laughs like Kureha* The privileges of owning Koga my dear! *Koga sweatdrops in the distance looking at the author and silently prays for his well-being* Oh yeah, Luffy and Sanji were like "WTF, why did he do that?!" Koga will have to explain himself!**

 **-SoMean: Sorry! I just wanted to create a bit of suspense for you! But here's the following chap!**

 **-BardockTheWolf789: Sorry! (I'm running out of apologies xD) Hmm, Witch Hunter? Sorry I didn't read it, so I don't really know if there's anything in common between it and my story. If there is, I'll make sure to put a disclaimer though.**

 **-Ice Night: Thanks so much! I also began to care a lot about my OC, even knowing about his shitty past and all that. *sniff* I'm not crying, dammit!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxKOGA'S POVxXx**

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACK; 14 YEARS AGOxXx**

 **"A fight, a fight!"**

 **"Koga's gonna fight again!"**

 **"Oh yeah? Against whom?"**

 **"Remember that guy, the pyromaniac?"**

 **"Hibiki?! That guy's totally nuts! Koga's dead!"**

 **"Yeah, well, Koga's giving him a huge beating right now."**

 **" _WHAT?!_ But… Hibiki's two years older than that brat, right? That kid's just ten years old! If Hibiki loses, he'll…!"**

 **" _WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!_ "**

 **"AHHH, THE OLD MAN! GET OUTTA HERE!"**

 **"You two brats, stop it right now! Off to the basement with you two, as punishment! I'll make sure to beat the sh*t outta you this time, I swear it!"**

 **…**

 **…**

 **I hate this place.**

 **…**

 **…**

 **"Bo-nii, why do you do this?"**

 **"…"**

 **"You're always fighting, getting into problems. Aren't you tired of all that?"**

 **"…"**

 **"… Please stop that. Just… Stop. I don't want to see you hurting anymore."**

 **…**

 **…**

 **I'm so sorry, Karen…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **"YOU'RE A DAMN EYE-SORE! Every damn time you come back you're covered in lashes and bruises all over your body! Don't you think about Karen-chan's feelings when she sees you like this?!"**

 **"…"**

 **"Tsk. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to help you. You're only looking after yourself."**

 **"…"**

 **"All you do is stand there in silence, while Karen-chan cries because you got involved in yet _another_ problem. Can't you just let it go?"**

 **"…"**

 **"DON'T BOTHER TO COME BACK IF WE SEE YOU ALL BLOODY AND BEATEN AGAIN! DON'T YOU _DARE_ TO SHOW YOUR FACE AROUND HERE!"**

 **…**

 **…**

 **I know that, Yuuto.**

 **…**

 **…**

 **"Don't worry about Yuuto. He's a bit loudmouthed sometimes, you know that."**

 **"…"**

 **"He really worries about both Karen and yourself. Listen, just… try to stay away from problems at the orphanage, alright?"**

 **"…"**

 **"You're a really good boy, Koga. But you put yourself at too much risk already. If Karen loses you… Please, Koga, just listen this old man. Please?"**

 **…**

 **…**

 **I try, Jii-san, but it's so hard…**

 **…**

 **…**

* * *

It was warm, and cozy. His body felt healthier and his fever had been reduced greatly until it disappeared. His ribs, however a bit painful, felt much better already, held in place. He wasn't cold, he wasn't in pain –or at least not too much– and his head felt much clearer now. With an inward sigh, he willingly relented in the safety, for the first time in… He didn't know how much time had passed since he felt this safe.

… Well that wasn't true. He _did_ feel safe among the Straw Hats, in their ship Merry. Only there and with that easy-going company, he could completely relax, despite what he had told them before. He _did_ trust them, or was beginning to anyways.

… And that was what _scared him_.

After some time of just lying in the darkness, wrapped in calm and relaxed warmness, Koga heard a door opening not too far from him, and someone entering the room. He heard glass bottles softly clinking against each other, followed by noises he couldn't quite place. They weren't footsteps, but rather… hooves?

Curiosity driving him, the chronicler groaned as he tried to open his eyes and stirred in the bed. At the noise, the person suddenly stopped fidgeting around, probably startled. Opening bleary eyes, he blinked a few times at the dark ceiling up above his head and looked without moving his head, too relaxed to move and not willing to feel pain.

It seemed more of a laboratory than a proper bedroom, full of different suspicious-looking objects he didn't quite feel the interest in finding out what they were used for. There was a narrow high window covered with a thick glass with sunlight sipping through it, and a giant candelabrum filled with lit candles hung from the seemingly far-away ceiling. And as the chronicler, very cautiously, turned his head to the side where the door should be, he found a… rather interesting creature looking back with bulging eyes at him.

…

How could he begin to describe it? The first word that came to his mind, strangely enough, was 'little'. Standing, he was sure it wouldn't reach his knees, though he was fairly tall. It had warm brown fur all over its body, a pair of red shorts and a massive pink hat with a white cross adorned his head being its only clothing. Two small, curled antlers poked out of the hat, and it a small blue nose, and it was standing in its hind legs, like a human being.

For some reason, Koga found himself smiling at this small creature.

"Hey little guy." He greeted with a hoarse voice, somewhat gruffer than usual. Perhaps it was because of the cold.

For some reason, the little reindeer –or so he thought the creature was by its looks– let out a startled scream when it heard him speaking, and almost dropped all the glass jars with different liquids. It managed to save them however.

"Where…?" As he tried to incorporate, pain flared up his spine and he grunted.

"Ah– Don't do that!" In a brown blur, the little fuzzy guy appeared before him and stretched his hooves towards him. "You should be resting!"

"I just want to see my friends… Ngh!"

When the storyteller looked down, he noticed his torso and lower abdomen completely wrapped in tight bandages. He was only wearing his loose khaki pants. He didn't even find his blue scarf anywhere.

"Calm down young'un." A voice called from the doorstep, and he raised his blond head to see a woman with a twenty-year-old woman's body but with a face that greatly resembled a wicked witch's, hooked nose and wrinkles everywhere included. "No need to force your ribs and muscles."

"Ah, Doctorine!" The talking reindeer called out to the woman.

"Well done, Chopper, I'll take this from here. Go check that girl's condition."

'The girl… Nami!'

Driven by a sudden impulse, he sprang up into a sitting position –ignoring the writhing agony flaring up his entire body at the sudden movement. Instantly, a hand clasped at his shoulder with surprising strength to stop him.

"I won't let my hard work go to waste. Your friends are fine." Koga looked at the old woman –Doctorine– in the eye. "The girl's out of danger, and the straw-hat boy and the blonde boy are currently sleeping. Considering your injuries, it's rather impressive you're already attempting to stand up already."

"Luffy and Sanji, were they injured? Are they okay?"

"The straw hat kid had frostbite, and the blonde boy seemed pretty beaten up. What happened to them, you have to ask them yourself when they wake up." She then gave a mighty push at his shoulder that propped him back to the bed with a small pounce, pain making his face cringe in agony. "Now you have to let your body recover. I don't know what you did to it lately, but it's all a mess. I didn't see so many strained muscles and broken ribs combined in a person in all my years as a doctor. What were you doing, dancing a mambo with an avalanche?"

Koga snorted in amusement, but didn't reply as Doctorine unwrapped the tight bandages around him and began checking a small incision on his ribcage, already closed but a bit red and swollen.

"You're really lucky, you know that brat? You almost had your lung punctured by one of your own ribs. I had to cut you open to free your lung before it collapsed."

"A punctured lung?" The chronicler repeated wide-eyed, now realizing how dangerous his injury had been.

"That's right. But now you're out of danger, and your fever is already gone. Some more hours and you'll be as good as new."

She put some foul-smelling ointment on the cut and began wrapping new and clean bandages around his torso again, the chronicler failing to notice the fleeting look of recognition when she saw the dark tattoo on his pec. When she finished –without commenting anything though, she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well?"

"Well what?" The blond blinked.

"Last time I checked, a human can't get these many injuries just by standing." She crossed her arms over her chest.

His face reddened, and though he tried to hide it, his scarf wasn't around to give him shelter. "I… may have been caught in an avalanche coming this way, yes."

Her eyes narrowed. "And before? When I checked on your ribs and lung, the injuries looked like they were caused before, and the avalanche only aggravated them further."

"I broke a few ribs during a fight." He reluctantly admitted, still red as a tomato.

"I knew it." Doctorine sighed deeply. "You trekked the mountain path with a lung about to be punctured, several broken ribs and strained muscles, caused by at least three days ago, and still you managed to do it."

Koga's face hardened, losing his blush, when he thought about the possible cause of his strained muscles, but didn't correct Doctorine. After all, he didn't want to let her know about his Devil Fruit powers.

The old woman then turned her back to him and grabbed a dark green bottle, taking a big chug from it before sighing in content. Then her piercing eyes stopped him when the writer attempted to sit up again, and he begrudgingly settled back again with a groan.

"Strange." She suddenly stated, making him look at her. "This is the first time someone doesn't ask me about my helper."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought it wasn't my place to ask. Sure it's weird to have a talking reindeer with a blue nose that walks as a human as a helper, but hey, I've seen weird things already. I'm used to them."

The old doctor made a humming sound as she took another swig at the bottle, probably sake considering her reddened cheeks.

"You're also one of the first ones that doesn't ask me about my eyes."

"They're… unusual. I'd like to examine them, but I doubt you would agree to that."

He snorted, amused, his eyes beginning to blink to keep sleep away. "Sorry about that. I was born with them, but that's the only thing I know about them. I've never met anyone with these same eyes, or even remotely close… That's what I always found…"

She hummed again. Then, seeing him beginning to drowse off because of the fatigue, she left the room silently.

* * *

 **xXx?xXx**

 **Another gloomy night, thanks to the rain. I can't go out, and either way I'm stuck in the room known as the "Repentance Room". My hands are handcuffed to the ceiling, my toes barely grazing the cold stone floor, a small pool of blood already soaking it. My back hurts terribly because of the brutal bruises and the deep lashes, but I'm not complaining; at least they gave me some sort of "relax" before they let me out and drag me back to my room.**

 **Suddenly I hear something that makes me jerk awake from my semi-conscious slumber and hiss in agony as my injuries flare up once again. It wasn't footsteps, though. Or at least not the so-familiar footsteps of my particular "hangman", Mr. Kiriko.**

 **"Hey, you alive?" A quiet voice calls out for me from the small barred slot in the door. It's a bit gruff, like mine.**

 **"… Go away." I answer, weakly but I manage to let out my voice.**

 **"Wow, talking about gratitude here."**

 **The voice seems pissed, but I don't care. I've got enough problems to think of, I don't need another one, thank you very much.**

 **"Listen, old man Kiriko is dead."**

 **"What?!" My head snaps up, shocked by the unexpected news.**

 **How is that even possible? He had been torturing me not even half an hour ago! What the hell happened while I was unconscious?!**

 **"Oh yeah, I killed him myself." The voice brags, a bloodthirsty satisfaction evident in his tone, and I can't help but to tense. Who assures me this… guy, wasn't going to kill me too? "You wanted that, right? Someone to _end_ the one hurting you."**

 **My blood runs could through my veins. "Are you crazy?! Of course I didn't ask for that!"**

 **And then, I notice something wrong. _Terribly wrong._**

 **The rain outside has changed somehow into a terrible storm, thunders cracking in the distance. The fleeting flashes of light don't let me see much of the dark room, but either way they let me see something.**

 ** _An unshaped figure of darkness standing in the corner, blood red eyes fixed in mine, carving into my soul and shredding it apart._**

 **My throat constricts, my voice suddenly gone. I don't know who – _what_ that is, but I certainly _know_ I don't want to have anything to do with it.**

 **"Cat got your tongue, clever boy?" The voice coming from the cloud of darkness sneers, his voice not from this world, cold as freezing ice gripping my heart.**

 **I writhe in my bindings, trying desperately to get away from that thing as it approaches me, sliding through the floor and halting just a mere breath away from me, his predatory look boring into my deeply scared into mine. I shiver, trapped in his glare, and when I try to turn my head, a sharp cold claw grips my jaw with unwavering force and forces me to lock our gazes once more. I want to close my eyes, but _something_ compels me to keep them wide open to the darker-than-black darkness.**

 **I feel a freezing tentacle-like _thing_ slipping into my mind, touching my thoughts, my dearly-held memories, examining them, _corrupting them horribly_. The feeling of being tainted invades my entire being.**

 **A low cackle in my ear, a dark promise.**

 **"Soon, my little boy." It sneers as darkness envelops me. " _Soon… you'll be all mine_."**

* * *

Koga abruptly awoke from the nightmare, drenched in sweat and shivering terribly. His hands ran through his disheveled blond hair, trying to calm down. As soon as his labored breaths and his rapid heartbeats slowed down, the chronicler raised his head to notice the small furry reindeer trying to hide by the doorway… with rather little success.

Smiling, the young human greeted him once more. "Hi there."

The reindeer's small body tensed, fear evident in his round black eyes. Of what? Of him?

"Going to check on me again?" He still kept a friendly smirk on his face. His usual wariness towards strangers felt appalled around this little guy, his intuition not tingling even once; that never happened to him before.

"Who are you?" The reindeer –Chopper, he remembered his name was– asked abruptly, still on the defensive, still glaring at him.

"Oh, that's right, I didn't present myself did I? I'm Koga, chronicler of the Straw Hat pirates. Nice to meet you, Chopper."

"P– Pirates?"

"Mm-hm. That guy with black hair and a straw hat, he's my captain. The other is our cook and the girl our navigator."

"You're all pirates then?"

"Yeah."

Chopper looked like he wanted to ask something more, but with a firm shake of his furry head he changed the subject abruptly.

"Why do you have those eyes?" He asked, curiosity evident in his voice and face. "I mean– they have odd colors… and they're different! Are they magical?"

Koga blinked in surprise before bringing a bitter smile on his face.

"Sorry to disappoint, but they have nothing special. I was born with them, that's all I know." His smile softened as he thought of Luffy and the others. "I hated my eyes before, but now that I met Luffy and the others, I can't really care about them anymore. They're weird, but I feel special among them."

"… Special?" Chopper muttered.

"Oh, sorry about that." The chronicler looked at him and smiled apologetically. "I thought you were going to check on me…?"

"… Actually, I came to tell you the girl was awake."

"Those are really good news."

Koga felt a relief like he had never felt filling him, warming him, and he let out a sigh as he swung his legs out of the bed and stood up. Satisfied, he checked that he didn't feel any pain or unbalance and strode out of the small room, not seeing Chopper cower as the tall human surpassed him.

Entering the next room, the first he saw was a girl with orange hair in bed, with Doctorine seated in the metallic chair with her arms crossed over her chest. The old woman, hearing him enter, turned her head and drew a wicked-like smile on her wrinkled face.

"Oh, looks like you're up." She commented.

Nami also looked at the doctor before following her gaze; her confusion turned into happiness upon seeing the blond storyteller approaching the two of them, heavily bandaged and without his scarf, but alive.

"You're okay!" She smiled brightly at him. Her face was still a bit red and her eyes drowsy with sleep, but she was undeniably much better than before he saw her last.

"That's my line, you know." Koga ruffled his hair in embarrassment. "So, how are you?"

"Much better now. But what about you? How about your ribs–?"

 **CATACRASH! BROOOOM!**

"MEEEEEEEAAAAT!"

"WAIT RIGHT THERE!"

"KYAAAAAAAA! SAVE MEEEEEEE!"

A small blur of brown then streaked past then before the chronicler could answer her. Sanji and Luffy, both also bandaged as himself, were right on his heels before stopping when they saw the chronicler.

"Nami, Koga!" The captain beamed in happiness, a huge smile on his face. Whether it was because of the sight of meat or the fact that he was glad about his storyteller still kicking, no one really knew.

"Nami-san! I'm really glad you're feeling better! Don't worry because I will fix you a special lunch with venison meat to help you get well!" Sanji swooned over the navigator, and then turned to Koga, his mood taking a complete turn. "You owe us some explanations you shitty eye-freak!" He pointed at him with his finger, making the older boy sweatdrop.

"Yeah, yeah, sure I do." His hands waved in resignation. "I'm really sorry for what I did, but it was necessary, okay?"

"What?" Nami looked between the three men, confused. "What did you do?"

"Uh, nothing. Everything's on the past now."

"He practically threw himself under a freaking avalanche, and he says it's nothing." Sanji sighed.

"Hey, it was that or letting Nami and Luffy being buried instead."

 **CRASH!**

Alerted by the noise, the five of them turned towards the farthest room that led outside. He began to sweat buckets as Luffy and Sanji locked eyes with him.

"HOLD IT!"

"HIYAAAAAAAAAA!"

… And off they were again. Koga smiled and shook his head.

"I'm surprised those two are running around like that already." Doctorine commented dryly.

"What is that blue-nosed stuffed deer?" Nami asked her.

"Him? His name is Chopper… and he's just a normal blue-nosed reindeer."

"But normal reindeers don't talk." The navigator seemed even more confused at her nonchalant answer.

"Well, duh. But he's quite different. He ate the Hito Hito Fruit. Now he has all the capabilities of a human being. And… I pounded into him every bit of medical knowledge I possess."

Not soon after, Chopper came back panting, dragging the two unconscious idiots by their collars and were put to sleep. The reindeer disappeared after that, but Doctorine didn't seem worried about his well-being.

…

After Luffy and Sanji woke up from their involuntary nap, they came back to stay together with Koga and Nami. While eating –Doctorine had been kind enough to make a dozen or so bowls of noodle dish– Luffy gave back Koga's scarf and _Sankaoken_ to their rightful owner, and then they began to talk. Doctorine revealed that the navigator had been too close to death thanks to a bug called Kestia fly, an extremely infectious bug. She explained how the Kestia produced over 104 degree fevers, general infection, cardiac arrhythmia and brain and artery inflammations; the pain would've lessened in two more days, but that was because she would be dead by then.

"WHAAAT?!" Luffy and Sanji shrieked, with Koga glaring at the old woman wide-eyed. "SHE WOULD'VE DIED IN TWO DAYS?!"

"Yes, she is a lucky one to have found this place before she hit the bucket for good." Doctorine cackled. "As for you, boys…" She pointed to Luffy, who pointed at himself with a dumb expression on his face. "You had all your body frozen. I don't know what you were thinking, climbing up a 5,000 meters mountain in just those clothes. It's a miracle you have all your limbs."

Her finger pointed then to Sanji. "You were in a similar situation as the older brat here, with several hemorrhages, six broken ribs and the dorsal spine fractured. I had to operate you, so you better thank me."

"And you… You know already what my analysis has been." She directed her glare to Koga, who simply crossed his arms over his chest. "Several hemorrhages, eight broken ribs, muscles severely strained… and a punctured lung."

"What?!" Sanji and Nami looked at the older boy, who merely avoided their gazes.

"Don't worry brats, he wouldn't have died." Doctorine cackled darkly.

"But a punctured lung, given enough time…" The red-haired girl protested.

"… leads to certain death, yes, I know, girl. I'm a doctor. But this kid…" She pointed at Koga with her thumb, whereas the chronicler ignored them, already knowing where the doctor was getting into. "Is special. He wouldn't have died, or at least… not like this."

"What do you…?"

She sighed. "You really are thick, brats. Or…" She looked at the chronicler, who didn't bother to return the gaze, suddenly too occupied in checking his fingernails. "You didn't tell them, did you?"

"What for? It's not important. I already told them they didn't need to worry about me."

"That's not an explanation brat. And if they're really your friends, unless you tell them, they will worry about you." He still remained silent, and she huffed in exasperation. "Alright then, I'll tell them myself."

The three pirates eyed their storyteller and the old woman warily –well, except Luffy of course. What did the older boy hide from them?

"All of you know about him being a Cursed, right?" They nodded. "Well, this condition entails a certain… characteristic, one that differs him from the other human beings. A Cursed human comes in contact with a demon and binds it to his own body, gaining an overall boost on strength, stamina and health. This is not the interesting part however, but the fact that he also gains a force that drags him to this life."

…

…

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head to the side.

"I… don't think I understood that much…" Nami furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What I am trying to say brat, is that he can't die from normal procedures." She cackled at their shocked expressions when looking at Koga, who still kept his head down. "Nothing affects him, from blood loss to a mortal plague… He can endure all those things, unless you kill the demon inside him. Which, let me tell you, is awfully complicated to do."

"How is that even possible?" The navigator wondered out loud.

"The Contract I made with _Sankaoken_ is simple; my life in exchange of letting him inhabit my body as a parasite." Koga decided to provide a little explanation on his own, but not all the truth.

"But… I thought the demon was in your katana."

"That's uh, a little lie. _Sankaoken_ is in my body, but uses his powers to change the katana's form. To do that though, he pours a little of his own soul in the katana, and links it to both my own life and his. Destroying the katana would weaken us, but not kill us."

"Then… how?" Sanji asked, face grim.

"… I'm sorry, but I never revealed that to anyone. I won't start now."

But his dark thoughts couldn't be stopped, however, as the table suddenly felt silent, only interrupted by Luffy eating.

'I'll only die… if I'm betrayed.'

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Dun dun DUUUN~! Shocking revelations about Koga! Though I don't know if any of you expected that.**

 **As you can see, I'm updating every week now, so check it out every Tuesday/Thursday (whenever I can xD)! So boys and girls, hope you enjoyed it, leave some comments (whether they be good or bad, I accept them both freely) and I'm so sorry because of the treatment I gave Koga last chap.**

 **… On second thought, I'm not. xD It was necessary, from my perspective.**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast please! Love y'all lots!**


	34. Chopper's story

**34\. Chopper's story**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **WOOHOO, over a hundred reviews and favorites ^^! Yay, I love you guys!**

 **Now then, sorry for the long delay, but I had a bit of a writer's block -cursed them- and I also wanted to avoid writing about poor Chopper's past, but it's necessary, soo... Well, here is the chap, hope you like it.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Yep, he will! Pretty good justification. Mm, I can't really say anything, I'm sorry~ I know there's still much going on before then, so please be patient. Yeah, honestly, me too. I didn't want him to suffer too much... Well, first is Chopper's background, sorry, but next chap will be the battle! So stay tuned!**

 **-Jag: Thanks! Yeah it does, I'm glad it served to clear some doubts.**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Thank you so much! Yeah, about time. So much secrecy's not good for health xD Mm, okay, I'll be good and answer that: yes she does know something about his eyes, something about them being related to the Void Century. It's all I can say. I admit I haven't covered it up yet, so sorry if I'm being too vague.**

 **-BardockTheWolf789: Yep! Yuuto betrayed Koga before he got his demon, sorry for the confusion xD Oops, mega-spoiler I made xD Hahahaha, don't worry, he won't! Not yet at least! xD Mwahahahahahahaha! Thanks so much BTW!**

 **-Ice Night: Thank you for reading! I'm glad I'm keeping your curiosity up! Here's the update, hope it won't disappoint! Mainly because there's not much Koga in there...**

 **-InuKamahira: As always, I love your comments! A dachshund, huh? I love 'em too! Hahahahaha, yeah, he's really all of that! Especially stubborn and clueless xD My poor Koga... *Koga sweatdrops while glaring at the author who pats his head* Yeah, it'll get better... maybe?**

 **-LilyAllicia: Hey, welcome! Thank you so much! Wow, I don't know exactly what you mean... Could you please elaborate what you mean about 'betrayal coming in many forms'? Mostly because I want to ask accurately and not cause confusion for you or anyone else. Hahaha, seems my Koga has his own club of fans xD Here's the update, and sorry for not answering your question :P**

 **Seems I shocked everyone about last chap's reveal xD I wonder, is that the only way to kill him~?**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

After Doctorine told them about Koga's 'immortality', a bit of silence settled between them, until suddenly Luffy slammed the table and stood up in one move.

"Please, Granny, I beg ya!" Everyone looked at him in surprise. "Come with us!"

"Luffy." The old woman lifted a finger to her face and the teen looked at it confused. "That's your name right? Did you just call me 'Granny'?"

"Yeah, you're really old so…"

Intuition tingling. No time for warn the dumb captain though–

"WATCH YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"

 **BAM!**

With a perfectly executed roundhouse kick, Doctorine sent the idiot kid to the wall, sitting down again carelessly. However, the three other pirates watched their captain in bewilderment. Who knew such an old-looking woman had such freaky strength?!

"I'm still on my spunky hundred n' thirty, not old enough." Kureha idly declared.

"Wow, you're really ol–"

 **BAM!**

… And down went Sanji too, much to Nami's exasperation and Koga's hidden amusement. Hey, you reap what you sow, and no one called a woman old, even if she really was over a hundred years of age. Now that he thought about it, could someone really live for so long…?

"So, you came all the way here to ask me if I want to be a pirate? Don't waste your breath with that, I don't give a rat's ass about those things."

"Well, technically we need a doctor, but it's true that we're pirates, and so you would have to join us…"

"Koga, stop rambling already." Nami deadpanned, looking at the older boy with a sweatdrop.

The chronicler drew a sheepish grin on his face, hiding it behind his scarf. It never ceased to amuse him how oblivious his crew was, and also Luffy's bluntness at admitting the truth.

Speaking of the devil…

"You don't need to be!" The raven-haired kid sprung to his feet, nursing a large bump on his face. "Just come with us to the sea, Granny!"

'He just doesn't learn.' Koga lifted his scarf up to his nose to hide another amused smirk.

"Oi, oi, where are your damn manners, brat?" The doctor threatened to attack him again.

However, instead of making a retort, a small noise coming from the entrance distracted Luffy and everyone looked that way… only to see Chopper trying to hide behind –with 'trying' being the keyword– with all his body showing up. A few seconds of silence passed before Luffy, Sanji and Chopper's jaws comically slacked, and then they ran, the pirates following after the reindeer between loud screams.

"WAIT MEAT!"

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU BRATS!"

The storyteller blinked as the doctor sprang up to her feet and chased after the idiots, armed to the teeth. Not bothering to say anything to stop them, Nami sighed as she got herself under the sheets and tried to shut her eye… without success, as the opposite door slammed open, Chopper bursting in between panicked yells, followed by the two morons –one of whom stopped to promise Nami some delicious venison meat– and Kureha right on their heels, throwing them some of the weapons she was carrying.

"I don't care about the food, just be quiet and let me rest already." Nami groaned from under the sheets, and Koga smirked again from the chair.

"Everywhere we go is the same with these idiots. Now peace is a pipe dream."

Another groan coming from the navigator agreed with him as her ginger head poked from under the sheets to look at the bicolor-eyed storyteller with… something in her eyes. His head tilted to the side quizzically and she opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden freezing breeze made them both shiver.

"Huh? The door is open." Koga mumbled, noticing the wide open door, the wind carrying snow with it.

"Snow? But we're inside a castle…" Nami made a move as if to stand up.

"Not so fast." The blond older boy held a hand to her as he stood to his feet. "I'm going to close the door, you have to rest."

Seconds after the chronicler closed the door, a voice piped out from behind him. "He's right. You're still with a fever."

He turned his head and noticed Chopper looking right and left with a wary face, coming from the shadows, most likely making sure he had evaded the two pirates.

"No I'm not, it's gone down already…" The navigator stubbornly argued.

"Even so, you should stay in your bed. The fever might have gone down, but the bacteria are still wandering inside your body. You need antidote and rest."

"But…"

"Nami, the doctor here is Chopper." Koga deadpanned as he went back to the chair. "If he says you have to rest, you rest."

"Says the one who should still be bedridden." Nami glared at him with furious brown eyes, and he shrugged.

"Fair enough."

She huffed before turning to the small reindeer with a soft smile on her face that seemed to surprise him.

"You took care of us as well, right? Thanks."

The reindeer's mouth opened and closed like a fish's, seemingly not knowing what to do or say, until he finally burst out:

"You… SHUT UP! I don't need the gratitude of a human!" He roared with shark-like teeth, making both Koga and Nami blink in surprise. He then made a small pleased dance, "Hehehe~" And then he screamed again, "DON'T JOKE WITH ME! Stupid~ Hahaha~"

'The type that can't hide his feelings, huh…' Both pirates sweatdropped at the strange scene, but smiling.

Once he seemed to calm down, Chopper suddenly grew wary again as he slowly approached the navigator sitting on the bedside to poke her hand, as if she were some kind of alien. "You're… you're pirates?"

"Yep, that we are." Koga replied, smiling from the chair.

Chopper poked her hand again. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Nami seemed amused at the reindeer's curiosity.

"Of the type that has those black flags with skulls and crossbones?"

"And a straw hat." The storyteller added.

"Are you interested in being a pirate?"

Suddenly, the reindeer got scared, jumping back and bumping on the bookshelf so hard some books fell over his head. It didn't matter to him though, as he exclaimed: "NO IDIOT I DON'T!"

Nami scratched her head, looking at her equally dumbfounded companion before continuing: "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But, in that case, wanna come with us?"

Chopper blinked, "Eh?"

"To the sea! That'd help me a lot. If you come with us, I won't have to stay here for three days."

"Even if Chopper does join us, you'd still be resting."

"Shut it, you."

"IDIOT! I'm a reindeer! Do you really think I wanna be alongside humans?!"

 _He's too insistent at pointing out the whole "I'm-a-reindeer-that-can't-be-with-humans" thing._

'Yeah.' Koga crossed his arms over his chest, reclining his back against the chair. 'He's pushing aside people to avoid getting hurt. Whatever past this little guys has, it heavily scarred him.'

"Also… Aren't you afraid of me?" Chopper mumbled quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Why would we?" The bicolor-eyed chronicler blinked, this time genuinely surprised.

"I'm a reindeer that can talk… and walk in two feet… and I have a blue nose…"

 **BLAM!**

"THERE YOU ARE, REINDEER!"

As if appearing from thin air, Luffy and Sanji dashed inside the room, scaring the hell out of Chopper, who screamed bloody murder before skidding away, the other two right on his heels once more.

"Those two are really fast…" Kureha then entered the room, looking already tired of running around and sitting on her favorite chair. She then threw a glare at Nami. "I'm really disappointed with you, little girl. Who gave you permission to persuade my assistant?"

"Uh, I'm sorry… But, since when do I need permission to try to convince somebody?"

 _Nice question._

'Shut up.'

Kureha grinned. "Nah, forget it. You don't need one. If you wanna take him, go ahead. But it ain't gonna be easy, mind you. His heart has deep wounds, wounds that even I am not able to cure."

She then told them about her assistant.

From the very instant he was born, Chopper was shunned from both his own family and his group, having to go at the end of the line, because of his tiny blue nose. He tried to find his place among them, but they didn't accept such monster among them, and every time he got near them, the poor reindeer was attacked.

It only got worse when he found a Devil Fruit and ate it, thinking it would solve his problems. In fact, his sudden ability to transform into a humanoid form and speak the human language only reaffirmed the other reindeers' opinion about him being a monster.

Wounded and haunted by the ones he thought were his family, Chopper had no choice but to seek refuge and someone to call 'friend' among the humans. So, he transformed into his humanoid form and approached a nearby village… only to be treated as a giant fuzzy monster with blue nose, chased by the villagers with shotguns, stones and torches.

"He didn't know who to hate, or what he did wrong… Everything he wanted was to make a friend, but everyone hates a monster…" Kureha concluded, her wrinkled face serious for once.

Nami's face had saddened at the tale, surely feeling sympathetic of the poor reindeer who had suffered so much in his life. Koga still sat with his arms over his chest, his own expression stony and hard, lost in his own thoughts.

"The wounds in his heart… Do you think you can heal them?"

That… was a pretty heavy question. Closing his mismatched eyes, the chronicler bit his lower lip thinking of Chopper and how similar his past was with the Straw Hat members', including his own. Everyone –even Luffy, he was pretty sure of that– had pretty deep scars, and they coped with them in their own ways. Thinking in positive, training, cooking, lying, money, mistrusting… And Chopper would push others away to avoid getting hurt again, as he had suspected before. The only thing that differentiated the reindeer from the pirates, was that they were friends; the little doctor didn't have anyone in his life to relay on, except maybe Kureha herself.

But would the others call Chopper a monster? He thought of Luffy and his goofy attitude, and how he had chased the poor reindeer all over the castle, and he then understood the captain hadn't felt intimidated or scared of the blue-nosed animal at all, not even for a second. In fact, the blond boy had the feeling that, if he asked his captain about the possibility of having Chopper in their crew as their doctor, he raven-haired kid would surely jump in joy and agree immediately.

But, how could the Straw Hat pirates promise the old woman that Chopper would be fine with them? Even more, how could they convince the reindeer himself?

 _It's easy to promise, but keeping it is the hard thing. You know that better than anyone, right?_

But Koga didn't answer.

Shortly after, Sanji began fixing them something in the kitchen as Luffy was off somewhere, and the doctors were in a small room, surely still preparing the medicines. When Sanji came back with the plate full of delicious-smelling food, he began swooning over her once more, proclaiming her beauty even recovering from a mortal illness... Most to Koga's silent exasperation.

"Oi oi oi brat!" A familiar voice called from behind the chef. "You tell me when I gave you permission to use my kitchen."

As the blond cook turned to answer her as politely as he could, Koga suddenly had a _very_ distinctive feeling that it wouldn't end well for him, and tried to warn him...

"Um, Sanji...?"

But he was ignored. "Madam, I also made roasted beef for you, rich in proteins related to rejuvenating your–"

 **BAM!**

"Madam my ass! I'm still a blooming flower, still at my spunky one hundred and thirty-nine."

' _That_ was precisely what I was trying to avoid.' Koga sighed. 'Seriously, what good is my intuition if no one listens when I speak?'

"DOCTORINE! HELP MEEEEEE!"

The door burst open all of a sudden once more, Chopper dashing through once more... This time followed only by Luffy, who was laughing his ass off.

"Luffy, give the poor guy a break, would ya?" The chronicler ruffled his hair loosely.

"I can't!" He answered stupidly, as he ran after Chopper here and there. "He's gonna be our nakama!"

"Really?" Nami asked, blinking in surprise.

"I never said that!" Chopper roared while hiding behind his senior doctor.

"Said too!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Did too!"

"DID NOT!"

Before the old doctor would lose her patience at their silly antics, Chopper ran out of the room again, Luffy hot on his heels. For some reason, Kureha looked at the open door with something in her eyes that spooked curiosity on Koga as he watched her.

"Nakama... You have no idea of how heavy this word is for him..."

 _That's familiar..._

'Yeah, it is...' Koga glanced sideways at Nami, but seeing her concentrated in Kureha as she grabbed a chair to sit down, turned back his attention to her.

"He lived all by himself... However, there was a man to whom he opened his heart. His name was Doctor Hiruluk, a quack doctor who discovered Chopper, gave him this name and took him in as his own son."

Somehow, the chronicler felt relieved and glad that the little guy hadn't been alone all his life before meeting Kureha.

She then spoke about Wapol, the former king of Drum, the island they were in, and the twenty doctors that inhabited it and were forced to work under his command; the only doctors the villagers could contact were Kureha herself and Hiruluk... though according to the old woman's opinion, he was an old chap who didn't know what he was doing and had the 'ridiculous dream of healing this ailing country with my medicine'. HE was often kicked out of the houses and chased by the police officers, but never once did he abandon his dream or stopped curing people.

During a particularly stormy day, as he wandered through the forests, the doctor came across an unconscious body. The fuzzy creature was fainted, unprotected under the intense cold of the blizzard, and severely wounded due to a brutal attack from the villagers. At first the creature tried to scare the doctor off, but Hiruluk managed to convince him that he didn't mean any harm, taking him to his home and taking care of him ever since.

After a small coffee break in which Sanji served warm coffee to Nami and sweet tea for Koga, Kureha continued the story, with the three pirates listening attentively.

"Above all else, that guy was a hopeless idealist." Kureha sighed, thinking of Hiruluk. "He always woudl walk around telling people the story of a man that had a terminal disease and believed he had been cured when he saw a forest full of cherry trees. From then on, he crossed the country, powered by the idea that there was no disease that couldn't be cured."

'Is that so?' Koga thought glumly, thinking of Karen and her disease. No matter how many doctors they visited, each and every one of them failed to find a cure for her disease.

The man was Hiruluk himself, Kureha told them, and he transmitted his dream to his adoptive son Tony Tony Chopper. Also, Hiruluk was a firm believer in the pirate black flag, simbolizing for him vitality and confidence. Koga smirked to himself at that definition of the pirate's plag.

A year after Hiruluk took Chopper in, he was cured, and the doctor kicked him out of the house. It turned out, Hiruluk lied when he said he had been cured after seeing cherry trees, and he was dying anyways. By kicking his surrogate son out, the doctor wanted to avoid watching him die, and also find the cure he had been searching for thirty years.

"He didn't stop bugging me with his crazy research." Kureha sighed irritably, but with a sad hint in her voice. "To make cherry blossoms bloom in this island."

"That's... kinda impossible. This is a winter island." Nami said with a doubtful expression on her face.

"Do you think I'd go on without telling him that? I still remember as it was yesterday. 'What you're trying to do is braindead', I told him. Stubbornness got the better of him and it went right over his ears."

Of course, this story had a rather tragic ending.

When Chopper heard the doctor had only ten more days to live, he obviously grew worried. While Hiruluk continued with his crazy research, Chopper read somewhere about a mushroom that would possibly cure his mentor, and after researching his books looking for references, he set off in a lonely journey to find this miraculous mushroom, almost losing his own life in the way. But he found it, and came back home holding it like a precious treasure. And, for him, it was, for it would certainly heal his surrogate father and mentor.

Crying with emotion, Hiruluk took the medicine his dear son brought him, and then he had the biggest surprise ever... when his long research finally was complete! The cherries would bloom in the cold snow-covered island of Drum, even if it costed his life!

"I recall the day he dashed off to my house just to tell me he finished his idiotic research." Kureha said, her eyes clouded in memories as she took a sip of the coffee Sanji served her. No one moved, too enthralled in the story to dare interrupt her. "That day, all hell was breaking loose in the country. News coming out of royal grounds were ominous. The entire group of Isshi-20, the doctors under Wapol's orders, was sick. Then comes this guy and blurts the biggest bullshit I've ever heard."

Hiruluk came to her house, asking her to finish what he started and to teach his reindeer assistant all about medicine, both because of Chopper's potential... And also because he was running out of time.

'Does that mean...?' Koga had a really bad feeling about this story, one he couldn't quite shake off.

The old chap, in Kureha's words, promised to heal the entire country, but the woman, too tired of hearing idiocies, finally snapped and kicked him out of the house. After thinking over what Hiruluk had told her and their hidden meaning behind the messages, she then took off to the doctor's house, only to find Chopper there. Oblivious to all, the little reindeer boasted about himself having found the medicine that cured Hiruluk.

But the truth was far from that, for the mushroom that was supposed to bring hope and health to the doctor and his reindeer...

... was a deadly poison that would dictate death for the good doctor, who instead had only hours of life.

"Hiruluk knew all along." Kureha sighed.

"That's why he asked you to continue his research..." Koga mumbled, his face hard, and the old woman nodded, not looking at him. "Poor little guy..."

It didn't end like that. Knowing all his paths would lead to inminent death, Hiruluk decided he wanted to die honorably and went off to heal the 20 doctors. Turned out, it was a trap, in which the doctors decided to willingly take part.

But he didn't run away, nor did he lament for his own luck. He was in fact glad that his fellow doctors were alright and, not ready to be captured or killed by them, he decided to kill himself... by blowing himself up.

"Chopper then saw me as his last hope, and begged me to teach him my medical skills. Hiruluk's ideas were carved on him. And the rest... is history."

A heavy silence then set among them, only interrupted by the soft clink of the teacup as Kureha put it down on its platter.

Koga unfolded his arms and leaned his torso forwards, his elbows over his knees, staring at the floor lost in thoughts.

'The little guy had it rough, huh... First he was shunned from his family and called monster by the villagers, then he poisoned his own father, the only person that, apart from Kureha, actually cared for him... Unknowingly, but still... That's a pretty heavy burden.'

 _You know a lot about heavy burdens, right, shitty host?_

His eyebrows crinkled in silent fury. 'Shut up.'

"DOCTORINE!"

Chopper's voice resounded all over the castle, and he suddenly appeared by the door, panting heavily and looking deeply distressed. Sensing something wrong going on, Koga straightened in his seat witha determined expression.

Clearly not used to her assistant being this disquiet, Kureha frowned. "What is it?"

"It's terrible... He's back... WAPOL IS HERE!"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Oh God, I cried so much while writing Chopper's story, it's so damn sad!**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast please! Love y'all lots!**


	35. Big Mouth

**35\. Big Mouth**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Sorry for the delay~! For some reason my DOC suddenly couldn't be opened and I had to redo this chap from what I remembered. So, that's it.** **Of course, I'll make it up for you: as an apology, I have prepared at the end of the chap some quick chunks of Koga's story arc. Hope you like them!**

 **-Jag: Okay, here's the continuation! Hope you like it!**

 **-avatoa: Yeah, dammit. Oda really likes to mess with our characters.**

 **-Guest: As you wish ^^!**

 **-LilyAllycia: Ahhh now I get it xD Okay, Koga has to suffer a really grave betrayal, as in life-or-death one. But as I mentioned before, betrayal is NOT the only way to kill him, it's one of them. And thank you for your words! Yeah, I also hope it too, maybe I'll create some kind of brotherly bond between them. I dunno. And about him fighting or not... Well, you shall see ;)!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Kudos for you for noticing that! Yes, he can, but here in Drum he couldn't block the cold because he was too concentrated in blocking the pain. And remember that even if he raised his resistance against cold or heat, his body would still suffer.**

 **-Ice Night: Thanks to you for reading ^^!**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Thank you ^^! Yeah, Koga knows how someone feels about being different, even if he didn't go through all that discrimination as Chopper did. But at least our dear chronicler can sympathize with him in that sense.**

 **-14fox: Yeah, damn Oda because of that... Don't worry, I also updated it pretty late, so I think we're even xD Okay, hope you like this chap!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Okay... Could someone explain to me who these three buffoons are?"

"Oh yeah, you were with Nami-san when they attacked... They're pirates, the chief tried to eat our ship."

"Wonderful."

As soon as Chopper made the emergency call, everyone sans Nami had hurried out of the castle and now they were standing outside, looking at the three clowns laughing and proclaiming something about having returned to 'their rightful home'.

Maybe it was because he was still feeling a bit dizzy, but his intuition didn't activate before them, which worried him a little. Even if those clowns –Wapol and his goons he thought they were– weren't exactly Arlong-level dangerous, that his intuition didn't even tingle worried him. Without it, he couldn't gauge the danger level of those three.

Though, judging their idiotic moves and words, maybe he shouldn't worry so much about them…

"Oh I was _so_ not looking forwards to see them again…" Sanji groaned, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Well I was hoping I wouldn't need to actually _meet_ them…" Koga commented also groaning, a tick forming on his eyebrow. He then watched as Luffy appeared suddenly from who-knew-where and sucker-punched Wapol right in his ugly mug. "Huh, nice one, Luffy."

"Thanks, Koga!" The rubber-brained idiot beamed at him, while the chronicler shook his head with a smile.

"You fiend! How dare you approach the King of Drum Kingdom and commit such a heinous, violent act!" The goon that seemed an archer of some sort roared in anger as he and the afro-wearing man struggled to unbury their 'king' from the small mountain of snow he had landed under.

"Who cares?! You guys just piss me off!" Luffy shouted, stretching his mouth wide open.

"Hey brats, you know them?" Kureha asked from behind Koga.

"Yeah, he's a Big Mouth! A Big Mouth pirate!" Luffy began stomping the snow like a kid that has been denied to eat candy before going to sleep. The doctor raised an eyebrow but he continued ranting. "All he does is cause me problems: eating my ship, bullying my nakama! He's not gonna get away with it anymore!"

Koga stopped paying attention to his captain and cook as they began talking about Luffy's current attire, seeing then that Wapol had at last emerged from his small icy mountain, positively furious… and utterly soaking wet.

"Now I'm angry… Straw Hat… I'm gonna eat you alive!" He roared, slowly standing to his feet.

…

…

"Huh?"

"Give the guy a few minutes will you? He went back inside to fetch his jacket!" Sanji pointed his thumb to the door nonchalantly, earning an amused grin from the bleached-head companion as Wapol's face began turning a crimson red.

"He's GONE!"

As they all watched Wapol stamping the ground as Luffy did earlier, Koga then felt a few hesitant tugs on his pants, and when he looked down, he met Chopper's confused glare.

"I have to ask… Did his… arms just stretch?" He asked in a low voice. But despite having directed his question at Koga, it was Sanji who answered instead.

"Yeah, he's a rubberman."

"W– What? Who is this guy?"

Both blonds looked at each other, then grinned down at the curious reindeer.

"A monster!" They replied in unison, making the creature's eyes widen. That… dreaded word left their lips so easily, as if they were complimenting their captain… Could it be the same for him…?

"So, that old bat and the Straw Hats have taken over my castle… Such insolence will not stand! Chess, Kuromarimo! KILL THEM ALL!" Wapol roared, the two dashing across the snow towards the pirates.

The jester was the first one in attacking, pulling back the bowstring and firing arrow after arrow at Koga, who almost effortlessly avoided them all without using his Devil Fruit powers, only being grazed a few times. Sanji confronted the afro guy, who swung what seemed fluffy hair balls at the chef over and over again. Luffy had appointed himself to fight against Wapol, something neither of them disagreed on.

It wasn't long before both blonds grew tired of being attacked by those goons, they both ended their fight quite quickly, with the cook kicking the afro guy like a football and the storyteller punching the other right in the guts, the force of their attacks sending them flying and colliding with each other. Both landed on the snow tangled with each other, unmoving and apparently unconscious.

"Good job." Koga called to the cook, walking up to him and raising a hand.

"Yeah, you too." And they both high-fived, with light grins in their faces.

"Incredible…" Chopper murmured behind them, watching wide-eyed. Both turned towards him. "You're both injured, and still…"

"This? This is nothing." Sanji dismissed his injuries with a small wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about us, we've been through hell and we're used to fight with injuries worse than these." Koga smiled down at the reindeer, who scowled deeply at that sentence.

"CHESS!" Wapol suddenly called out, dragging their attention back to where Luffy and the former king were fighting. The hippo-looking king seemed a little bit shaken, but overall still kicking. "Tell me what was on my menu today…"

As if by some kind of magic, the archer suddenly sprung to life alongside his companion and both jumped back at their boss' side. The jester took out a small notepad out of one of his pockets and began flipping through the pages.

"Let's see… Your Majesty, today you enjoyed two cannons, one sautéed in butter and one extra-rare, a cannonball and gunpowder salad, and one grilled house." He finished with a small bow.

"The hell? What kind of appetite is that?" Sanji blurted out.

"Watch, fools… as my food becomes my flesh and blood."

After darkly sneering, Wapol's head suddenly spout some kind of strange growth before forming into a smokestack. His body grew thrice as large, as two windows and a door developed on his torso, it becoming metallic and glistening in the sunlight. His arms began morphing, becoming iron and rounded, and soon forming cannons.

"Wapol… HOUSE!"

A small breeze followed the final triumphant sentence, the witnesses too shocked about what they just saw to try to utter a word.

"And this is not even the best part…" Wapol turned to Chess and Kuromarimo, patiently waiting behind him… and in one swift motion…

… He gobbled them both up and _swallowed them!_

"Eeeyah, cannibal!" Luffy yelled, his once sparkling eyes disappearing.

"BAKU BAKU FACTORY!"

Wapol then began dancing around, gears churning around in his stomach. A whistle blew through the air once he ceased his brief jig, and the door on his chest swung open to reveal…

"CHESSMARIMO!"

… The two goons fused together, four arms and two heads as even their clothes were now weaved together. Even their voices seemed blended together.

"What the hell is _that_?" Koga pointed at the strange creature that had emerged from Wapol's stomach with a WTF face. The Big Mouth's transformation was weird, but _that…_ was weird. As in, grotesquely weird.

"Drum Kingdom Rule #1: Any who disobey the King, shall be _executed_! That is how this country works! Because this is _my country_ and that is _my castle_! The last thing I'll _ever_ allow is that nutjob of a doctor's _flag_ flying over it!"

And, upon the others' disbelieving eyes, he brought up his arm-cannon towards the tower where a pirate flag with sakura petals flapped and fired.

 **BOOM!**

The roof was suddenly engulfed in dark smoke and fire, hiding the flag from their views, and Chopper's face darkened in dread and fury.

"Oi, reindeer…" Luffy quietly spoke up, looking down at the small reindeer who visibly was growing quite angry. "That flag…"

" _YOU!_ THAT'S DOCTOR'S **FLAG**!"

Chopper roared in anger, running towards Wapol. He avoided being kicked by ducking under the mutant's legs, leaping onto the king and turning into a kind of giant fuzzy human form, reeling an arm back to land a powerful punch to his ugly mug…

… Before stopping right on his tracks, his other hand clinging the despot's collar.

Koga frowned deeply as he saw Chopper's retreated hand quiver slightly, and he then knew the effort of not doing what his _whole body_ asked him to do was excruciatingly hard.

"I… I will not hurt you… If you promise to leave this country right now…"

"What the hell are you doing Chopper?!" Kureha scolded him, not understanding what he planned to do. "You can't reason with him!"

"But… I…"

That one second's doubt almost costed Chopper his life, if Koga didn't react in time. His Kaizen Kaizen no Speed acted just in time to push the reindeer away from Wapol, who had just raised his cannon to the human-reindeer's chest and had been about to fire. With one hand he pushed Chopper out of the way, while the other sucker-punched him across the face.

"You…!" Chopper yelled, wide-eyed, as he fell to the snowy ground. "Behind you!"

Acting on instinct, Koga managed to sidestep to avoid getting grabbed by the mutant afro-jester. As he –they– whatever, the mutant saw how he escaped, they opted to swing their arms and send him flying back to Kureha and Sanji. Fortunately, the chronicler wasn't hurt, or at least not too much, and he was soon back to his feet.

"OI, BIG MOUTH!"

Following Luffy's voice, everyone then noticed the captain having climbed the roof where Hiruluk's flag flew, and with the help of a torn sleeve in his jacket, Luffy had repaired its pole that had been broken with the cannonball Wapol sent earlier.

"You being a pirate was all a big fat lie, wasn't it? A pirate who wouldn't risk his life… You don't know the meaning of this symbol!"

Wapol frowned, but then boomed in mocking laughter.

"The meaning of that flag? There is no reason behind that stupid pirate decoration!"

" _That's_ what makes you weak! This is not a flag you can fly as a joke! I don't know whose this is… But this is a flag you pledge your life to! THIS ISN'T A FLAG YOU CAN TEAR DOWN AND LAUGH AT!"

Judging the thick veins popping on his head, Wapol hadn't taken his words very well.

"I'LL SHOW A REAL JOKE! IT'S THAT I HAVE _LET YOU LIVE THIS LONG_!" Again, he raised his arm-cannon to fire, but Koga redirected his aim away by a long shot when he kicked the cannon away.

 **BOOM!**

The shoot exploded harmlessly mid-air.

"Don't point at my captain with that thing again." The storyteller all but growled in warning, his mismatched eyes glaring sideways menacingly at the king and his light blue scarf softly floating by a small cold breeze.

 **ZING CHUNK!**

Suddenly, a small cut appeared on Koga's right cheek, drawing a line of blood as the chronicler cursed and holding his guard up to protect himself.

"Someone had thrown a dagger!" Sanji called out from behind him, having found what had been thrown at the chronicler.

An evil-sounding cackle resounded, and a tall dark figure emerged from behind the hippo Wapol and his goons used to get up there. He moved a bit weird, as if he couldn't maintain his balance quite correctly, but all the blond knew was the small tingle of warning his intuition was sending him.

When he noticed the figure, Wapol chuckled deeply.

"It was about time you woke up." He commented.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty." A crooked voice answered the king. "I fell asleep."

"Well then, make sure to get rid of this pest for me. He's annoying me."

"As you command my King."

The first words that came to everyone's mind was 'shady clown'. Dressed in a white-and-red diamond-patterned overalls with huge red buttons and great red shoes, his slender face was painted all in white and the creepy huge smile on his face seemed bloody, and his eyes had a cold light blue tone that looked inhuman. His head was covered in a red-and-blue pointy hat with a small bell on its top that jiggled whenever he moved. He was twirling two daggers in each hand, expertly maneuvering them by their handles.

But what really worried Koga was the sinister aura the newcomer was emitting. It was a bloodthirsty one, filled with maniac pleasure for death and pain that sent shivers down the chronicler's spine.

The clown cackled again, locking his icy eyes with Koga's distinctive ones, and raised one of the daggers up to his face, holding the other three in his other hand.

"Do you like magic?" And then he licked the dagger's edge. "How about I show you a magic trick?"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **As promised, I'll show you some snippets (is that even a word? xD) of Koga's storyline arc. Normally I wouldn't do it, but I will because this chap's awfully short for my liking, and also as an apology for the delay. I'll try to avoid it for happening again, PROMISE!**

 **And now, onto the small fragments!**

* * *

 _The rain soaked the five Straw Hats wet, but none of them minded that. They had to find him, and bring him back before it was too late._

 _"If it weren't for the old man, we wouldn't have known about all this." Sanji growled as they swiftly crossed the desert town, trying to find any clue about their friend's location. "Dammit!"_

 _"Whether we find him or not, I don't know about that." Robin mentioned, her eyes as furious as her nakamas', but somehow achieving to maintain her cool long enough to think clearly. "Maybe it's too late already."_

 _"We won't know until we try." Zoro snapped, but not aggressively; he then turned towards Chopper, trotting ahead of them with his head high in his reindeer form. "Can you smell him, Chopper?"_

 _The blue-nosed reindeer shook his head with frustration. "The whole island smells like him. And the rain makes it too difficult."_

 _"A trap to all Cursed humans…? Dammit, and just now…" Franky groaned in frustration. "Why didn't we know about this earlier?!"_

 _"It was a secret message, Franky." The archaeologist tried to explain him. "Only Cursed humans would've known about this anyways."_

 _"Yeah, but then why didn't_ he _tell us then?! Aren't we his nakama?!"_

 _No one knew how to answer that question._

* * *

 _Old man Rujash sighed as he put another teapot on the fire, before glancing back at the serious-looking Koga, who had been sitting with his elbows resting on his knees and his bicolored eyes shining mysteriously. Standing beside the little house's door, a dark figure had his arms crossed across his chest, still as a statue._

 _"Are you sure you want to do this?" The old necromancer asked tiredly, his eyes already showing the dread for his surrogate grandson's answer._

 _The blond nodded, before speaking: "It was my fault all of this began in the first place, Jii-san. While I have the strength, and as long as Luffy and the others don't find out about this, then I'll do it."_

 _"But why you? And why must you do this alone?"_

 _"I told you, I have to mend what I did wrong." Koga then showed doubt, before glancing down at his linked hands. "Our enemy's strong. Very strong. I don't want Luffy and the crew near that monster if I can avoid it."_

 _"That's why you're going to the tournament, even knowing it's a trap."_

 _He wordlessly nodded. As if remembering something, his gaze shifted to the dark standing figure at the door. "You'll get the other Cursed humans out of harm's way, right?"_

 _"Don't worry." A metallic voice answered coldly. "Unlike you, I actually maintain my promises."_

 _Koga drew a small saddened smile on his face. "… That's actually true. I can't deny that."_

* * *

 _"It was all a lie!"_

 _Koga's anguished scream filled the huge room, filled only with the other three Cursed prisoners. They looked at the blond with an impassive gaze, uncaring about his evident pain._

 _"Everything was planned, wasn't it?! Karen's death was only a setup to your sick plans, as well as my memory loss, and Yuuto's involvement in all this!_ Hell _, you even had our own Contracts planned,_ didn't you _?!"_

 _No one replied to him, but a cold inhuman laughter felt like an answer enough. For the first time in his entire life he let the full force of his dreading feelings filling him completely, his face distorted into one of pure fear and anguish as he hid it behind his hands._

 _"And all of this, because of what?" He silently asked, tiredness hinted in his voice. "You wish to control over the world? Total annihilation? Or some other sick plan?" At the lack of an answer, he drew his hands away from his slowly angering face. "I know you're listening! Answer me! Why? Why did you do all this?!"_

 ** _'You ask why?'_** _The inhuman voice that laughed before asked in a mocking tone. Koga's hands tightened into fists. **'Then try to get out and fight. My Lord will be delighted in seeing that you're not a brainless sacrifice.'**_

* * *

 **By the way, the fragments may not appear precisely in the order I've posted them in this chap.**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast please! Love y'all lots!**


	36. Snow Sakura

**36\. Snow Sakura**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Sorry for the wait! I just didn't know what kind of title to put in this chap, so well… It's kinda ridiculous, I know xD Also, in this chap I take care of a special issue that emerged in the past concerning the naming of one of Koga's techniques (which I admit was pretty lame…).**

 **-Ice Night: You're welcome! Here's the continuation, hope you like it!**

 **-zerom1v: Sorry, no more waiting! Thanks for the review, I hope you continue liking it ^^!**

 **-psychopathonadiet: Heheheheh, I'm glad it caught your attention ^^! I won't quit, I promise, I'm having too much fun with this to quit now!**

 **-LilyAllycia: Glad you understand ^^ Yeah, a new one, but he won't have any major role in all this, so I'll quickly dispatch him. Sorry in advance if I disappoint with the fight BTW. Hahahahaha, sorry, you'll have to wait a lot, but I'm glad that you liked them ^^! Maybe in the future I'll post some more, just to keep the intrigue…**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Luffy."

Koga's voice brought him out of his evaluation of his potential enemy, and turned his head to see his chronicler deadly serious while transforming his trusted katana into brass knuckles.

"I'll take care of this jester. Is that okay?"

"… Yeah."

"Be careful brat." Kureha warned apparently nonchalant at the fact that one of her patients was readying himself to fight. "You may not die that easily, but you _will_ be in pain if you overexert yourself."

"I'm used to the pain."

The chronicler merely answered, before dashing at the cackling jester. His iron-covered knuckles collided with one of the jester's daggers, showing off a force that almost took the blond by surprise, before snapping back from his dazzle when a dagger swooshed past his face; he had to take a step back to avoid getting cut in the face.

"Gee-hyahyahya!" The clown cackled before raising a foot and slam it right in his chest. "Oh?"

… Or rather try, because it got stuck between Koga's forearms, him gripping it as tightly to avoid the jester from getting away.

"Going anywhere?" The blond smirked cockily, but his eyes still showed that determination to bring down his rival.

The jester cackled. "You're not half bad! There are not many people who can actually _catch me_! Unfortunately for you…"

At this point, the jester did something Koga didn't think it was possible to do; with his leg still trapped, he twisted his torso backwards until his hands touched the ground, raising his free leg and, using a force far superior than the chronicler had imagined such skinny jester possessed, _flipped almost effortlessly, taking Koga with the move_.

With a yelp, the blond landed on the snow before springing back to his feet, barely in time to avoid a dagger thrown at his lower torso by sidestepping; much to his surprise, the jester used the momentary distraction to land a rather powerful punch to the gut that made him skid a few steps back again.

"Hmmm…" The jester brought another dagger out of nowhere and began twirling it between his fingers, his other hand occupied too with another throwing knife.

'He's fast!' Koga thought, coughing and trying to recover his momentarily lost breath. 'I doubt I can keep this up without using the Kaizen Kaizen no Speed.'

But when he raised his eyes from looking at the snow, he suddenly noticed his rival was missing. Brows furrowed in both confusion and suspicion, the storyteller quickly raised his arms in case any in-coming attack would occur–

"Guh!"

Even with his guard up, the attack caught him completely unaware, as his back flared up in pain because of the dagger that buried itself just under his right shoulder blade. He staggered before perceiving what seemed like a shadow out of the corner of his eye before disappearing in thin air.

'If he had thrown it just a bit more to the left…' Koga couldn't help but to think briefly, reaching behind to yank the dagger out of his back with a pained grunt; thankfully, it hadn't entered much into his body, and thus the injury wasn't all that alarming, more a nuisance than anything else. Or so he hoped anyways; he wasn't a doctor after all.

"Fuzen, stop playing around and kill him at once!" Chessmarimo somehow managed to berate his clown mate while still fighting Chopper.

"Oh c'mon, this is fun! Not every day I find someone to play with, you're always hogging all the prey! Now that I have a nice toy to play with –even if he appears injured– no one's going to get in the way! Not even you, Chessmarimo!"

'Great, a bloodthirsty crazy psychopath…' Koga sighed but stayed on his guard nonetheless.

And good thing he did, because suddenly, right in front of him, a dark menacing cloud popped out from nowhere, with hundreds, thousands, countless _myriads_ of sharp-edged three-inched _daggers_ suddenly raining at him at lightning speed!

"Shit!"

Be it some kind of twisted luck or the fact that the Fuzen guy couldn't control all the daggers, Koga could fortunately predict _where_ the deadly rain would land in time for him to narrowly avoid getting badly hurt. Fact was, he could only avoid the deadly ones, but all the others landed hit-on or barely grazed him.

"GUH!" The chronicler grunted loudly as a particularly well-placed dagger dug in his right shoulder. "Dammit…! Kaizen Kai– AGH!"

 **BOOM!**

A great snowy cloud rose where Koga's body collided with a tree, showering him in the icy cold.

"Koga!" Luffy exclaimed, momentarily distracting himself from attacking Wapol.

"His speed is useless if he doesn't have time to activate it-" Sanji gritted his teeth around his cigar in impotence, knowing his back wouldn't keep up with the fight if he got involved into it.

"Gee-hyahyahya!" Fuzen cackled once more as the jester appeared from wherever he had hidden himself to throw all those daggers, twirling one around his fingers. "C'mon, that can't be all you got! Show me some energy there, man!"

"Don't worry…" Though breathless, everyone could hear Koga's strong voice as his figure emerged from the small pile of snow, all drenched and full of cuts, but overall okay. "I think I have still enough in me to kick your ass to the moon and back."

"Heh, cocky guy aren't ya?" The jester widened his smirk even more if that was even possible.

And then, he _vanished_ in thin air. Just like that, out of the blue, he had been there, and now he wasn't.

 _MOVE!_

The sudden shout from Koga's inner demon almost paralyzed him, but instincts and the warning kicked him deeply, making him drop his body to the ground just as a dagger flashed past him, managing to cut only a thread of his braid. He then incorporated carefully, hands raised in front of his face.

"So you're still this fast huh?"

"I can be faster."

There he was, the sneaky bastard. Both seized each other up, one with caution, the other wielding a smug expression on his painted face.

'I have to end this quickly, this guy gives me the creeps.' Koga's eyebrows were knitted together in deep concentration, his scarf covering his mouth and almost his nose. 'I don't know how much time I'll be able to keep the technique activated, but…'

 _The problem isn't how much time you can keep activated, but if you can even_ activate _it, shitty human._

Unlike other times, the chronicler actually ignored the demon's snarky remark and gathered his strength the best he could.

"Kaizen Kai– AH!"

Again, he had to avoid getting impaled by another dagger as the jester lazily raised the pointer finger and shook it lightly at him, as if scolding a child.

"Tsk tsk tsk, bad kid. I don't know what you're trying to do, and frankly I don't care either. But I think you're mistaking your situation here. You're not a _fighter_ , you're an _entertainment_. _Our_ entertainment, if you will."

Mismatched eyes narrowed at Fuzen with anger at those words, so full of contempt and underestimation.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. You and I both know that I'm only speaking the truth. After all, what is the role of the jester? That's right, to seek entertainment for their lord. But you know, I have a little… problem here. See, I don't really mind having to entertain Wapol-sama, but after a few years of always doing the same tricks, someone has to be… creative. And it turns out both my lord and myself find a great pleasure in… human toys."

Blood ran cold in Koga's veins, the implications of that simple sentence driving shivers down his spine. 'Human toys', he had said… He had to bite back the bile that rose to his throat before shooting a heated glare at the jester, arms raising again.

Fuzen cackled with a sinister grin on his face once more. "Oh, that expression in your face is just wonderful! But there is another expression that I would like to see in you more…" He brought out a dagger in each of his hands. " _Terror, and pain._ "

"I don't know what kind of twisted minds you and your Big Mouth chief have to see human torture as some kind of entertainment, but I sure as hell won't let you continue with it." Koga growled, his hands tensing into tight fists, ire boiling in his blood and a furious scowl darkening his features.

Fuzen sneered darkly, and then launched himself forwards, trying to surprise Koga again with his speed; however the storyteller was prepared this time. Perhaps not completely, seeing as he failed to protect his side from being sliced open, but at least he managed to _see_ him coming, which he thought that was a complete achievement.

 _Well it's nice to see him coming and all that, but it's practically useless if your body can't keep up with the speed._ He heard _Sankaoken_ dully remark inside his head.

'Finally making an appearance, huh?' Koga blocked a dagger directed at his temple with his elbow and tried to punch the clown in the gut with his iron-clad fist, but he got away in time and disappeared once more.

 _Shut up and concentrate in the fight._

He hated to admit it, but the demon had actually a point.

"Kaizen Kai– GAH!" The blond dropped to the icy snow suddenly, a dagger flying over him just seconds after. "What the hell?! Let me activate my technique, dammit!"

"And here I thought you were as smart as you looked." The jester appeared from behind a tree twirling another dagger amusedly. "I personally don't like when my prey fights back, so why should I let you activate it?"

"You son of a…"

 _Stop wasting your breath and figure out another way to win this you dork._

Yes, but how? Despite all the years he had had his Devil Fruit powers, the majority of the techniques he used involved a speed boost from them. He had to think on another way to defeat Fuzen without using the speed boost technique.

It seemed Fuzen was physically weak. Maybe he could land a punch imbued with all his heightened strength to knock him out cold… but it implied being able to keep up with his rhythm, something he couldn't do without his Kaizen Kaizen no Speed. And he wasn't so fast without it.

Another way would be luring him near him to land that punch – highly risking himself in the process. If Fuzen managed to counterattack before he landed his punch, the chronicler was sure he would be done for.

'Okay, two strategies so far, and both risky. Boo-hoo.'

 _I expected nothing more about you, shitty owner._

"Hey!"

Fuzen snapped his fingers right in front of his face, and Koga snapped back into reality with a jolt and a jump back to put some distance between them; the jester didn't seem to mind, because he put his hands over his hips in what seemed annoyance.

"It's no fun to kill you if you space out on me you know. You're supposed to be 100% aware of what I'm going to do to you."

 **c** _O_ m **E _a_** T _m_ E **…**

As if suddenly struck by lightning, a sharp pain flared in Koga's mind, along with a fleeting image he couldn't quite distinguish before extinguishing into nothing in a blink of an eye. That cracked-sounding message was the only thing that embedded in him long enough to send violent shivers down his spine and cold sweat to form in his forehead.

Koga tried to get rid of the cold sensation by shaking his head and steeling his mind for the fight. When he looked up, Fuzen had already disappeared. Again.

However, he didn't have to wait long before he felt a stinging pain on his leg, and then another on his opposite forearm. Koga winced but didn't make a sound as the jester continued dashing around him, simply taking all the attacks on, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, or for Fuzen to tire himself out before trying anything.

"What's the matter?!" Fuzen taunted, laughing maniacally, as he slashed again, elating a grunt of pain this time. "Can't keep up with my speed, huh?!"

'I only need to keep up until he gets tired.' In his mind, Koga kept repeating this mantra with a concentrated expression on his face, his mismatched eyes trying to keep track on the jester nonetheless. 'If I could only activate my technique… But this guy doesn't let me–'

And then, as he ducked to avoid another dagger, it suddenly dawned on him.

'How can I be so _idiot_?!' He groaned inwardly, almost facepalming in exasperation at his own stupidity.

 _You're an idiot. That's an understatement._

Fuzen suddenly noticed a small smirk on Koga's face, and stopped attacking altogether, between confused and intrigued at whatever the chronicler had thought about.

"I can't believe I hadn't noticed it until now." The blond stated, raising his bicolored eyes to look at the jester with… something hidden in his pupils.

"Huh?"

Even as injured as he was, full of cuts in his body both deep and shallow that bled profusely, all the chronicler showed in his face was a confidence that made the jester narrow his icy blue eyes at him. He straightened his tall frame, albeit with a bit of an effort, and clanked his brass knuckles together, the noise resounding in the still forest. They couldn't see nor hear the others battling, so far away they were from them, abducted in their own fight.

"To be honest, I have already noticed it. I could have changed it at any moment but… Well, let's just say I was lazy. But, as they say, 'desperate times call for desperate measures'."

As he grinned wider, a familiar rush brushed up and down his body, mainly concentrating in his legs. A name crept up from his throat to his lips, ready to be revealed, and he confidently shot it out in one breath.

"Flash Step."

The world turned to jelly, slowing down before his eyes, and the familiar rush of power and excitement invaded his veins for a moment. The pain would come later, for now, he would fight with his returned technique.

In slow motion, Fuzen's confused face was slowly morphing into one of astonishment at the implications of what he just did.

What Koga didn't realize when making his strategies, was that he had disregarded his own technique too fast. Of course, naming it took enough time for Fuzen to make an attack with that blinding speed of his. And even if he _did_ activate it, the time it remained active was simply too little to actually _do_ anything to the jester, and also the payback would be quite a burden too. So, the chronicler had to find another solution.

The other solution Koga just found was to _improve his technique._

Why didn't he do so before? As he said, it was because he had been lazy, but also because he was afraid of the possibly harsh payback he would get, and also because of a more… private reason.

'Actually, I don't feel faster now than with Kaizen Kaizen no Speed.'

 _Oh, believe me, you_ are _faster. But stop daydreaming, end this fast. I don't like that jester._

Oh? That was new. But the demon was right, the chronicler agreed with a grim expression on his face.

He didn't waste any more time. He attacked with all his strength, intent to end the fight as quickly as possible; as much as he desired making the bastard suffer for all the people he had tortured for his chief's entertainment, it wasn't in the chronicler's nature and morals to inflict more pain than necessary to an enemy, even one as disgusting as the jester. He wouldn't lower himself to their level, ever.

Fortunately, with one punch, the jester was out cold in the snow. It actually surprised him how low his defense really was, and for a moment the blond chronicler simply stood there, looking down at his unconscious rival with his improved technique still active, fearing he was being fooled. But after a few minutes it was evident that he wasn't bluffing, and Koga eventually deactivated his technique… with a wince of pain right on cue.

"Damn, I should've known…" He groaned, rolling a shoulder and lazily strolling back towards his crew, no longer caring about the unconscious Fuzen behind him.

Just as he came out of the line of trees and the others noticed him calmly walking towards them –Luffy even paused in his fight against Wapol to wave enthusiastically at him– he lazily raised a hand to wave back with a small grin hidden behind his blue scarf, a hand in his pants pocket and _Sankaoken_ already morphed back in his katana form. Chopper was actually viewing him in a mixture between awe and horror at the copious wounds, Sanji was still in front of the castle– being refrained by a cackling Kureha; his fault, no doubt.

"I see you covered in cuts, brat. Who do you think's going to take care of them?" Kureha cackled once the blond storyteller got closer to the doctor and her 'prisoner'.

Looking down at his bloodied body, he shrugged while waving a hand dismissively. "Nah, they don't hurt anyways."

"Hmph, a brave statement, considering that you shouldn't lie to a doctor… You're not skipping treatment though, so be prepared."

Cold sweat trailed down Koga's forehead as he smirked uneasily, raising a hand to calm her down. "Yeah, yeah…"

The rest of the time they spent it watching the battles. In Chopper's, the small reindeer revealed his Seven Transformations, leaving the pirates watching wide-eyed or open-mouthed –or with tiny sparkling stars forming on his eyes, in Luffy's predictable case. The only flaw the chronicler could find was that the effect of the pill he took to transform only lasted three minutes, but in that battle seemed more than enough, considering Chessmarimo's unmoving form on the snow just as the effect of the pill went off.

"Besides being an awesome doctor, Chopper's actually pretty strong, huh?" Koga commented, crossing his arms over his chest and wincing slightly upon remembering his wounds.

"Of course he is." Kureha cackled, boasting about the young reindeer.

And about Luffy's fight… Well, it didn't need more details than that he eventually won, of course. Wapol was sent flying and never again was seen around Drum Island, or that was what was said after that event.

 **xXxSOME HOURS LATERxXx**

Koga was actually thankful that he had his Devil Fruit abilities to help him bear the painful stitches that Kureha used to close his wounds. Still, even with them, he couldn't help but to groan in both protest and pain at the –in some points– unnecessary tugging. Fortunately, once she finished cleaning and wrapping the cuts with some fresh bandages, she turned to attend to Sanji, a moment he immediately used to hurriedly get out from that demonic room and away from the evil witch.

He looked out of a window to see it was snowing again, but slowly, and for a moment his body relaxed at the sight, even smirking for a moment.

 _I'm surprised._

And just like that, his entire frame tensed.

 _You don't seem like you're gonna scold me._

'… For quieting my intuition so it wouldn't alert me?' He scowled at the window, a bandaged hand tightening into a fist. 'I already know you. It's not the first time you did it.'

It was true. That one time, it almost costed him his own life, even being a Cursed.

 _Oh c'mon, where's the fun on letting you predict all the movements? Besides, see it from the bright side: you actually improved that speed technique of yours._

'Easy for you to say.'

 _Hey, if you die, I will as well. Be smart for once: I wouldn't have done that if it wouldn't have beneficiated both of us._

'… What kind of benefits did you get from all this?' Koga asked with narrowed bicolored eyes in suspicion.

 _Hn, no way I'm telling you shitty host._

Should he let him get away from this? After all, he had ended up the fight alive, with cuts quickly being attended by Kureha, so in reality, there was no harm done, right? Plus he ended improving his technique, something he should've done before.

'… Fine, do what you want. I don't care.'

 _Don't lie to me shitty host. I already know you do care._

With a last exasperated huff, the chronicler turned his back to the window and strolled down the castle trying to look for the entrance door.

It actually confused him how silent the castle was, considering its guests, but it all made then sense when he got out of the castle and came across a screaming Chopper being persecuted by a relentlessly laughing Luffy, who greeted him cheerfully before continuing after the poor reindeer.

'He won't give the poor guy a break, will he?' Koga thought amusedly, opening the giant doors of the castle and slipping outside.

"Koga-san!"

He raised his head just in time to see Vivi coming at him with a brilliant smile on her face, with Usopp following after her and a more relaxed Zoro strolling the last. His hand raised to greet them, a smile slowly forming in his lips…

… and then he remembered his attitude with the princess before. Losing his smirk, the hand attempted to go back to his side.

By then, not noticing his quiet distress, the princess had already reached him and had grabbed his raised hand in glee. "I'm so glad you're okay! Nami-san already told us what happened."

"Man, you're already covered in bandages again!" Usopp exclaimed.

He turned his head awkwardly. "Yeah, uh, we had problems with Wapol… Did I miss much?"

"Apart from Luffy-san still trying to recruit Tony-kun into the crew?" Vivi smiled and let go of his hand, shaking her head. "No, not much. Nami-san's now okay and we'll go to Alabasta shortly. Wapol's minions had disappeared, however, and I don't know if that's a good thing or no."

"We had a bit of a pickle down in the village too, with Wapol's minions." Usopp explained. "Dalton-san was almost killed, but now he's okay, along with the rest of the villagers."

Koga sighed in relief quietly. "And where's Nami?"

"I'm right here." The navigator came from behind him, an unconscious Sanji being dragged behind her by one ankle, the scene making the four of them sweatdrop.

Suddenly a screaming Chopper came out from the forest line, with Luffy behind him once more. The storyteller didn't even see them get out of the castle and enter the woods. The hybrid reindeer stopped running suddenly not far from them, panting and tired of running it seemed.

"Oi reindeer! Let's be pirates together!" Luffy shouted in glee, also stopping, thankfully at a somewhat respectful distance from the small fuzzy reindeer. "Come on!"

"I… I can't…" Chopper weakly replied.

"Of course you can! It'll be loads of fun!"

Chopper's tiny form quivered, and Koga could almost see the inner struggle he had. His face sobered, completely understanding his dilemma: to follow his dream or to stay safe in his homeland. He had faced that dilemma, too, but it was different in his case.

He really hadn't had any real option. His decision had already been made for him by the time he understood his situation.

But Chopper could choose, and that was what stopped him from reaching a decision.

"I– I–" The poor reindeer dragged Koga's attention back when he suddenly shouted. "I just… can't! I'm not a human, I'm a reindeer! I– I have antlers and hooves and fur… and– and a BLUE NOSE!"

The crew and the princess quietly watched as he toned down his rant, shifting his hoof-hands together in nervousness. "I want to be a pirate, but… I can't ever be the nakama of a human… I'M A MONSTER!" He sniffed, tears rolling down his face. "So– so I'm here to– to say thank you… Thank you for the invitation… I'm staying here, so…" He quickly wiped out his tears and raised his head at Luffy, a shaky forced smile on his fuzzy face. "So, if you're around, feel free to vi–!"

"SHUT UP! LET'S GOOOOOOO!" Luffy bellowed at the top of his lungs throwing his arms up and the straw hat falling from his head.

The response was immediate: Chopper's eyes began welling up with tears, and then nodded enthusiastically in response. That earned several smiles and laughs among the other Straw Hat members.

"Since when is 'Shut up' an invitation?" Zoro grunted with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I wouldn't have expected anything else from our captain. Don't you think?" Koga smirked at the swordsman, who simply shrugged in response before allowing a smirk on his own face.

Not even ten minutes later, all of them were waiting for Chopper to say his goodbyes to his mentor. Usopp and Luffy were actually playing with the snow while Zoro lazily sat in a small 'snow-seat'. Koga, Sanji Nami and Vivi were standing a bit away from them, the two girls chatting merrily, catching up with all the things the navigator missed during her illness; the older boy was content with simply listening to them with Sanji snoring at his feet.

Suddenly, a ruckus emerged from within the castle.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Zoro grumbled from his makeshift seat.

"Honestly, how crude some people can be…" Nami protested, her hands on her hips in annoyance. "Can't they be quiet when two people are trying to say goodbye?"

Then the doors slammed open and Chopper emerged from inside, transformed into his full reindeer form, hauling ass out and pulling out a large sleigh… with a furious weapon-chucking Kureha right on his heels.

"The hell…?" Koga muttered, as wide-eyed as the rest of the crew.

"Everyone, get on the sleigh!" Chopper yelled frantically. "We're going down the mountain!"

Much to their horror, the witch doctor saw them too, and threw some of her weapons with almost perfect accuracy, making the pirate crew scramble up frantically and get on the sleigh, Koga having to carry Sanji up. He didn't have to do anything else though, because the cook woke up from his comatose state thanks to him being bonked in the head by the sleigh's inner portion.

The sleigh came closer and closer to the edge of the mountain at high speed, and then began skimming down a massive rope, running all the way into the woods below. Merry laughs and awed expressions ensued from the pirates when they saw the magnificent landscape, with the giant full moon shining over their heads and letting them see the snowy villages below their feet. Koga could only imagine the villagers' curious looks when seeing a great sleigh being pulled by a single reindeer 'flying' over their heads.

They landed safely oh-so-casually on the same shore where they left Merry, and Koga helped Chopper to get out of the sleigh's fasts.

 **BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

The sudden surging roar of cannon fire made them all avert their gaze to the direction they had just left, the sight instantly surprising and awing them. The sky above Wapol's castle had erupted into a cloud of pink snow, the overall image resembling a giant sakura tree with white bark in full bloom as its snowy pink petals floated down. The image embedded itself in each of their minds as Chopper took a step towards the castle's direction, starting a mixture of crying and shouting garbled yells, tears streaming down his face.

'This is this island's new symbol, a symbol of hope.' Koga drew a smirk on his face as he saw the impressive landscape. 'Maybe it _is_ true what Hiruluk said. Maybe this beautiful scene could heal any illness.'

 _Idiot. An image can't cure anyone. It doesn't close wounds, it doesn't restart a heartbeat, and it doesn't fill lungs with air. It doesn't bring people back to life._

'But it could heal any emotional injury. I feel fine already just by only seeing this beautiful landscape, and even better knowing what it means to Chopper and his mentors. It eases emotional pain. No medicine can still provide that to anyone. A simple image did. And _that_ is called a miracle. Maybe Hiruluk died, but with this image, he'll never disappear from people's minds, because his miracle, the one he created, will achieve what no modern medicine achieved. He'll live forever in the image of the sakura tree blooming over a snowy island.'

And the demon simply kept quiet.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Okay, the battle against Fuzen is awfully short, I know, but hey, he's a minor evil OC so I decided not to give him as much importance as with, for example, the one coming up on Alabasta Arc.**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast! Love y'all lots!**


	37. Welcome aboard

**37\. Welcome aboard**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Hi there! This is more of a filler chapter before finally entering Alabasta's Arc. Sorry for the long wait, and also at how awfully short it is! But either way, I hope this doesn't disappoint you!**

 **-Jag: Yeah, I add too much about Koga's demon, but hopefully I can explain in an AN later on. Or, if you want, you can send me a PM. Here's the update, hope you enjoy it!**

 **-PsychopathOnADiet: Thanks! Yeah, he does have a certain moral thinking that will clash with the other Strawhats (the fact that he disregards his own life so much), but all in all he's like everyone. He thinks that women are perfectly able to fight -a conflict with Sanji- and also finds the idea of killing quite disgusting. And you're quite perceptive, I like that! I can't really say anything about his story arc, but you're quite close!**

 **-zerom1v: Yeah, poor dear Chopper T.T Here's the update, enjoy and review xD**

 **-14fox: Hi! I think once in a while Koga can stop being so suicidal xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Already sailing away from Drum Island, the name revealed by Chopper, the crew obviously threw a grand welcoming party for their newly recruited crewmate. As always, Luffy and Usopp broke with Chopper's initial shyness with their boisterous attitude. The captain ran up and down the deck with chopsticks in his nose, the sniper attempted to raise a toast to Chopper –failing because no one was paying attention, Sanji dished out drinks –thankfully remembering Koga didn't take alcohol very well, and Nami and Vivi too occupied in beating Zoro for leaving Carue behind and freezing in the cold water.

As always when his crew began being too cheerful, Koga merely watched them from atop the railing of the deck, his beloved logbook resting comfortably in his lap. He had attempted to write down everything that happened since he fell too ill to write, but the party amused him too much; so, the chronicler put it aside, thinking it wouldn't hurt anyone to let his duty aside for a few more hours, and watched his crewmates as Chopper finally put chopsticks in his nose and began dancing with Luffy and Usopp with a smile on his face hidden behind his scarf.

"LISTEN UP YOU JERKS!" Usopp roared, raising his mug once again and this time finally catching everyone's attention. "To our newest nakama, Tony Tony Chopper… KANPAI!"

"KANPAI!" Everyone shouted with him, raising their mugs –Koga's filled with orange juice– and toasting cheerfully.

The party went on until past midnight, when everyone slowly succumbed to sleepiness and bid the others good night and retired to their rooms.

* * *

 **xXxNIGTHMARExXx**

 **The fire again. The heat. The awful smell of charred flesh. The unending darkness around me.**

 **I try not to gag, but it's hard. Why am I back here again?**

 **"Nice done, my little pawn."**

 **I whirl around in panic, trying to locate the bodiless voice. Who is it? I can't recognize that voice.**

 **"You've improved. I'm glad. Keep getting stronger, little pawn. Continue like this, and I will finally achieve what I want."**

 **Something burns inside me, drowning my voice, engulfing my senses and turning into hot white pain.**

 **"You're the Key."**

* * *

Koga bolted up in his hammock, gasping for breath and grasping his chest with both hands. Cold sweat covered his entire frame as it shook from the violent shivers.

"Shit." He cursed, wiping his forehead and looking around.

Surprisingly, he was the only one still in the men's quarters. A quick peep at the only window confirmed that it was already morning and that the others had woken up before him. Rather strange, considering he was one of the first to wake, just after Zoro and Sanji.

Actually, it alleviated him that the others weren't present; that way, he wouldn't have to explain his abrupt wake-up. And now that they had a doctor on-board, he had to be wary too around him.

As he took a shower and dressed up with black cargo pants and a plain tight blue t-shirt, the chronicler managed to calm down his wrecked nerves enough to look more or less awake. He tied up his black combat boots and placed his beloved blue scarf around his neck before taking his logbook and get out of the quarters.

Luffy and Usopp were already causing a ruckus, with the newly recruited Chopper being dragged along with their jokes. Nami and Vivi were standing at the bow, happily chatting with each other and the navigator occasionally berating at the two –now three– troublemakers running up and down the deck. He couldn't see Zoro or Sanji, but he supposed that the swordsman was training and the cook in the kitchen –obviously.

"Good morning, Koga-san!" Vivi greeted him when the storyteller approached them.

"Mornin'." He answered with a curt nod. The others noticed him as well.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Sanji got out of the kitchen, a white apron tied around his waist and a frown in his face. "You're the last one in getting breakfast, so c'mon and eat up so I can make lunch!"

"LUNCH!" Luffy bellowed.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT!"

"EEEEEEEEEEHHH?! But Sanji, I'm hungry!"

" _YOU'RE ALWAYS HUNGRY YOU BOTTOMLESS PIT!"_

While eating (and protecting the food from Luffy's prying hands), his other hand scribbled down their adventures at best he could, Vivi and Sanji updating him of what happened. Usopp told Chopper some tales that left the small reindeer with sparkling eyes at the sharpshooter –and Koga didn't have the heart to say that the majority of those tales were lies. Zoro had made a small pause with his training and was polishing one of his blade, occasionally arguing with the blond cook so much it enticed a fight –thankfully cut short by Nami's fists forcibly knocking their skulls.

Like every morning, Koga would look at the crew of misfits and smile fondly, his heart growing warm at them. He would remember his first days with the crew, and would wonder where all his natural mistrust went. Sometimes he would ask himself if losing it was a good thing… or not.

That day, Koga asked Zoro if he could train him, and though surprised, the swordsman immediately accepted. In the last battle, the chronicler had realized that he couldn't rely every battle he had in speed, as it could one day fail him and cost him his own life. He had to become not only faster, but stronger and more resilient in order to overcome every battle. And judging that he already had the speed, he could improve in his other traits.

It wasn't long before he briefly regretted this decision, however. Though undoubtedly good-naturedly, Zoro took every training as a real challenge, and he demanded that same seriousness in the storyteller. Sure, the blond could more or less keep up with the pressure by using his own Devil Fruit powers, but more often than not even his enhanced strength wasn't enough to block Zoro's swings. In fact, he found himself questioning if he would ever match his companion in strength without the help of his enhancements.

When Vivi saw his doubts, she quickly reassured him by declaring that, even if he didn't reach Zoro's brutal strength, he was by all means stronger than the majority of the crew, and not only regarding physical strength. Unlike Sanji, Zoro and even Luffy, who relied mostly in their strength, Koga possessed a more balanced and well-rounded variety of abilities. His endurance matched Zoro's, and his speed easily surpassed everyone else's, and even more if he used his newly improved Flash Step. He was an extremely quick analyzer like Nami and his mastery with the demonic weapon he owned made him an even more dangerous opponent. Even more, the Contract he made with _Sankaoken_ provided him with invincibility –or almost invincibility.

"In most of the battles you had, you relied mostly in your speed, your major trait." Zoro explained during one of their small breaks –by Koga's request, of course. "But with last battle, you actually had to improve your technique to avoid getting hit."

Three days had passed since they departed from Drum Island, three days since they welcomed Chopper aboard, and also three days since both swordsman and chronicler began training together.

The blond sighed as he wiped his forehead with a towel; it'd been hot lately. "Yeah, that jester was too fast."

"That's why you need to improve in everything else. You're fast, and that's good, but in case an enemy surpasses you in speed, you'll need to rely in your other abilities. Do you have any technique with strength or endurance?"

"A technique enhancing strength or endurance, you say?" The swordsman nodded. "Well, normally I don't exactly boost my body's endurance because I don't need it," a small grimace that almost went unnoticed crossed the older boy's face, "and I have a couple of force-enhanced attacks with my weapon _Sankaoken_."

If Zoro noticed the small frown, he didn't comment on it. "You ever tried enhancing two attributes at the same time, say, speed and endurance?"

The storyteller shook his head. "I already tried, and it takes a great deal of concentration. It'd only delay me. It's too dangerous."

"Tsk, a shame." He fell silent for a few moments before remembering something. "And that day when we fought Arlong… That punch you…"

Cold gripped Koga's heart, his whole body going rigid. Zoro noticed and watched him warily, a small frown on his face.

"… That was…" Koga cleared his suddenly dry throat. His head bobbed forwards, his long blond bangs hiding his mismatched eyes. "That… wasn't entirely me."

"What?" The green-haired teen's scowl deepened, this time in confusion. "What do you–?"

"When that… bastard took my scarf, I… I was angry. Furious. I lost control of myself. I admit that I didn't know what I did until I woke up in the Merry, after everything was over. I…" He sighed, a hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should've been more careful, more control over my actions. It's been years since I used _that_."

" _That_?"

As if suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone, his head shot up towards the inquisitive swordsman, surprise in his scarred face before calming down and gathering his thoughts again. He nodded, once.

"Kaizen Limit: Robot. A technique that I… obtained unwillingly, long ago. It puts my body and mind at their limits, boosting everything, and I mean _everything_. I can't feel pain, I'm insanely strong, impossibly fast, can detect every little detail that occurs surrounding me… but at the cost of a very limited control of my conscience, and a countdown."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at him. "How much time?"

"Ten minutes, at most. After that, my body shuts down. The longer I use the technique, the more time my body needs to completely recover."

"Can you distinguish enemy from ally?"

"Yeah. At least I have that control over my conscience."

Not giving any comment, the swordsman looked down at his lap, apparently deep in thought, before sighing and standing up, confusing the chronicler.

"… Get up."

"Huh?" Koga so-very-smartly commented, blinking.

"We still have training to do."

"… Oh. Yeah."

After that conversation, the training became even harder; a silent determination oozed from the swordsman, who analyzed Koga's techniques and pointed out the flaws he saw, helping him in developing them even further. He never gave any explanation about that sudden attitude though, and Koga didn't bother asking, simply accepting their new routine.

The following day after a really intense training (which included hanging upside down from the stern pole by their feet with some weights tied on their stretched arms), Koga felt really sore and pained everywhere, and Chopper, seeing the condition he was in, absolutely forbid him to train that day. It was nice to train to be stronger, the reindeer said, but such brutal exercises couldn't be that good for him, especially if he wasn't used to them.

Speaking of the small doctor, in the days he had been on the crew he had easily fitted in, unsurprisingly so. Being the youngest of them all and also one of the most innocent, everyone, even Koga, developed an attitude of older brother/sister-younger brother when being with him. He laughed at Luffy and Usopp's idiocies, listened awe-struck at the sharpshooter's lies or Koga's amazing stories– when he felt like telling one, and even boasted about his medical knowledge to Vivi and Nami.

Right now, after breakfast, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp and Koga had reunited at the stern of the deck to play cards. At the moment, Usopp was at the head, with Koga following closely, then Sanji and lastly Zoro, much to the swordsman's exasperation.

They were so caught up with their games that they didn't notice the giant bird coming at them from above until it crashed onto the stern of the deck.

 **BOOM!**

"Oi Sanji, I got us some meat!" Luffy idiotically proclaimed after coming out from under his catch, and soon noticing the four males sprawled on the deck. "What's with you guys?"

"ASSHOLE!" All four of them shouted, springing back to their feet.

"How are you gonna repay me?! I had a good hand that round, Luffy!" The long-nosed ten blathered about to punch his captain's face.

"Oh? Sorry, shishishishi."

"At least you could _look_ apologetic, dude…" Koga mumbled with an irk mark on his forehead; he had had a good hand too.

"You guys!" Nami came upstairs with Vivi and Chopper in tow. "We're almost at Alabasta, and we don't have time to be fooling around!"

"What's Alabasta?" Chopper asked curiously as they walked towards the main deck.

"A country Vivi's father rules." The navigator answered shortly.

"There's this _really bad_ guy named Crocodile trying to take it over!" Usopp continued, waving his hands around.

"He's also one of the Shichibukai." Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, suddenly serious.

"Shichibukai?"

"Pirates that work for the Government and defeat other pirates." Koga explained.

"That's the problem however…" Vivi held her hand up to her chin in thought. "Crocodile is considered a hero in Alabasta… He shows up and defeats pirates who attack any Alabastan town, but it's just a front. Crocodile just wants to overthrow the kingdom, and we are the only ones who know this. Not the people, not even my father…"

Her face began showing worry at her grim thoughts. Everyone just looked at her until Luffy slammed his fists together, jarring their attention.

"I just need to kick this Croc's ass, right?" He chuckled with one of his wide grins.

For a moment, the princess' face showed surprise before remembering who she was talking to, and nodded in determination. "Yes… Without Crocodile, Baroque Works would crumble."

"Baroque Works?" The reindeer felt lost again.

"Ugh, that's right, you don't know anything about them either…" Usopp rubbed the back of his head. "Then again, neither do we… Their system is way too complicated…"

"Actually, it's quite simple." Vivi began explaining. "Crocodile is at the top, known only as Mr. Zero by his subordinates, and directly below him are thirteen agents (twelve men and an animal) paired with a female agent who compliments their skills. First, there's Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, the only agent with no corresponding female agent…"

"And Mr. 3 was that wax guy we ran into on Little Garden, right?" Zoro added. "Along with that kid."

"Right, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek. Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, though to be honest I don't know much about them…"

"And then there's the booger guy and the girl who could change her weight." Usopp stated.

"Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine's Day, right… And then, there's Mr. 6… I heard that he's quite a lonely guy that refuses to have a female counterpart… Ah!" Vivi then looked at Koga, who raised a blond eyebrow at her. "You especially should stay away from him."

"Why?" He asked confused.

"I don't know if these rumors are true, but… I heard that he's a skilled demon hunter…" Koga's face darkened at that declaration. "Out of all of us, you're the one who would be in a serious disadvantage against him."

"Demon hunter?" Nami asked in worry at the chronicler's sudden grim face.

"Hunters that kill demons hidden in Cursed people like me. I've never encountered one before 'cause I tried to keep a low profile however."

"Why would they want to hunt you?" Chopper asked with wide eyes.

"The majority of the people who become Cursed make Contracts with the demons willingly, to seek power or vengeance in the most gruesome way they can." He absentmindedly touched his chest with a grimace. "The hunters are considered the 'protectors of humanity' against demons."

"It's like us pirates against Marines." Sanji commented. "The Cursed people are the pirates and the hunters are the Marines."

"Something like that, yeah."

"Yosh, I get it now!" Luffy suddenly shouted, throwing his fist out. "I just have to go and beat up Crocodile, right?"

"… You weren't listening at all were you?" Usopp berated with an exasperated look at his captain.

"If taking over Alabasta is Baroque Works' final plan, then that must mean..." Zoro began, a devil grin forming on his face.

"That all the Officer Agents will be gathering in Alabasta." Sanji finished.

"Where we can beat them senseless. And yeah, Luffy, that's all you need to do." Koga closed Luffy's mouth just as it began to open again. He laughed goofily and nodded in determination, his goal finally clear.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **'Kay, so I'll see you next chap, please feed the hungry beast! Love y'all lots!**


	38. Counter-measure plans

**38\. Countermeasure plans**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **OHMYGOD! Earlier than you expected aye? Well I wanted to put up with the earlier short chap and also with the delay. So here it is for everyone's enjoyment.**

 **-PsychopathOnADiet: Yup, we know it now xD I won't say anything about Zoro's motives to help him, sorry~ And also, about the 'Key' thingy… It's a surprise, you'll find out on Koga' story Arc. Wow, I'm putting a _lot_ for that huh? I planned on putting it after Thriller Bark. So, you know it ^^!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Yeah, I know. I simply put the beginnings because it's not the same Koga's nightmares than his dreams regarding his own memories. That's why I try to differentiate them without confusing you too much. But if it annoys you so much then I'll stop doing it.**

 **-zerom1v: According to the Wiki there was a Mr. 6 but he never appeared in the anime/manga. Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day were the ones in charge of blowing up the bomb in the central plaza. Yeah he will! At least until he can no longer keep up with that sort of training xD I don't really know about putting a new technique yet though, but I'll think about it. You're right! He's always improvising with new hits each time he fights! Oda has a lot of imagination for Zoro's attacks xD**

 **-Jag: Thanks! I thought that, considering Cursed people have demons inside, there could be a kind of Inquisition group dedicated to hunt them down. Exclusive, and not very known, but undoubtedly there. He looks like that right? I suppose Zoro voicing his worry wouldn't stick too much to his personality, so yeah. Here's the update, enjoy it!**

 **-Boopadoop: Thanks so much I love it when I find people like you ^^! Don't worry, no one has actually asked it, so kudos for you for noticing: I actually flip between 'sans' and 'except' whenever I want, but I suppose 'sans' would be somehow translated as 'lacking'. I'm not really an English native speaker so I don't really know the difference between them, and I don't dare to say something incorrect. Just to say that I use both of them indistinctively.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"DON'T GIVE THAT ATTITUDE!"

Sprawled on the crow's nest with his back against the railing and his arms crossed over his chest, Koga looked over the railing to see Luffy and Sanji in front of each other, the former sweating profusely and avoiding the cook's scornful gaze in a _very_ suspicious way.

"Somehow the rations I had prepared for all of us when we left Drum vanished mysteriously last night." Sanji crouched in front of his captain and tried to make him look at him in the face. "You don't know what I am talking about, _right_?"

"No no no, I don't have a clue…"

Koga snorted in amusement, knowing instantly that the raven-haired teen was lying, and pathetically failing to hide his guiltiness.

Sanji sighed and stood up, before noticing something. "Oh, you have something on your face!"

"AH CRAP, CRUMBS!" Luffy yelled panic-stricken as he attempted to rub off the evidence of his crime.

"SO IT _WAS_ YOU!"

 **BAM!**

Sanji sent Luffy across the deck with a back boot upside his head. Koga shook his head fondly, still watching the scene unfolded below him.

"I can't believe it!" Sanji groaned in frustration, before turning to Nami and Vivi who were discussing something on the upper deck. "Ah Nami-san, we really need to do something! We need a better way to keep the food safe from Luffy! We have to buy a fridge with a lock please~!"

"I'll think about that…" The navigator mused, pointedly glaring at the three suspiciously quiet fishers –meaning Usopp, Chopper and Carue– sitting on the railing, innocently holding their fishing poles. "Or else I think we'll die before even reaching Alabasta."

Quickly catching the hint, Sanji grabbed the three unsuspecting fishers and bonked their heads together forcefully, murmuring something about not being able to keep his eyes off the food, and this time Koga couldn't help but to let out a loud snort. Of course, he wasn't going to mention that he had borrowed some food from the storage room too, that would be suicide. Later, he also saw Vivi punching Usopp and Luffy because of them using Carue as bait to catch something.

Some minutes later, the chronicler saw something weird in front of the ship, a good hundred yards away from the Merry but approaching rapidly. It looked like a massive cloud of gas, lightly tinged with green and white.

"Oi Nami, there's a cloud of gas at twelve o'clock and approaching!" He informed at the navigator.

She glanced over her shoulder to see what it was as the other heard the warning and watched it warily.

"It's underwater volcano vapor, nothing serious!" She said. "But better cover your mouths when we go through!"

Heeding her advice, they passed through the steam, everyone on board coughing and wheezing due to the pungent odor of sulfur in the air. Even covering his mouth and nose with his blue scarf, Koga felt his eyes watering because of the reeking stink.

Fortunately, they got out of the cloud quickly. But the moment they did, Carue suddenly squawked in terror, hanging from Luffy and Usopp's fishing pole as bait. Alerted, Koga looked again over the railing… and saw something –or rather some _one_ , hanging onto the giant duck for dear life.

"Eyah? Why am I grabbing a duck I had only just met?" A nasally unknown voice rang through the air.

Right on cue, Koga's intuition began tingling in faint warning. His mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously as he climbed down back to the deck as the others 'fished' the strange guy onto the ship. He was glad he always carried _Sankaoken_ with him.

Said guy wore a pink overcoat, two swan attachments strapped to his back, a yellow headband with two strange fluffy orbs sitting on top of it, a blue jacket lying underneath his coat, and a weird near-spherical blue pin-striped garment serving as pants. He was relatively tall, with heavy make-up on his face, crossed by a wide grin.

"Oh, I thought it was all over for me…" He gasped before sitting up straight with a wide smile on his face. "My life was saved by pirates who do not even know! I am in debt to your kindness!" His gaze then shifted upwards to Vivi, who was standing on the upper deck. "OH MY~! Aren't you cute~!" he sang, blowing an air kiss to her, and Vivi couldn't help but to draw a disgusted expression on her face.

"You can't swim huh?" Luffy blurted out. By then, every male, except Sanji who was off somewhere in the kitchen, had surrounded the weird guy.

"You're right there…" The guy swerved a bit as he answered. "I ate a Devil Fruit and became a Hammer."

"Oh? Which one?" Usopp asked.

Koga narrowed his eyes as his intuition flared awake once more.

"Well…" The guy stood up and took a showman's stance. "I guess I have some time before my crew finds me… I might as well put on a show!" He then reeled back his palm as he danced towards Luffy. "Prepare to witness my ability!"

 **BAM!**

Luffy was palm-struck square in the face, bouncing back a bit, surprising everyone –and alerting Koga even more, setting him on edge.

"What the–!" Zoro was about to unsheathe his katanas and to lunge at their 'guest'.

"Waaait, waaait, waaait!" The guy put his hands in a halting manner, but his nasal voice wasn't his, but another one much more familiar. "I _said_ I was putting on a show!"

When he turned his head, everyone looked astonished as Luffy returned their gaze with his trademark grin. Dressed in the guy's outfit, but it was Luffy's voice, and his face too, and even his body frame. What was going on? Was this his Devil Fruit powers?

"Fooled you, fooled you, fooled you! Ahahahahahahahaha!" His left hand hovered up to his face. "And now, when I touch my left hand to my face…"

 **POP!**

"Back to normal!" The guy's face came back. "Behold, the ability of the Mane Mane Fruit!"

"His voice…!" Nami squeaked in surprise.

"And even his physique!" Usopp finished, wide-eyed.

"C-C-COOOOOOOL!" Luffy cheered.

'That's not cool, that's dangerous.' Koga narrowed his eyes as the weird guy laughed and began touching the faces of everyone who stood upon the main deck, even Zoro and Vivi, who were too confused to defend themselves.

However, just as he tried to touch the chronicler's face, he swiftly flicked away his hand before it touched him. "No touchy." He grunted, narrowing his eyes mistrusting at him.

The guy's eyes flickered for a brief moment, before sighing dramatically. "You're no fun."

He then twirled back into the center of the small crowd. "Look at me!" He touched his face with his right hand and transformed into Usopp.

"If I touch my face," another touch, and turned into Zoro.

"With my right hand," Chopper this time.

"I can imitate everyone!" Lastly, Nami. "Just like this! Even the body…"

And then made the biggest mistake he could've made; he opened his shirt to reveal Nami's body to Chopper, Usopp and Luffy, who looked in surprise and awe.

 **BAM BAM!**

"OUCH!" The weird guy cried reverting back to normal, with lumps on his head and Nami standing behind him, roaring "Knock it off!"

'Now I understand…' Koga folded his arms over his chest, as far away from the ballerina-guy as he could. 'He can practically impersonate anyone he wishes by just touching their faces. He could easily infiltrate in any place and fool everyone, provoke a great internal conflict in any army, its great weakness. That's a pretty dangerous ability… Even if he doesn't show it, this man…' His bicolored eyes glared at the guy as he displayed some faces he had memorized to his marveled public, 'this man, is the perfect infiltrator.'

And then, as the guy fleetingly showed yet another face before being substituted by another, both Vivi and the chronicler sucked in their breaths in shock.

'Wait, wasn't that _Cobra's face_?!' The blond thought, quickly flashing a look at the stunned princess, who looked too surprised to say anything. 'That can't be! How could he have Cobra's face?! And for what purpose?!' His nails dug into his arms, almost drawing blood from the pressure as his face scrunched in indecision. 'What should I do? My inner alarm hadn't stopped blaring at this guy, but… he didn't do anything…'

 _By 'anything' you mean what? He has your friends' faces now. He could use them to his advantage and you couldn't tell if he's a friend or not._

At _Sankaoken_ 's remark, he cursed inwardly at the implications of that phrase. What he feared would become true: no one would trust the others, unsure if they were really who they claimed to be. They would risk a dagger in the back by someone who had their friend's face on, and they wouldn't realize that until it was too late…

That would be seen as pure _betrayal_.

 _Huhuhu, that's right shitty host. You better watch your back now…_

Koga shut his eyes tightly and shook his head to get rid of those unnerving words, instead forcing himself to focus in another worrying matter: Cobra.

From what he remembered, the king wasn't exactly an easy prey. He was almost always surrounded by his loyal soldiers and also by servants, and he never left the palace unprotected. The fact that the ballerina guy possessed his face led only to one possible conclusion in his mind: more than likely, the king had faced problems. Big ones.

If that ballerina guy was an enemy –and considering he had _Cobra_ 's face, of all people– then his strength shouldn't be underestimated, if he could surpass the Royal Captains Pell and Chaka to reach the king and steal his face. Should he be an enemy, the vast variety of what a king could _do_ was terrifying, the power he would portray almost endless.

 _Great, brainy guy, you caught that fast… And right now, who needs that kingly power?_

Koga's eyes shot open as he understood–

"… With all the pain of my heart I must say FAREWELL, MY FRIENDS!"

It seemed like while he had been caught in his thoughts, the ballerina guy's ship had arrived and he was about to get away!

"Wait, no, stop him!" Koga growled, a hand flying to his katana's hilt as he ran to the railing.

"Wha– Koga, wait!"

He tried to board the ship –that surprisingly looked almost the same as the ballerina guy, with the swan heads and all– but the gap was too great to jump over easily, and also it was insane doing it by himself. He groaned in frustration as he stood by the railing, and he swore he could see an almost undetectable smirk on the ballerina guy's face at his frustrated face.

'He knows I know who he is…' The chronicler mused as the others stood at either side of him, still confused by his actions. 'Maybe he knew who we were all along, and came here only to make fun of us…'

"Let's go, men!"

"YES MR. 2 BON KUREI-SAMA!"

Silence. Then…

"HUH?! THAT GUY WAS FROM BAROQUE WORKS?!"

 _He escaped…_

The bicolor-eyed young man slammed his fist on the railing in anger. "Dammit, I knew it!"

"But he looked fun!" Luffy whined.

"Sorry, guys, I should've realized this sooner." The chronicler apologized between gritted teeth, not entirely comfortable with it but knowing he had made a mistake. "We're really screwed up."

"What the hell happened?"

Just at that moment, Sanji got out from the kitchen, alerted by Koga's shout. The rest of the crew related their encounter with the newly revealed Mr. 2 and his unusual Devil Fruit powers. Then, Vivi and Koga gave the unnerving news of having recognized Cobra's face among the display the ballerina guy performed.

Thinking about his suspicions, though, Koga decided not to tell Vivi about them –or at least those related to Cobra being in danger. She had enough on her mind already, and he didn't want to stress her even more with his 'what ifs'.

"How did you knew he was from Baroque Works?" Chopper suddenly asked the older boy, who snapped out of his thoughts.

"I didn't know when I saw him, only when he suddenly showed Cobra's face. I felt he was bad news from the first moment I met him, as my intuition didn't stop ringing, but then I started to think and, well…"

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked this time, raising a green eyebrow.

The blond sighed. "Cobra is the king. As such, he has great power over Alabasta. Knowing this, which is more than enough I think, who would beneficiate more about this power?"

"Crocodile." Vivi darkly answered, catching up on the implications.

"Yeah. And now he has all… or at least most, of our faces."

"You mean, now we can't trust even our own nakama…" Nami said worriedly.

"Not exactly." Unexpectedly, Zoro came forward. "I think it was rather lucky we ran into him… Now, we can take countermeasures."

Even with that optimistic message, a dark looming cloud hung over them, thinking about the dangerous enemy they had let escape with so much as a mockery as goodbye. It stung their pride, particularly the chronicler's as he had known before anyone how dangerous Mr. 2 really was but unable to understand its magnitude until he got away. He felt as if he had failed his crew to protect them.

All of a sudden, the boat started to shake and rock violently, catching everyone off guard.

"What the hell is happening now?!" Sanji bit out in anger.

"Behind us!" Usopp then pointed at the stern.

The Monster Quartet (the friendly nickname given to the group conforming Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Koga) sprinted in that direction with their weapons drawn just in time to see a giant white cat… fish (?) rise up.

"HUGE!" Luffy shouted, impressed.

"A SEA MONSTER!" Usopp and Chopper hugged each other in fear, eyes bugging out of their skulls.

"OUR FIRST MEAL IN TWO DAYS!" Not caring about the fact of being in front of a monster, Zoro pulled out his swords and glared at the cat with hunger-filled eyes.

"FOOD!" The rubber-brained idiot agreed, with the same expression.

"YOU'LL FILL OUR STOMACHS SOON!" Koga uncharacteristically shouted too, for once hunger driving his actions. Technically, now that he thought about it, he _could_ placate his hunger with his Devil Fruit powers… But then he would suffer Alabasta's heat… Nah, sod it, he had the meal right in front of his eyes!

"YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A FINE MEAL, CAT!" Sanji had pulled up the sleeves of his black suit, ready to cook the beast.

At their menacingly dark eyes, the cat-fish's face grew blue of terror and began backing away slowly.

"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Luffy prepared his arms to be shot at the cat's head.

" _NO!_ "

 **BONK BONK BONK BONK!**

The four hunters got knocked in the back of their heads by a well-struck swing of Vivi's broom, slamming their foreheads against the railing. Obviously, the cat-fish immediately took the advantage and got away from the hunters.

"Why did you do that Vivi-chan? We're starving!" Came a weak whine from the cook, getting on his knees along with the other three and grasping the lumps on either side of his head.

"You can't eat Sea Cats! They're sacred to Alabasta!" She responded with a stern glare, lowering the broom and allowing Chopper to tend their lumps. "You knew it too, Koga-san!"

"Sorry, I forgot." He hid a blush behind his scarf.

 **xXxSOME TIME LATERxXx**

"Guys, I see Alabasta!" Koga warned everyone from the crow's nest.

Actually, the growing heat had already warned them of their destination nearing them. Never being a person who really tolerated the heat, Koga had to use his Devil Fruit powers to grow his heat tolerance. He came from an Autumn Island, from crying out loud! He absolutely _hated_ heat!

As they neared the shore, everyone gathered in the main deck to Zoro's request. He then explained his plan of counter measuring Mr. 2's Fruit ability. A really simple one, simple but effective. They each painted a small black cross on their left forearms and then tied white bands of cloth; according to the swordsman, the cross was the real sign of them being the original Straw Hat crew, the white band serving to conceal it; if someone showed the bandage but not the cross, they'd immediately know it was an imposter.

"We're stopping at a port known as Nanohana, to hide the Merry when we land." Vivi stated while the Merry bobbed upon the tide, bringing them within sight of said port town.

"Okay!" Luffy stood up, throwing his left arm out. "Whatever happens, this left arm…" he spoke as everyone else gathered around him, their arms/wing/hoof joining his, "is proof that we are nakama! Now, let's get on land and find some food!"

Knowing they wouldn't need his specific help with docking, Koga got inside the men's quarters to change into more hot-weather-friendly clothes: a simple dark blue tanktop with a black cross emblazoned upon the chest, khaki cargo pants, and this time tying his light blue scarf on his forehead instead of around his neck, the extremes hanging both sides of his head and reaching the middle of his shoulder-blades. He then put on his trusty black combat boots and got out just in time to see the crew finishing docking on a nearby shore a good distance from Nanohana.

They all leaped off the ship –Nami and Vivi requested some help– and immediately the navigator began spreading orders:

"Listen, everyone, I expect you all to be on your best behavior while we're here." She said with a stern face.

"Yes, Nami-swaaaaaan~!"

"The guy you have to worry about the most just took off." Zoro pointed out at the dust cloud that had appeared, signaling the departure of their idiot captain.

"FOOOOOOOoooooooooood….!"

"HOLD IT!" Nami roared, but by then Luffy had already disappeared.

"Save your breath, Nami." Koga shrugged.

"He'll find us eventually." Sanji nodded, hopping off the ship.

"He'll be fine, let's just go eat." The green-haired swordsman added as he walked along.

Vivi opened her mouth, but knowing what she was about to say, the writer beat her to it: "You'd better stay out of sight, Vivi."

"What, why?" Usopp asked in confusion as the blue-haired girl nodded at the older boy.

"Too many people here will recognize me. I cannot accompany you."

"Don't worry Vivi-chwan, I'll deliver you something spectacular when I return~!"

"CAW!" Carue began freaking out, his bandaged wing pointing a nearby shore, where a small oddly-colored ship sat, a massive 3 painted on its side.

"That's Mr. 3's ship!" The princess squeaked.

 _The giant 3 on the side kinda gave it away, but thanks anyway for the confirmation Miss Obvious…_

'Could you actually say something nice for once?'

 _Nah, you're doing it yourself for the both of us._

"If he's here, we'll be recognized." Zoro cursed gripping his swords.

"Not all of us." Koga glanced at Sanji and Chopper. "But the rest of us will. And it's too dangerous for Vivi and Carue to stay here so close to Mr. 3's ship."

"Do not worry!" Usopp then exclaimed, what looked like an intelligent smirk drawn on his tan face. "I… have a plan."

Twenty minutes later, a blonde clad-in-black cook and a reindeer walked into Nanohana, followed closely by a misshapen brown 'creature'. It was weird enough to see a reindeer –an animal from a Winter Island that had a pink hat and pants– but that thing was what made the strange duo bring all the attention of the astonished Nanohana people.

"I think we stand out even more…" A female voice came out from under the brown creature.

At risk of being discovered, the cook and the reindeer hid behind the ruins of a long-destroyed building and let the others come out from the brown tarp.

"Vivi-chan, you'll be safe from prying eyes here for the time being…" Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigarette and then noticing the princess spacing out. "Vivi-chan?"

"Yes! Yes yes, what is it?" Vivi jumped at the mention of her name, broken out of her mental trance.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I… I was just thinking…" Her face turned towards the ground, her voice a bit solemn and attracting everyone's attention. "As we went through the city, everything seemed to be fine… And though I can't really be at ease, I think it can be saved."

"You're right, it seems like a peaceful city." Nami nodded.

"Oi, Vivi." Said princess turned towards Zoro. "You said you had forces to suppress the rebellion, right? What's the next step? What do we have to do?"

"We'll have to act before it's too late." Koga added in.

"Yes, that's true… But you only promised to take me as far as Alabasta and–"

"Enough." Nami flicked the princess on the forehead as she spoke, interrupting her friend. "I can't believe you still think like that. We've sailed all the way here, you think we're just going to abandon you here?"

"Yeah, Vivi, don't get all distant on us now." Usopp protested.

"And I'm pretty interested in this Shichibukai…" Zoro chimed in with a smirk.

"That's enough out of you!" The navigator snarled at the green-haired swordsman before turning again towards Vivi. "Anyway, quit talking like that."

"And of course, everyone except me is being hunted too." Sanji stated.

"Even if we do get in trouble, we're strong. We can take out as many of those bastards as they send at us." The chronicler tied his scarf better around his head.

"And if this country is crushed I won't get my fee for escorting you here… _Understand_?" Nami murmured eerily getting into Vivi's face, who felt intimidated by the level of their navigator's greed.

"Y-yes…"

"You're going to Hell." Zoro bluntly stated.

"Why thank you Zoro~! And I haven't forgotten about your debt either!"

"Why you…!"

"I'll get it from you, even if I'm a ghost!"

"You witch!"

"You'll pay me precisely 400,000 Berri~!"

"You raised it!"

Koga smirked at their banter and stood by the princess' side. He then put a hand over her head and ruffled her hair slightly, taking her by surprise and making her look up at him with wide eyes.

He drew a kind smirk on his face. "Everything'll be okay, you'll see. So don't worry so much."

"Koga-san…" She murmured. Her cheeks suddenly reddened and then abruptly lowered her gaze to the ground. "Thank you…"

"HEY SHITTY BLEACHED-HEAD!" Sanji a.k.a 'The idiotic knight in shiny armor' roared engulfed by virtual flames. "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF VIVI-CHWAN!"

 **BAM!**

"Leave me alone swirly eyebrows!" Koga effectively blocked the kick directed to his face with the sheath of his blade, a small furious irk on his forehead. "I was just trying to cheer her up!"

"You're taking advantage of her sweet naïveté!"

"Huh?! What the heck are you talking about?!"

Their foreheads collided as Vivi very carefully stepped away from the slowly brewing fight between cook and writer. "Stay away from Vivi-chan you creepy old man."

"You're asking for a beating cancer-lung."

 **BONK BONK!**

"You two stay quiet!" Nami roared, her two fists steaming from the force of her punches.

Vivi laughed a bit, but her expression soon sobered. "We'll have to cross the desert soon, so we'll need supplies. The oasis town of Yuba lies to the northwest. It's where the rebellion's headquarters are, but… if Mr. 3 is in this city…"

"Oh, if that's all, it'll be fine." Sanji stood up from the ground, gingerly tending his giant lump on his head. "He's never seen my face before. And of course, Chopper as well."

"Huh?" The small reindeer blinked at the mention of his name.

"There's gonna be a lot to carry. I'm counting on you!" The cook smiled down at him.

"Okay, you can depend on me to help!" He answered willfully, nodding in determination.

"Well, let's be off then."

And thus, the cook and the reindeer in his Walking Point went to the market with a list Vivi made of all the necessary things. Nami added perfume, Usopp some tabasco powder and Vivi some clothes for the desert and also so they didn't stand out so much.

Fortunately though it was boring to wait, the pair didn't waste too much time in shopping, and returned with everything they required.

"Wow, this is beautiful! I love it!" Nami smiled widely as she sported a… dancer girl dress, as well as Vivi. However contrary to the navigator, the princess was actually blushing from embarrassment.

"Uh well, I know I asked you to pick out some clothes for us, but these are meant for dancer girls Sanji-san."

"I think the only ones who're going to fit in just well with the rest of the population are us." Koga grumbled as he adjusted the green-and-white striped robe better, quietly cursing the heat. He also adjusted his scarf so it acted like a hood over his head.

"Oh Vivi-chan, you look magnificent in those clothes!" Sanji swooned over the two girls, going in lovey-dovey mode.

"But we need clothes like regular citizens–"

"Dancing girls are citizens too~!"

"But for walking in the desert–"

"Do not worry, if you get tired, I'll carry you~!"

She sighed and turned to the others in exasperation. "It's no use talking to him…"

The others silently agreed with her with silent nods of confirmation.

"But you know, compared to the girls…" Sanji then turned towards the guys, "the rest of you dorks look like a bunch of bandits."

Soon after the crew and the princess began filling up their stomachs with what Sanji and Chopper brought, grateful that the bottomless pit of their captain wasn't around to try to steal their food. Sanji had to come back to the market to buy more… appropriate clothes for the girls, fortunately for them.

"Hey, Koga, catch." The blonde cook called out, throwing something at him.

One hand on a bottle of water, he brought the other hand up and caught the thing mid-air, lowering it to see what it was.

"What is it?" Usopp, seated beside him, looked over his shoulder and frowned in confusion. "A pair of sunglasses?"

And that it was. A pair of plain, cheap-looking, dark-tainted sunglasses. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Your eyes stand out too much." Sanji coolly stated. "Even with your attire, someone might recognize you because of them. I bought them to avoid that."

The chronicler blinked, and then looked at the cook and nodded. "Good thinking. I hadn't thought about it."

"Uuuuuuuuh~"

"Huh? What's the matter Chopper?" Usopp asked to the reindeer slumped down in the ground with both hooves on his blue nose.

"It's the smell." He answered with a nasal voice.

"Oh yeah, where did you run off to earlier?" Sanji asked, leaning over to him.

"Just somewhere."

"Is he not feeling well?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, it's just the perfume, Chopper can't stand it." The blonde cook answered.

"Perfume?"

"Oh yeah, Tony-kun has an incredibly sensitive nose." Vivi added in.

"Being an animal, I can understand it." Koga said, hanging the sunglasses on the collar of his robe.

"This stuff?" The navigator showed the small bottle of perfume she had got from Sanji.

"Some of it has a really strong smell."

Curious, the red-haired witch sprayed some of the perfume on herself and Chopper jumped up and covered his nose, screaming in protest at the strong smell.

"You smell just like an angel in a field of fresh flowers!" Love-cook wiggled around with heart eyes… with Zoro and Koga looking at each other and rolling theirs.

"You're an idiot." The swordsman bluntly declared, and Sanji went to angry-Sanji mode in the blink of an eye.

"At any rate!" Usopp quickly broke with their incoming argument. "Now we managed to get all the supplies we're gonna need to get across the desert."

Vivi nodded to the sharpshooter.

"That's correct, but first we actually have to travel to the desert to reach Yuba. That trip will most likely be a lot more difficult than any of you can even begin to imagine." Her head lowered. "There's no telling what might happen out there. One wrong step at any moment in a desert land like this one, and there's no guarantee we'll all survive. I'm still reluctant about asking you to follow me to such a dangerous place." She quietly admitted. "But, more than anything, I want to bring peace back to Alabasta Kingdom, so I guess… I guess I don't really have any choice but to ask."

During her little speech, every member of the Straw Hat crew present had listened quietly, watching her closely. The blue-haired teen then gathered courage and looked up at them.

"Help me! Please help me bring peace back to my country! Please, help."

And as one, the pirates brought some kind of smile on their faces. Some small, some wide.

"You finally said it." Nami taunted her, giving her a thumbs up.

"There's no telling what might happen on the sea either. We're used to it." Sanji nodded.

"Yeah, it'll be just like any other day." Zoro added.

Koga simply gave a nod to the princess.

"Cool! I can't wait to see the desert!" Chopper cheered looking at Carue, who quaked something in reply at the reindeer.

"Okay guys!" Usopp stood up tall. "Are you guys all ready to head out for Yuba?!"

"YEAH!"

Everyone raised their left arms up, the ones that had the bandages on. At that gesture, Vivi could only but to smile in gratitude. "Thank you."

"That's good, but we're still missing someone." Koga broke the small silence after their statement.

"Luffy!"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Oh my hands hurt! But hey, it's all paid off: I managed to put the meeting with Bon Kurei (or Bon Clay, how do you guys spell it?) and the arrival to Alabasta in the same chapter! Yay for me, hahahaha!**

 **Okay guys, so next chapter… You all know what's gonna happen, right? I better shut my ears to the Ace-fangirling out there xD**

 **So, love y'all, please leave nice reviews! See ya next chap!**

 **P.S: Sorry for the delay, but HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY! I got fooled by a friend that swore to me that a new Middle Earth film would be published in 2018! I fell for that hahahahaha! What prank did you guys made/suffer?**


	39. Hey, brother

**39\. Hey, brother**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Uhm, not much to tell, except that I just don't wanna spoil the chap. You'll have to read to find out what happens (though the title sorta give it away anyways xD). Hope you like it!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Oh, so I spelt it okay. Good to know ^^! So it's the name of a holiday, huh. Understandable, considering all female partners of the Baroque Works Agents have names relating with a certain holiday.**

 **-Boopadoop: I wonder why I didn't use that insult earlier! That's how I call my father whenever I see him with a cigar xD Not that he listens to me anyways. Thanks so much ^^! I'll keep on with this for as long as I can (maybe until Oda finishes –highly unlikely, but hey, better keep hopes up). Ouch! That was absolutely NOT nice. Bad teacher, bad!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Clad in his desert attire and his brand new sunglasses hiding his unique eyes, Koga slithered his way through the mob in search of his idiotic captain.

After remembering once more that Luffy had run off to fetch food for himself, Nami had resigned in finding him and get into the journey. They set out on their own (except Zoro of course, the navigator and Usopp were going with him) and resolved on reuniting again in the same ruins they had been hiding before, with Vivi waiting for them there. The plan was inconsistent, they knew that, but it was the only thing they could do at the moment.

Thankfully, considering how simple-minded Luffy really was, Koga had a fairly accurate idea of where that idiot would be. And so, he decided to stick to the sides of the streets with restaurants, nonchalantly looking from the door for his captain and then continuing his path at the lack of the rubbery teen's presence.

From time to time, though, and worryingly enough, a patrol of Marines would make their way through the mob. The blond adjusted his sunglasses as he turned his face away and reminded himself of thanking Sanji properly for them. Though he didn't have a Wanted Poster yet, unlike Luffy.

'I have to find him before the Marines do…' The chronicler thought.

As he turned another corner he groaned in exasperation when he saw another row of restaurants waiting for him to be checked out. His hand found his face with a soft slap, 'this is gonna take me _forever_ …'

 **BOOM CRASH CRASH!**

 _Or maybe not…_

So the restaurant at the end of the street huh? Sighing, and thankful that the people were beginning to disperse, the disguised pirate dashed his way to the restaurant and stepped inside.

When he entered he noticed the almost eerie silence inside. The people were packed in groups against the opposite walls of the rather big establishment, away from the bar. The poor barman simply stood there, watching wide-eyed at a figure who was wolfing down giant plates of food, three rows of finished meals at his side. The writer then spotted giant gap in the wall in the wall behind the barman, but it quickly left his mind when he recognized the person devouring the food at the bar.

Surrounded by the silence, Koga sighed as he walked towards Luffy, rising his sunglasses to his head and frowning at the back of the teen's head in exasperation.

"Dammit, Luffy, what did you do this time?"

"Huh?" The captain turned around while munching. "Oh, it's you Koga! Want some? It's delicious!"

… That was what the chronicler thought he said, considering he was eating while speaking anyways.

"Listen, we should leave now. The others are waiting and there are–"

"STRAW HAT!"

From the gap in the wall behind the counter, a rather burly man stepped to stand in front of a non-stop eating Luffy. His hair had a light blue-green tone and he had two cigars in his mouth, making Koga grimace and think of Sanji and his cancer-lung cigars. He wore a large thick white and blue specialist marine jacket open with greenish fur lining the neck, wrists and hem. Many other cigars were strapped to the jacket, and as a weapon he carried a jitte at his back. He also wore brown leather gloves, blue jeans with a brown belt and large military issue brown leather boots.

Koga's intuition began tingling then, and his bicolored eyes hardened, his stance ready for the action if needed be. Though the man glared at him briefly, assessing his presence, his attention soon turned back to the young pirate captain.

"I've been looking for you, Straw Hat. I knew you would come to Alabasta."

Only silence answered him, interrupted only by the munching and swallowing made by Luffy.

 _Shouldn't you be running for your lives right now shitty host? That guy won't be long just standing there looking at you and your captain stuffing his belly full._

Yeah, probably he was ri– hold on, didn't Cigar Guy ring a bell somehow? Koga's eyes suddenly narrowed at the man, glaring at him, gauging his looks, trying to remember just why he looked _how familiar_ …

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFT!" Suddenly Luffy spluttered all his food onto Cigar Guy's face. "Smokey guy!"

'Crap, Smoker! How didn't I realized earlier?!'

"Luffy, we have to go _now **.**_ " Faster than the eye could see, Koga's hand snatched Luffy's shirt, ready to run in the opposite direction.

"Hold on, Koga!" Luffy used his rubbery powers to gobble up the rest of the food –that was still an awful lot– before barely thanking the bartender for the meal.

Maybe realizing that they were going to run away, Smoker's eyes widened and his hand flew up to the jitte's hilt, roaring "Stop right there you pi–!"

"Time to go! Flash Step!"

Koga only used the technique to get out of the restaurant, afraid he would suffer payback the longer he used it. Thankfully, the momentum served them to avoid an incoming female blue-haired, glasses-wearing marine that tried to slash them. Luffy got them both out of the way of the woman by stretching up to the buildings' rooftops to their left, the only one able to follow them was Smoker, hot in their tails with his Devil Fruit powers.

"So these are the powers you told me about!" Koga shouted, watching from over his shoulder at the marine captain being propelled forwards like a rocket, the lower part of his body transformed in a white cloud.

"Yeah! When I tried to fight him, Smokey just dissolved in white clouds, I couldn't hit his body!"

"Dammit, must be a Logia-type Fruit then! We can't fight him like this! We have to–!"

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY STRAW HAT! WHITE BLOW!"

Intuition tingling just in time! Cursing loudly, Koga yanked from Luffy's arm and threw them both from the rooftop into the street, their fall cushioned by some flour-filled sacks. The people screamed and threw themselves out of the way of the running pirates and the marines following after them; some managed to try to step in front, but were quickly dispatched with well-placed punches from both.

The chronicler tried to guide their escape through recognizable streets, desperately looking around for the rest of the crew. Not to make them engage in combat, but to ensure they _didn't_ ; though he highly doubted Zoro would back up on a fight.

Speaking of which…

"There they are!" Luffy yelled, spotting the dumbstruck crew watching at them jaw-slacked. "OI GUYS!"

"DON'T BRING THEM HERE YOU MORONS!" Nami shrieked with panic in her face and voice, easily seen even from afar.

"RUN FOR IT!"

Just then…

 _BLOCK!_

 **KLANK!**

Instinctively, Koga obeyed, turning on his heels while unsheathing his rusty katana in a fluid motion. A familiar broadsword, engulfed in dark flames, forcefully clanked against his weapon instead of finding its target on his unprotected back. The force of his enemy almost brought him to his knees, but he gritted his teeth and pushed back with the help of his Devil Fruit powers for good measure. Then, he used Flash Step to step away from his rival, using the momentum to verify his identity.

Though, he already knew.

That was why he didn't feel any surprise when his mismatched eyes clashed against icy blue ones. He felt sad, incredibly sad, but still he was prepared to see him.

Or at least he thought – _hoped_ – he was.

"Koga!" Luffy exclaimed suddenly, having noticed the sudden threat.

"Lieutenant Sarugaki!" Some Marines called out.

None of the brothers answered, too busy in assessing each other. Then, Yuuto lifted his broadsword with a grim expression on his face, dark flames coating the sharp edge of his weapon.

Koga also raised his katana, his face mirroring that of his brother's, but inside his heart and mind fought a relentless fight. It _hurt_ seeing his brother again, and it _hurt_ even more to still see that hateful look in his eyes. It made his heart bleed horrible, the multiple scars coating it opening _oh-so-excruciatingly-slowly._ His hand holding _Sankaoken_ trembled, his eyes showing the conflict in his mind.

That doubt didn't show on Yuuto's swift swing, though, as he suddenly stepped forwards and attacked him without any word. The chronicler blocked the slash directed to his torso, his knees buckling slightly at the strength of the attack but otherwise holding on. The flames roared dangerously close to his face and torso, the heat licking his skin but not quite reaching him– fortunately. Yuuto's face turned into a sneer as he lifted again his giant sword to plunge it against his own katana, and again and again, suddenly relentless. Koga blocked them all with gritted teeth, but not counterattacking even once, too distressed and doubting still in attacking his younger brother.

"Koga, what are you doing?!" He heard Sanji shout angrily from behind him.

The writer ignored him with gritted teeth, barely avoiding getting impaled by the enflamed weapon with a mighty push to the side of his katana. That left Yuuto wide open to a counterattack, but the blond young man ignored that opportunity with gritted teeth and conflicted eyes, and the dark-haired Marine took quick advantage of the opportunity to charge up his broadsword with dark flames and sliced up and wide. Cursing and knowing he couldn't block that attack, the chronicler jumped backwards, putting some distance between them once more and raising his still sealed katana with one hand.

Yuuto's muscles tensed, ready to launch himself at Koga again–

 **FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

… When suddenly a large wall of intense fire appeared out of thin air between the pirates and the Marines. At the same time, someone gripped the back of Koga's ropes and threw him away from the fire, landing on his butt beside a gaping Luffy.

Cursing loudly and getting on his feet, Koga saw the figure that saved him; a tall, muscled young man in his early-twenties, dressed only in black-knee shorts with an orange belt, black boots and a dagger in a green sheath hung at his left hip. He wore a red beaded necklace and an orange hat too. From behind Koga could only see his black hair and how pale he was, but then he noticed the tattoo drawn on his back, and his eyes widened.

Whitebeard's Jolly Roger.

"Just give it up," the unknown man said. "You may have the power of smoke, but mine is fire; a fight between us would be pointless."

Beside Koga, Luffy suddenly beamed in happiness. "Is that you, Ace?"

The man turned slightly towards Luffy's voice, also smiling. "You haven't changed a bit, Luffy."

"It _is_ you! You ate a Devil Fruit or something?!"

"Yeah, the Mera Mera Fruit." Ace then turned towards the Marines. "Now's probably not the time for chatting though; you guys get out of here, I'll catch up later!"

The Straw Hat captain nodded. "Right, let's go guys!"

Deciding to save the questions for later, Koga spared a glance at the wall of flames and the person who made it appear, before sheathing his katana and following after the others.

"Luffy, who's that guy back there?" Sanji asked, launching a large sack at Koga, who hurriedly hefted it over his shoulder.

"Do you know him?" Vivi also inquired.

Luffy laughed. "Yeah! He's my big brother!"

As the others yelled in surprise, Koga's eyes simply widened before returning to their original size, his mind checking what he knew about the Flame Man. Portgas D Ace, dubbed Fire Fist, and Second Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Quite a big fish, with a well-earned reputation judging the power he just displayed to save their necks a moment ago. Last he knew, however, was that Ace was captain of the Spades Pirates or something like that. What the hell happened that made Ace one of Whitebeard's subordinates?

It was only a few minutes later before they reached the Merry, everyone dashing around at their navigator's frantic orders. Supplies were saved in the storage room, the anchor raised, and the caravel set for their imminent departure.

At some point of the preparation though, all of them felt something… lacking.

"Uh guys… You feel like something is missing here?" Usopp dumbly asked.

"More like _someone_." Sanji groaned, facepalming in exasperation.

"That… idiot! How many times are we going to lose him?!" Nami turned to Vivi in a frenzy. "Is there any place where we can dock and wait for Luffy?"

"There's a cove a small distance north that will cover us." She responded, receiving a nod.

"Everyone! We have to move quickly before the Marines swarm the harbor! We'll dock again when things settle down so we can find Luffy!"

Koga helped the others in maneuvering the Merry out of port, while his mind mercilessly replayed the scene of Yuuto and himself fighting. He had expected finding his brother once more, just not so soon after entering the Grand Line. They were enemies after all, with him being a pirate and Yuuto joining the Marine ranks.

Seeking privacy after setting course, he went to the stern. Closing his eyes, his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as he breathed in, letting the air out slowly and with it, all the guilt and shame he had bottled up while his fight against Yuuto. His hands trembled when he looked down at them; he had pointed his sword against his own brother. His _family_! His throat closed in shame. For a moment, all he saw was red in his palms and even smelt the coppery liquid covering them, an unmoving body flashing in his mind like a stab wound right to the heart.

'If only _that_ didn't happen…'

 **BAM BAM!**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I'm back!"

The sudden noise brought Koga abruptly back to the present, thankfully. But still, the chronicler had to breathe deeply once more to calm his trembling hands before straightening his back and walking to the main deck, where the others were.

Seemed Luffy was back, and judging how Sanji was shaking him like a maraca, he had collided with the cook in his hastiness in coming back. His lips twitched in amusement, not drawing a smirk though; his mind was still too wrapped in what happened, too shocked to display any other emotion.

"… Throw you overboard!" The chef was yelling.

Luffy laughed and apologized in his 'I-say-I'm-sorry-but-I'm-really-not' attitude of his, before realizing something and looking around. "Where'd Ace go?"

"Your brother was with you?" Nami asked blinking as the captain freed himself from the cook's grasp and went to the railing, looking at the shore.

"Yeah… Oh well…" He quickly turned around. "Ace is strong."

"Is he really strong?" Chopper asked timidly.

"Yeah! Even before he ate that Devil Fruit, when we were kids even I couldn't beat him once when we fought!"

"The brother of a monster is also a monster…" Usopp murmured, a shiver running down his spine in terror at imagining the two siblings fighting each other and destroying everything around them.

"But if I fought him now, I'd kick his butt!" The captain proclaimed triumphal before storming into a loud laughter.

"Just who's butt…?" A familiar voice proclaimed just as a familiar shadow was cast over him from behind, leaping upon the railing and throwing the straw hat wearing kid forward to avoid being stomped on, "… could you kick, Luffy?"

"Oh hey, Ace!" The kid grinned widely. "These are the nakama I told you about before!"

"Hmmm? Oh, hello everyone." He bowed his head and smiled a… rather Luffy-esque grin. "Nice to meet you all. Thanks for taking care of my kid brother. He was no manners at all, and can burn your fingers on occasion…"

"Yes he has." Everyone but Koga said in harmony and returning the bow.

"I suppose you have something to tell us, so come on in to our cabin, I'll set up some tea." Sanji offered, lifting an unlit cigarette and his other hand searching for a lighter in his pockets.

"Ah, don't worry about it, but thanks for the offer." Ace bowed again and then lifted a finger; a small flame then lit the cook's cigar, surprising him.

As everyone was ogling the older brother, Koga suddenly felt the tingle of his intuition warning him of an incoming danger. His face hardened as he made his way to the bow and saw a fleet of Baroque Works ships heading straight for the Merry. For a fleeting moment he wished he had some sort of long-ranged weapon to hit them with and deal with the problem on the spot without alarming anyone–

"Baroque Works! Those are Billions ships!"

Uh, never mind now. They noticed already.

"Those guys again?" Luffy asked as everyone approached Koga and surrounded him.

"I'll take care of these guys, Luffy." Ace offered.

The captain nodded, and Ace hopped off the railing into a little boat propelled by his own fire lit on his feet. Everyone watched –the majority jaw-slacked– as Ace single-handedly destroyed all the ships engulfing them in a pillar of flames that reduced them to ashes–

 ** _A burning building, childish screams and shrieks piercing the eerie silent island._**

Koga blinked and brought a hand to his forehead, the sudden image that appeared on his mind lingering for a moment before vanishing as if it never occurred in the first place.

As the danger passed, the Straw Hat pirates picked Ace back aboard and their course resumed. Everyone scattered over the main deck, merrily goofing off (like Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, who were jokingly toasting on Ace's joining) or simply napping near them (of course, Zoro was the best example of that). The others, as in Sanji, Vivi, Nami and Carue simply stood on the upper deck, watching them fondly, occasionally laughing at some sibling quarrel.

And Koga…

Well, he had decided to watch everyone from near Zoro's snoring figure, back resting against the railing as he sat cross-legged, his elbows resting on his knees, watching the two brothers with an unknown intensity shining in his bicolored eyes. Everyone had instantly noticed his rather distant attitude but, though worried, no one tried to approach him and bug him with questions. For now.

Though his eyes were fixed on Luffy and Ace, Koga's mind was in reality very far away, in his memories, when he played with Karen and Yuuto, before the other kids of the orphanage –the friendly ones, of course– decided to join in with Koga's permission. They usually played when the boys were allowed a break between classes, which weren't often, and sometimes they would escape late in the night to play with the crickets and fireflies, telling stories around a warm fire –when it wasn't raining of course– or simply stargazing, a hobby Koga still retained from those fond memories.

A soft smile tug at the corners of his mouth, lowering his eyes to the wooden floor. He had almost forgotten how good his life had been in truth, even with the occasional beatings from both the teachers and the students that loathed him. He even considered himself fortunate; unlike him, all the other kids in the orphanage were really orphans, without anyone that really cared for them outside that God-forsaken building. He hadn't been alone, not completely at least.

"Koga?"

The chronicler snapped back from his memories at the sudden voice, blinking rapidly at seeing Chopper near him, innocently watching him with wide eyes. Behind him, the others were also watching him –some subtle, others not so much.

"What are you thinking about?" The reindeer asked in curiosity.

Out of instinct, Koga tried to raise his scarf to his nose to hide the fond smile, only to remember that it was still tied around his head; his hand lowered back to his lap. "Nothing. Just… happier moments, I suppose. With my… family."

"Your family?" Usopp piped up, confused. "I thought you said you were an orphan…"

"I lived in an orphanage, but I had family outside. Not by blood, but… Well, you know."

He fidgeted a bit; all his stance revealed how uncomfortable he was about talking of his own past.

"Who are they?" Chopper asked him with a sweet voice, a grand smile on his face. "Can you tell us about them?"

'Crap, damn those eyes of his…' The writer silently cursed, looking at the reindeer's gigantic eyes before sighing and turning his head to the sky.

"There's my granddad. He's… old, that's the word that best describes him. Likes to talk about magic and legends, a lot. He taught me everything I know about writing, and even encouraged me to begin writing my own tales. Told me he used to be a pirate but honestly, I don't believe him." He softly snorted, but fondly. "He loves alcohol and flowers; he had a pretty garden too. I wonder if he still has it after all this time."

That last sentence came out as a whisper to himself. The others were quietly listening; not used to him talking so much about himself, they didn't dare interrupting him when he willingly delivered some information. Even after being coerced by Chopper's big eyes.

His eyes then grew significantly darker as he thought about the other members of his family. Should he talk, or keep quiet about them? He could talk about Yuuto, or at least relatively, but Karen? It _hurt_ simply think about her…

"… I also have a younger brother. He and I uh… Well, we're not in the best terms for now. Haven't been in the last few years. After I… left the island, I couldn't even say goodbye to him, or to the old man." He let out another sigh, somewhat self-scorning and angry. "Should've told him _something_ at least. Now he can't even see me without that… that _killing intent_."

Koga bit his lips, not looking anywhere but his lap. At his side, he saw Zoro move and look at him with an unexpectedly serious gaze, and his throat constricted painfully.

'He's realized.' He thought.

"… So, that's why you didn't fight against him. Neither here, nor in Loguetown."

"Sarugaki… Of course." Sanji then spoke up.

"Hold on, I don't get it…" Usopp interrupted, looking at the three of them.

"It's easy, Usopp…" A bitter smile drew on Koga's scarred face, his eyes haunted by memories and remorse and guilt. "My little brother… His name is Yuuto Sarugaki, and he's a Marine. Lieutenant, from what I heard."

Silence. Then…

"HUH?!"

"You– you mean that guy with the flaming sword?! He's your little brother?!"

"Man, talking about sworn enemies in the family…" Ace let out a soft whistle.

"What's his deal then? Why's he trying to kill you?" Sanji glared at him with his only visible eye.

"It's… a long story." 'And too painful to even remember.' He completed in his mind, but didn't dare say it. "Suffice to say that now he absolutely hates my guts."

And he also was beginning to feel horribly _sick_ for raising his weapon against his own brother, even if it was to defend himself with.

After an uncomfortable silence, and deciding to give an end to unwanted confessions, the chronicler stood up and went to the men's quarters.

"Where are you going?" Nami asked in confusion.

"I have to upload the logbook. Who knows when I'll be able to do it before getting into trouble, again."

In fact, he was so caught up in the logbook that he didn't come out until they arrived shortly after their next destination, Erumalu. As he came out, he noticed the others had already set off the ship and were watching Vivi putting a message inside Carue's cloak, revealing the secrets the princess and Igaram discovered while working undercover in Baroque Works to her father Cobra.

"Can you do this for me, Carue?" The giant duck gave a hearty quack and a salute and Vivi smiled, although hesitantly. "Be sure to conserve your water, okay?"

"Good luck! You can do it, duck!" Luffy cheered with a big smile on his face.

After a few more words of farewell, the valiant duck finally departed and, when it got out of their sights, the pirate crew, Vivi and Ace went aboard again towards Erumalu.

 **xXxFEW MINUTES LATERxXx**

There weren't any problems as they docked at Erumalu, except Sanji's disconformity at Vivi and Nami's new attires –which consisted in full-wearing robes that covered them from head to toe, as the others (except Ace, who seemed unaffected by heat). Vivi explained to him that otherwise they would have grave sunburns, but she doubted those words entered the cook's thick skull as he wailed rolling on the deck.

Just after dropping the anchor, strange seal-turtle creatures suddenly leaped from underwater into the shore, blocking their path.

Vivi inhaled in surprise. "Kung-Fu Dugongs!"

Koga cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. He had read and heard about Kung-Fu Dugongs, but hadn't actually encountered one before. They looked kinda… cute.

"'If you want to come ashore you have to beat me! And if you're too afraid, go dock on the other shore you wimps!', is what he says." Chopper translated what the Kung-Fu Dugong that looked like the leader… only because he was slightly bigger than the rest.

"I can't stand down after being called a wimp…" Usopp stated boldly, lifting himself onto the railing before leaping to the shore.

"Wait, Usopp-san!" Vivi cried out.

 **BAMBAMBAM!**

The result? A complete beating from the Kung-Fu Dugong left Usopp laying in a bloody pulp as the seal-turtle hybrid stood triumphant.

"Kung-Fu Dugongs are incredibly strong!" The princess yelled, finishing the warning she had meant to send Usopp before he threw himself into 'combat'.

 **BAMBAMBAM!**

"YEAH, I WON!" Luffy then proclaimed from a ways upon the shore, a Dugong with a massive lump on its head sitting in front of him.

"Winning is even _worse_! Once you defeat a Dugong, it'll pledge to become your disciple!"

 **BAMBAMBAM!**

"I WIN AGAIN!" This time dozens of Dugongs laid on the ground around him.

"He has an army of Dugongs now…" The princess wailed in despair, and Koga patted her back.

"Give it a rest, you know how he is."

"Okay, ready to head to Yuba!"

"WE CAN'T TAKE THEM WITH US IDIOT!" Everyone but Ace and Koga yelled, the two older boys deciding to stand aside with small grins on their faces.

It was difficult to convince the Dugongs to _not_ follow them, but in the end Chopper managed to do it… in exchange of half their provisions, much to everyone's chagrin. Seriously, they had just bought the food not even a day ago, and now they had to ration it?

But at least they could continue their journey, without the Dugongs following them.

During the small walk towards Yuba, Koga strode behind everyone else, hands on his pants pockets as he silently cursed the heat. He hadn't entered the desert yet, but wasn't actually looking forward to it.

"Hey."

The writer raised his head in curiosity to see Ace walking beside him, a friendly smile on his face.

"Don't wanna bug you buddy. If you wanna be alone, I'll let you. I just…" He lost his smile as he looked at Luffy's back. "I understand you, you know. I wouldn't be able to do anything that would harm my brother either."

Surprised by that confession, the chronicler blinked. It looked as if the other man could actually sympathize with him, and that brought a small smile to his scarred face.

"… I know. The case is, I haven't been a good older brother to Yuuto," he flinched at the name, "and I think now I can't reach him as such. I fear that I will have to approach him as an enemy to actually stop him."

"I think you're doing good as you're doing now."

"Huh?" Koga looked back at Ace, his bicolored eyes slightly wider.

"Whatever his feelings may be, he's still your younger brother. The moment you identify yourself as his enemy might destroy your relationship as siblings, or even both your lives. But, if you don't fight back, it is you who may lose your life."

"So, what do I do?"

Ace stopped walking for a moment, with the chronicler instinctively imitating him. Smiling, the paler man put a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"Keep being his brother. When he fights against you, try to reach him as a brother would do, but don't let him kill you. You won't do well to him if you're dead you know."

Koga snorted good-naturedly. "Easier said than done…"

"Nah, you'll manage, I'm sure of it!" Ace laughed, shaking his shoulder a bit before releasing him. "Ah, the hardships of being an older brother, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it." Both of them shared a genuine smile.

"HEY YOU TWO!" Usopp yelled to the pair. "If you don't hurry we'll leave you behind!"

"Coming!" The fire-man answered loudly, shaking a hand, before muttering almost to himself. "Is Yuba growing legs and running when we aren't looking though? What's the hurry?"

"Well you know…" Koga began walking ahead of him. "We have to stop a rebellion and the death of millions of people. Oh, and defeat a Shichibukai."

"You have it easy, huh?"

And he smirked over his shoulder at Ace. "Oh, it's just the hardships of being an older brother."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Wow, I'm quite satisfied with this chapter, I liked it a lot. We have now formally introduced Ace in the fic (cue Ace fangirls xD), and also we reencountered Yuuto! God, Koga and Yuuto has such a difficult relationship… I particularly have a brother, but we get along very well (surprisingly enough) so it's quite difficult for me to depict a hateful younger brother towards his elder. Hopefully I managed, I dunno.**

 **Well, I'll see you guys next week! Probably I'll begin posting the chaps on Saturdays, seeing that Tuesdays had begun to be quite a task for me to find time to upload a new chap.**

 **So, I love you all, please leave some nice/criticizing comments! No flames though, I hate them xD See ya!**


	40. Desert Storming

**40\. Desert Storming**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **OH GOD THE DESERT~! Can I just skip the majority of it so everything goes quicker, please~? I just don't like the parts regarding Scorpion and the Sand Pirates. Ugh, lame.**

 **Sorry for making the chap so awfully short BTW. So little time~!**

 **-14fox: Hey, nice to read from you again! Thanks so much ^^! Uuuh, puberty, that's awful. My brother and I have a couple years of difference, and I'm younger than him. I actually get along with him mostly because both of us love videogames and manga and stuff like that, so it actually connects me with him. Of course we have some minor fights but nothing we can solve! Mostly because our parents get pissed at us if we don't xD Don't worry about rocky moments though, they'll pass by and your brother and you will be fine again, you'll see! Though I'm glad to hear that you're getting along better, that's an improvement!**

 **-zerom1v: Hahahahaha, here it is, the continuation! Hope you like it too!**

 **-Boopadoop: Thanks! Yeah, Koga will be here for far more chaps, I assure you! Hopefully in this arc I'll post an image of Koga's looks. You'll have to wait, but I can say that mostly his most defining characteristics are the heterochromatic eyes, the scar covering his face and the tattoo on his chest. He's not chubby or fitty, about average I'd say, and his skin is tanned –not as much as Usopp's though. Oh, and he's slightly taller than Zoro. Oops, that's a mistake I have to correct xD Thanks for the tip ^^!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Thanks, it's good to hear from you again ^^! I can't really say yet, but no, he's not an exorcist (he won't have that level anyways… Maybe there will be in the future?). I'd say his powers are somewhat related to what Jinbei can do.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

After witnessing the sad remains of what used to be Erumalu, the Green City, Vivi told them of the Alabasta of old, before the existence of a drought that later on would become its ruin and the instrument of power of a pitiless group called Baroque Works. According to their expert in meteorology Nami, Dance Powder actually 'steals' rain from a country to give to another, explaining it so the dumbs in the group could barely understand it.

Though Koga actually doubted they understood, even dumbing the explanation so much.

'Don't people get the evil vibes from him whenever they find him wandering around?' The chronicler wondered to himself while walking alongside the rest of the crew through the ruins of Erumalu.

 _Most people don't have that 'preservation instinct' you feel so attached to, shitty owner. Even more those who supposedly live under the protection of the Marines and/or ulterior forces._

'… Huh. Been long since I last heard about you.'

 _Missed me?_

'Not a bit.'

 _Me neither. You're a major pain in the ass._

'I should be the one saying that. After all, you're the parasite in my body and mind.'

He frowned and was about to reply when something semi-buried in sand called his attention, near a completely destroyed building that looked much like the others. Cocking his head to the side in puzzlement, he glanced briefly at the crew before silently stepping away, crouching beside the half-buried object, his hand grazing away the sand.

It was nothing but a teddy bear. Old, worn out, missing a hind leg and a button-eye. The once light green lace around its neck had long lost its original color, and the cotton popped out from several gashes along its stomach and back.

Face devoid of all emotion, the chronicler raised his sunglasses to his head and watched the old plush toy, his other hand caressing the deep gashes.

"Hey little guy…" He murmured, noticing then something knitted on the side of its neck, right under the white-ish lace. "So your name's Bob, huh? Where's your owner?" He sighed, realizing how stupid he looked talking to a broken toy. "I suppose you can't answer that."

"Koga-san?" Vivi called to him. The blond turned his head slightly to see from the corner of his eye the crew gathered around the princess, looking at his direction and wondering about the hold up. "Is something the matter?"

"No…" His bicolored gaze looked down again at the teddy bear in his hand. "It's nothing. Just… never mind."

The bluenette lowered her gaze to the ground and then looked around at the desolate village, once full of life. Ace finished burying a skeleton they had found earlier and everyone gathered around it in respect. Nami looked at the chronicler and extended a hand, silently requesting the plush toy he had found. With a sigh, he obeyed, and the navigator went to put it on the tomb…

… When she suddenly stopped, feeling something in the teddy bear.

"There's something inside its stomach." The redhead declared with confusion. As gently as she could, as if she were dealing with real injuries, her fingers expertly took the cotton out and discovered a folded paper. She unfolded and looked at it with a furrowed brow. "An old photo…"

And then her entire frame stiffened.

"What? What's the matter Nami-san?" Sanji asked in worry at her sudden stillness.

Leaving the stuffed bear on top of the pile of rocks, she incorporated and handed the photo to Koga, surprising him and everyone else.

"Take it."

Frowning, he obeyed, eyeing the photo.

A small family was portrayed on it, smiling at the camera with big, face-splitting grins. They were standing in front of a two-stories building. A giant bulk of a man stood behind the delicate frame of a woman holding a kid no older than two years old.

The man was heavily muscled, had a rather bushy red beard and a red afro hair complimenting it. Scars covered his uncovered arms folded over his chest, barely noticeable because of the lightness of his skin. Big green eyes sparkled with something inside them, something that made Koga think of those looks bodyguards had, but he didn't know where he got that thought. He wore the typical sleeveless striped white-and-green tunic covering his entire body.

The woman, though, stirred something deep in Koga's mind and heart. She had a gentle face, her smile warm and welcoming, pale skin that looked silky. But her frame looked too delicate and too skinny, her smile had a tense tone under it, and the grip on the kid she held in her arms seemed vicious, as if afraid of letting him go. The kid looked fine though, not too chubby or too skinny, something in the middle, and had the typical innocent-looking wide grin on his face, his hand waving in the direction of the cameraman.

But it was their eyes what made Koga understand Nami's sudden tense frame. Surprise filled him and showed in his bicolored eyes and face.

Their eyes, they were the same.

 _Left one golden, right one silver_.

"Holy shi– What is this?" He murmured, unable to keep his voice or face inexpressive.

"I hoped you could answer that." Nami's voice brought him back to the present. "Are those your parents, Koga?"

"I uh…" He swallowed, his throat and mouth feeling dry. "I don't know. I don't remember anything before my stay at the orphanage."

"But that kid looks just like you!" Luffy exclaimed, watching over his shoulder at the photo.

"Yeah… That's one of the many things that bother me…"

'You don't happen to know a thing about this, do you?' He mentally asked _Sankaoken_ , who merely chuckled darkly in response. 'I'll take that as a yes but you won't intend to tell me either way.'

Bottling as many feelings as he could inside and trying to bring his mind back to the present, the writer stared at the photo in his hand harshly before sighing and folding it again, saving it in his pants pocket. Then, without waiting for the others, he began walking towards the road directed to the desert surrounding Erumalu.

"Koga, where are you going?!" Usopp shouted at him.

"There are bigger and more important issues at stake than my past, don't you think?" He replied not looking back. "C'mon, that stupid Kohza and his army won't be stopped if we stand here."

"Koga-san, you're going the wrong way! Yuba's over there!"

A few hours later, the Straw Hat crew –alongside Ace and Vivi– struggled against the scorching sun the best they could, most of them moaning in protest and tiredness. Luffy were one of the first ones in protesting about the heat, the thirst and the hunger, followed shortly by Usopp. The only ones who seemed at ease with the heat were Ace –not surprising– and Koga, though his sour mood kept everyone at bay.

Poor Chopper also fell, but it was understandable; being a creature from a Winter Island, and having that thick fur of his, it was only matter of time before the heat would take its toll on him. Taking pity on him, Koga proposed him to travel on his shoulders and he would enhance his heat resistance. The reindeer gladly accepted and both kept an interesting conversation about Koga's Devil Fruit powers, the little doctor no longer affected by the sensation of being scorched up alive.

The writer explained that his Devil Fruit powers, despite having the ability of providing a 'virtual invincibility', as his own grandfather named it once, they didn't give it entirely. Namely, the only thing he could enforce were his actual abilities, the ones that were exclusively physical. But the sensations, the feelings, they were just that, and even if he could strengthen the pain resistance all people had, the pain would still be there. Thus, the blond concluded, when faced with a broken arm, he could shut out the pain and even work with that arm, but that didn't change the fact that it was broken; in fact, if he were to force the arm, he would break it irreversibly.

Chopper meditated as the chronicler finished speaking, and then an idea popped out in his head. "So hey, you could raise your resistance in every way, right? But can you raise your weaknesses?"

"Huh?"

"Right now, for example, you're raising your natural resistance against heat to cope with it, right? Could you do the other way around, raise your natural _weakness_ against heat?"

"You mean if I could… make them feel scorched up?" He finished the sentence with a question, not sure if that was what the doctor meant.

"Yeah!"

"Uh, I _suppose_ I could, but I don't know what it… Wait a minute, you implying that I should use my Devil Fruit powers that way in a fight?"

"Yeah, but… I suppose by your voice that it doesn't thrill you much."

"Well, I already use my Devil Fruit powers, but using them to blind them from pain is not my idea of an honorable fighting, Chopper." He let out a confused 'Huh?' in return. "It's bad enough that I'm cheating by reinforcing my own strengths against the enemy; I would feel even worse if I take advantage of my enemy's weaknesses."

He couldn't help but to let a sour smile creep on his scarred face, remembering that those were the words his own brother Yuuto used when he got caught in a fight and revealed his Devil Fruit powers for the first time.

 ** _"Those are the powers of a cheater."_** The blue-eyed boy had declared that day.

At first he thought it had been a simple declaration, without intent of offending him, but as the years passed, it was evident that his opinion on the Kaizen Kaizen Fruit didn't improve in the slightest.

Thinking about his brother sent another painful pang to his heart, and the smile dropped, replaced by self-loathing. Would he reunite with him again? And if so, could he explain and talk out any misunderstanding they had?

"Man, why are these dune so freaking _tall_?!" Usopp complained suddenly, bringing Koga out of his small reverie. "I thought deserts were supposed to be flatter than this!"

Then Vivi explained to them that this was an ancient desert with dunes that could reach over 300 meters; that little datum didn't exactly improve everyone's overall moods.

"Ah~! I can't stand it~! It's so hot~!" Luffy moaned in obvious exhaustion, practically dragging his body along with his walking stick.

Nami sighed. "Luffy! Just one mouthful, okay?"

"Who had the terribly wrong idea of giving our water supply to our dumb captain?" Koga breathed out, mostly talking to the heavens in search of an answer.

Beaming in happiness, the rubbery idiot chuckled a bit as he put the water tube in his mouth and started to pump his mouth full to the brims with water. Which, considering he was practically made of rubber…

"THAT'S TOO MUCH!" Nami shouted at him and bonked him in the head, provoking him to spur all the water in his mouth in a long stream.

"Save some for me too! You just took 18 mouthfuls!" The sharpshooter also protested, hitting him too in the head.

"Hold it Usopp! You had some before!" Sanji went into the fight too.

And thus the brawl began, Luffy, Usopp and the cook wasting their energy in a useless fight, with a worried-looking Vivi pleading them not to fight and let that precious strength go to waste. Of course, it went into deaf ears, until Nami decided to 'reason' with them… by bashing their skulls together and 'asking them nicely' to behave.

A small smile drew upon his face, and then at last peace settled between the three of them. Out of all of them, only Ace and Zoro coped with the heat in silence; even Vivi let out a word or two of protest, mostly only heard by Nami.

The journey continued mostly in silence; mostly, because –as much as they _wished_ to– Luffy couldn't shut up about his constant complains. Sure it brought some sort of break out of the monotony of the tiring walk through the desert, but the moans were beginning to feel even more tiring than the heat itself and the monotony.

So, as night began setting in and the group finally found a nice-looking rock formation to set camp, everyone sighed in deep relief. After putting Chopper down on his feet, Koga helped out with the setting up of the small tents they brought with and the small fire. Luffy was already chanting for food –much to Sanji's chagrin– while everyone else huddled for warmth. Of course, their expert in Alabastan deserts –A.K.A Vivi– explained how the sand provoked these changes in temperature, raising it during daytime and dropping it massively at night… though the chronicler was convinced the only ones who actually listened to her explanation were Nami and himself– only because he happened to sit near them both.

"Koga, do you remember anything during your time here in Alabasta?" Nami suddenly asked during dinner, munching on a delicious meat that Sanji had expertly cooked.

"Hm? Well, a few things." The writer looked at him in puzzlement. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Oh, I was just wondering how it was, meeting a princess and such…"

"Well, we have quite a few memories together…" Vivi smiled gently. "I was just a child, and I would look up at him as if he were my older brother."

"Shut up…" The chronicler muttered, blushing madly and trying to hide it behind his scarf– that he had lowered around his neck for the night. The bluenette simply smiled at his obvious discomfort.

"Though I would stay with Kohza and my other friends while Koga-san was often off in the library or with my father and the Royal Generals." Her face saddened for a moment when she remembered Igaram's death.

"That brat, huh. What kind of ideas he has on that airhead of his to do this whole thing?"

"Did you know him too?" Nami asked the blond chronicler. "The leader of the rebellion?"

"Well, to put it mildly…" Vivi attempted to answer with an uneasy smile–

"He has the biggest mouth I've ever seen in my life, is disrespectful to his elders, can't stand still in one place and has a lot to learn about–"

"Come on, Koga-san, he's not that bad!" Vivi laughed, while the writer simply huffed with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Last time he put an untasteful prank concerning some golden statues and hardly washable paints! I can still hear Chaka and the dogs following me, and then being watched while _I_ washed the stains!"

"That was one time!"

"And what about the baths and the maids? I won't even describe them, I bet you can imagine what happened then."

"Well, that's…"

"Oh, and let's not forget about the cooks and the super-hot spicy sauce sprayed on a random guard's bed. And who was unfortunate enough to be near those pranks when they happened? Oh yeah: _me_!"

"Hold on, so you were blamed for putting all those pranks?" Zoro barely managed to say between laughter. In fact, everyone was laughing while Koga enumerated the unfortunate events he had been so unjustly declared culprit of.

With a blush so red his scarf couldn't hide anymore, the chronicler stumbled on his words –something that rarely happened unless he was really ashamed or embarrassed. "Sh– shut up! None of them were funny!"

"Well, admit that at least _a bit_ funny they were!" Vivi giggled.

"No they _weren't_! Not a damn bit!"

After a few more laughs, Chopper piped up with another question on his own. "And what did you do with Vivi's father and the Royal Generals?"

Much calmer after that shameful topic, Koga actually managed to smirk down at him. "Oh, Cobra and I would play shogi a lot. The Generals often helped me out."

"You play shogi?" Most of them perked up in interest.

"Well, I just play for fun, I'm not really that good of a strategist." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"But Father used to tell me that you were really good!" The princess spoke in surprise, what she remembered clearly not like what he was telling. "That he would have problems beating you if you had the strategy well formed!"

"Did he say that…?" His hand lowered to his lap and absentmindedly tapped his fingers against his canteen of water. "That's… nice of him. But I think he would beat me now."

"Huh? Why?"

"I've gotten a bit rusty. And besides…" He smirked a bit, looking at everyone in the eye. "Now my priorities had changed quite a bit since I last played against Cobra. Everything would change now if we were to play against each other."

The others looked at him in confusion, but the bicolor-eyed young man didn't elaborate further. Deciding to bring an end to the conversation –at least regarding himself– Koga proposed having the first guarding shift while the others rested, not feeling all that tired after having a good meal.

That, and that he had a lot on his head right now to think about before going to sleep.

As he climbed up a small formation of rocks to better see the stars above their heads, he lied down on his back with his hands crossed behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

He didn't think about the photo they had found in Erumalu, or at least not yet. He would think about it the next day, in the morning. He wanted to rest after all.

First, his thoughts swiveled around his memories of himself playing shogi against Cobra. The King had been the one in teaching him the most basic things about the tactical game, and had slowly but surely helped him improve in his rather rusty analytical mind.

* * *

 **xXxNINE YEARS AGOxXx**

 **"And that's how you end the game." Cobra smiles as he settles down his piece over my king.**

 **"Dammit." I curse leaning back on the chair, not at all pleased at being once more beaten by him. Surprisingly, the old man actually chuckles at my frustration, making me glare at him.**

 **"You were actually pretty close to beating me. See? If you had moved the rook here instead of here…"**

 **"What does it matter now? I couldn't beat you!"**

 **Cobra puts the rook back where it was, still smiling warmly at me. It still amazes and puzzles me, how he can smile to me in that fatherly way.**

 **"That's because your mind…" He points at my forehead, and my hand flies there, "still has to mature a bit more. But do not despair, Koga-kun, you're really close."**

 **"I can't see how…" I mutter under my breath.**

 **Cobra smiles warmly again, then leans forwards, his elbows resting on the table. "Look at the table. What do you see?"**

 **I obey, analyzing the pieces on my side and the ones on his. Scattered through the small 9x9 board, I have my king cornered by one of his silver knights and the rook that ended the game. The only other piece I had was the rook that was practically trapped by a lance and the bishop.**

 **"You have more pieces on the table than me." I mutter quietly.**

 **"Wrong." He smiles. "But it was a close guess. Keep thinking."**

 **My face scrunches in concentration, seeing the formation of his pieces and mine. Finally, after not getting what he wants from me, I look up at his sage eyes.**

 **"My pieces are made to protect my king, as are yours to protect your king. Each of them has their purpose, their room to improvement and their flaws, but united they are powerful, forming the links of an unbreakable chains. Tell me, are your pieces joined together?"**

 **"… No." I begrudgingly admit.**

 **"You risk your pieces by throwing after my pieces individually. Thus, your king is left unprotected. My king is heavily protected by an army that works together as a unity. They risk, but they don't get into danger alone. That's why even having falls, they are not as disastrous as yours."**

 **My face gets sour at what I interpret as a soft scolding, but a smile actually manages to relax my expression a bit. He then lifts his king piece up to his eye level, as if examining a fragment of fine jewel.**

 **"You follow a pretty common strategy, the 'Spear Tip Strategy'. It's rather risky, but it often gives a quick victory to those who are good analyzers and preemptive in what the enemy would act. You have already one of these qualities: being as quiet and calm as you are, you're quick of thought and easily catch what others don't." I smile at that small triumph at least. "But you still lack that ability to preempt how your rival would react. As I said earlier, if you had moved this rook here…" Again, he moves my rook and settles it down, "then I would've fallen much earlier, and maybe it would've ended in your victory."**

 **I nod, serious, analyzing his words and saving them in my memory.**

 **"My strategy, however, is called the 'Iron Wall Strategy'. As you can imagine, it's much more defensive, and much less prone to lose pieces in the early game. It requires an ample and versatile mind to quickly come up with a backup plan in case something goes wrong and the rival manages to penetrate the wall protecting the king. As you suppose, mine was not the best of the strategies against yours, but you required a sharper mind."**

 **I nod again, and then frown. "But, if the 'Spear Tip Strategy' is not adequate for me, then which is?"**

 **Cobra smiles, and reclining back on his chair he expertly tosses the king piece to the air and catches it back again on his hand.**

 **"That is an answer you have to find out on your own, Koga-kun. But I'll give you a clue," he chuckles when he notices my defeated expression, and then holds up the piece again, "that's related with this."**

 **"Uh…" I blink, confused. "I don't get it."**

 **"You know the importance of the king, right? It's a figure that has to be protected, to keep the game going on. In order words, it's the most important figure out of all you have on the board. Your strategy –and mine too, of course– is based on what you are _willing_ to risk to protect the king. Every strategy, every single one, handles the pieces on the table differently –even the king. Some consider all the pieces equally important to the king, and are unwilling to sacrifice them so easily, trusting in numbers to overwhelm and defeat their rivals."**

 **"That's your strategy." I try to keep up with his logic, and he nods approvingly.**

 **"Yes, that's right. However, there are others that consider the pieces not easily expendable, but necessary sacrifices in order for two or three of them to reach victory. They are considered cold-blooded, or even darkly determined to achieve their goals whatever happens; but personally, I think that those people simply haven't reached the realization of what is really important to them. Their judgment, though as true as all the others, are often misguided and clouded."**

 **"Ah–" I mutter, blinking.**

 **Does that mean that I still have to find out what's really important to me to form a different strategy that would help me win every battle I face…?**

 **"I see you're beginning to understand." Cobra smiles at me, setting down the piece on the board, on its rightful place. "Would you like another round?"**

 **"… Yeah." Each of us organize our pieces in their places, and were about to begin when a question suddenly pops out on my mind. "Cobra-sama?"**

 **"Hm?" He mutters, not looking up. His face is hardened from concentration.**

 **"What means your king? What's more important for you?"**

 **This time he smiles, but still doesn't look at me. "Why? Do you think my answer will let you satisfied?"**

 **I shrug. "I won't know until I ask."**

 **"That's true, that's very true."**

 **He then begins his move, one piece moving forwards, before looking at me with sudden solemn eyes.**

 **"My dear boy, my king is…"**

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! Sorry for leaving like this, but this memory is one of Koga's most significant ones, and I want the moment to be absolutely perfect!**

 **And about shogi itself, I will post the rules and everything later on, sorry.**

 **So, I love you all, please leave some nice/criticizing comments! No flames though, I hate them xD See ya!**


	41. Alabastan Wonders

**41\. Alabastan Wonders**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **-zerom1v: Hehehe, I enjoyed a lot writing about them xD Here's the update, hope you like it ^^!**

 **-Boopadoop: Thanks! This one's short too, sorry xD Oh wow, thanks! I'd like to see what you have drawn, mine's taken from an Avatar Creator website (rinmarugames), but I can't put the scar properly or the tattoo on his chest, a bit annoying to tell you the truth. And nope, there won't be any kind of romance, sorry. Not because I don't want them, but because I suck horribly at writing them xD But where did you see that romance? With Vivi perhaps? Keep commenting they make up my day ^^!**

 **-Jag: Oh well, he's lived a lot. His past can be classified mainly in two parts: one, his past in the orphanage at his home island, and the other when he got out and began travelling around the four seas. Karen's death and his Contract with _Sankaoken_ divide these two parts.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi hi! Thanks, I'll try to keep up like this then! Hm, not exactly an important family like Sanji, but good catch! Oh yeah, Naruto inspiration xD I just loved that scene. Oh those Arcs... They'll give me a huge headache 'cause I still don't know what to do in them xD**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Waking up to a sandstorm wasn't exactly ideal, but having their tents snatched up right in front of their eyes… Well, that was _worse_. And in the aftermath, having a freaking _scorpion_ slipping into your pants, that was absolute _hell_. Fortunately it didn't attack Koga with its sting, too startled and dizzy because of the sudden sandstorm, but it still freaked him out enough to squash it under his feet… with a few badmouthed curses accompanying the act.

"Just my luck…" The chronicler sighed as everyone else gathered whatever they could from under the sand and began retaking the path, this time without their precious tents.

It sucked, but nothing would solve that.

This time, the walk was more or less like the day before, though Luffy complained about his hunger instead of his thirst. He kept bugging the guys to eat the pirate bentos already, until Vivi proposed him to eat when they next spotted some outcropping of rocks.

"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed, his spirits suddenly going up at the perspective of eating soon. "Hey guys! Let's hurry up to the next outcropping! Whoever wins at Janken carries all the baggage!"

"Don't decide things on your own!" Sanji roared before blinking in realization. "Isn't it usually the _loser_ who carries the baggage…?"

Fortunately, the captain was too busy screaming and hurrying them up to care about what his cook had just said.

Everyone gathered in a tight circle, with Vivi behind trying to keep them going.

"Okay, here we go!" Hands were lifted, everyone minus Luffy exchanging meaningful looks. "JAN! KEN! PON!"

…

"YEAH, I WON!" Of course, Luffy shouted in glee. But seconds after that he understood his mistake. "OH NO, I WON!"

Koga smirked and clapped him in the back as the others began unloading their cargo. "Sucks to be always the winner, right?"

And so their captain carried all their stuff, thus resulting in more moaning from his part… this time adding the heaviness to his protests. The others went ahead of him, no longer (literally) burdened by their cargo, and Nami mercilessly urged him to keep on with their path and to not drop anything.

The situation only lasted about half an hour before Usopp announced the sight of a rocky area very akin to their former sleeping arrangements, and as if revived from the dead, Luffy suddenly boosted up and bolted on ahead of them, the sled of luggage he had to carry raising a cloud of dust in his wake.

Not even five minutes later they saw him come back hurriedly, without the provisions.

"Chopper! Hurry!" He shouted at the top of his lungs once he was near enough. "There's a bunch of injured birds back there!"

Sharing looks between them, the group followed after the captain towards the rock formations, only to find the luggage magically gone and the birds the raven-haired teen told them about nowhere to be found either.

Koga sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Luffy, can I ask you something?"

"They were here, I saw them!" The captain protested.

"I know that. Just… How did these birds look like? Like herons?"

"Uh, yeah, I suppose. Why?"

Vivi gaped, and the writer sighed again in exasperation, facepalming. "Next time, before entering the desert, we must warn the people about its dangers. Got it, Vivi?"

He glanced sardonically at the princess, who positively flushed a deep red before stuttering a bleak "Yes sir."

"Well, I suppose I must count myself in. Forgot to tell them too."

"Tell us about what?" Zoro raised his eyebrow while crossing his arms over his chest.

The bluenette actually apologized to them all for forgetting to warn them about the Stealer Birds that live to fool and steal random travelers. As Sanji got angry at Luffy for being deceived by a bunch of birds and leaving them without supplies to survive the desert, Koga's scarred face scrunched in worry, his hand scratching the light stubble around his jaw.

'We had enough pressure with crossing the desert as fast as we can to reach the Rebels, but without our provisions, I doubt we can even get away from these outcroppings.' He thought glumly. 'Maybe we had just signed our own death warrant with this.'

 _Talking about positivism here._

'Hey, I'm realistic.'

Soon afterwards the swan-like creatures that tricked Luffy came back to gloat at them and their despair. Of course, the teen came berserk at their glee and roared to give them back their stuff, beating them to a pulp with the other members of the Monster Quartet's help. It didn't help to return their things, but at least they had some grub to fill their stomachs with. However, Luffy was stupid enough to continue to stick with his duty to return their stuff and followed after the heron leader. The others had no choice but to wait for him in the outcroppings.

Just as Koga was about to finish his meal, his intuition suddenly chimed in alert. Dropping the half-eaten meat, his face hardened and stood up with a hand over _Sankaoken_ 's hilt, the other grabbing the scabbard.

"What is it?" Nami, as well as the others, looked up at him at the sudden movement.

"Something's coming." He curtly answered, watching their surroundings.

"Is it Luffy?" Zoro rose and got to his side, Sanji going to his other side.

A massive cloud of dust was swiftly approaching them. Koga enhanced his eyesight and distinguished Luffy, atop a panicking camel, which were pursued by… was that a moving mountain of sand?

"Yeah, it's him alright."

"What in the world?" Sanji questioned when the others saw the scene approaching them by the second.

"Something's underneath the sand…" Zoro stated, bringing out his swords.

Koga imitated him, _Sankaoken_ morphing into the broadsword.

The sand sifted away completely and out from underground popped out a gigantic purple lizard with massive fangs.

"A Great Sandora Lizard!" Vivi gasped.

"What star was I born under to give me all this damn trouble?"

The writer heard the swordsman grumble that under his breath, before the three of them darted off towards the lizard to put it down. Luffy greeted them gleefully before turning on his heels to help beating the thing to a pulp. One blow from each of them was enough to defeat it, and they didn't even break a sweat.

Another ring of his intuition made the chronicler turn in time to see another Sandora Lizard appearing and soon being fried off –curtsy of Ace.

At least the sudden danger brought their captain back, some good meat to replenish their stomachs, and also a camel who seemingly knew Chopper from Nanohana, saving him from a hairy situation. Judging how it was saddled and carrying –meager– provisions, Vivi concluded that this was no wild animal.

"A camel may save our lives out there." Koga scratched his stubble once more, the sweat itching him there. The katana was already back in its sheath. "And at least two of us can mount it to rest their legs. Not a bad find."

"Alright, then I go first!" Luffy proclaimed, attempting to mount the critter.

 **ÑAC!**

"OW!" The camel munched on his rubbery head, and he dropped to the ground. He glared at the stupid animal in anger. "What was that for?!"

The camel began to mumble, and Chopper quickly began to translate. "'I thank you for the timely rescue. I am but a freedom-loving, hard-boiled chivalrous camel… but I do not allow males to ride me.'"

That brought the guys –mainly Sanji, Luffy and Usopp –to begin kicking the crap out of the poor animal, while the others merely stood aside, unwilling to participate in such childish beating.

"Aww~! Did my precious bandits hurt you~?" Nami swooned, the camel's eyes instantly turning into hearts the moment she touched its snout. "What should we call you, boy?"

"Idiot."

"Dumbass."

"Pervert."

"Said the pot to the kettle." Koga murmured to Zoro, who huffed in agreement.

"I think we'll call you Eyelashes!" Nami announced, mounting on its saddle and picking Vivi up too. "Alright, let's go!"

She whipped the reins and the camel took off, leaving the men behind in the dust.

"HEY, WAIT FOR US!"

Sighing in fond annoyance, Koga put his sunglasses on and calmly followed after them, foreseeing another long day ahead.

 **xXxTHREE DAYS LATERxXx**

During the three following days, the small group endured the heat and the cold the best way they could, along with the growing thirst and hunger –once the lizard meat was gone, of course. Ace and the girls got lost but fortunately were quickly found, and they even had the chance to meet the Sand Pirates, some nomads that crossed the desert in a giant ship as it if were the sea.

Throughout the journey, Koga remembered once more why he hated the desert so much. He didn't mind the cold, at all, but the fact of being all sweaty and covered in all those clothes to avoid getting sunburnt soured his mood greatly. Not even his Devil Fruit powers could completely alleviate this suffocating heat that blasted them from above.

That was why, when he heard Vivi say that they were actually near Yuba, their destination, his spirits went a bit up, picking up with the others' pace easily when they found out. When the sun was already touching the horizon, they went passed a spear-shaped rock and a gust of wind picked up, billowing clouds of sand stirring up around them, blocking their eyesight for a moment.

'I can't wait to see old Toto again. I wonder if–'

He actually stopped in his tracks when his eyes registered what they were seeing, wide as plates and unbelieving. The others also stood mouth agape, and Vivi let out a small breathless murmur.

Yuba was engulfed in a massive raging sandstorm.

Horrified, Koga could only watch standing there, his hands closed in shaking fists at both sides of his slender body, unable to move but at the same commanding himself to do so.

He knew that that sandstorm was too well-localized to be a random one. It wasn't unusual to find a city being attacked by a sandstorm, but what _was_ weird was how still it was in that place, not even moving an inch. It felt as if…

His face darkened from silent ire, a deep scowl forming, lips frowning and shut tight.

'Crocodile.' His dark thoughts exuded a silent bloodthirst that pleased _Sankaoken_. 'I'll make you pay for this.'

What felt like hours later, the crushing wind and the sand finally died down enough for the group to enter the desolate city. No one spoke a word, looking around at the once beautiful oasis, seeing in this barren city an exact replica of what once was Erumalu.

"No…" Vivi muttered grimly, complete and utter grief soaking her delicate face.

"This doesn't look good." Zoro grunted, poking a palm tree with his scabbard and causing it to break apart into brittle pieces. "This place is just as bad as Erumalu."

"Where's the water?" Luffy blurted out, scanning around for any hint.

"Isn't this place supposed to be an oasis?" Sanji spoke up.

Attracted by shoveling sounds, Koga and the others entered further into the remains of Yuba… finding a massive hole in the ground, with an old man digging away at the bottom. His features looked as dried up as the rest of the city.

"You're passing travelers, aren't you?" He asked wearily, keeping to his task without facing them. "You must be tired from your journey across the desert." He finally looked up at them, and Koga noticed from the corner of his eye that Vivi was hiding away her face. "This town was famous for its inns. Feel free to spend the night in any one of them."

"Excuse me…" The princess asked from beneath her veil, slightly hiding behind Koga's body. "We had heard that the Rebel Army was using this town as a headquarters…"

"What business do you have with those fools?" The old man suddenly shot them an angry glare before picking up whatever was around and showering them at the small group. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU CAME HERE TO JOIN THEM?!"

"Calm down, old man!"

The old man mopped off his brow before continuing his former task once he ran out of things to throw at them. "Besides, the Rebels have left Yuba. Those fools are now stationed in Katorea."

"K-Katorea?" Vivi and Koga breathed in disbelief.

"That's near Nanohana!" The writer brought his hands to the sides of his head. "We crossed that damn desert for nothing!"

Then Eyelashes suddenly remembered and revealed that it was delivering supplies to Rebels in Katorea when he ran into Chopper. That caused the most volatile members of the crew to give him a beat down for not mentioning that precious fact.

"Between the drought and the constant sandstorms… Yuba was swallowed up bit by bit over time…" The old man grumbled through gritted teeth, shoveling the sand away. "Over time, it turned into what you see here… A shell of its former self."

"What do we do now, Vivi?" Luffy asked the bluenette after finishing beating up Eyelashes.

"Vivi?" The digger picked up the word, stopping his digging and beginning to walk towards them, his sunken eyes fixated in the girl. His shovel dropped to the ground.

"NO, WAIT, VIVI'S NOT A PRINCESS OR ANYTHING!" The raven-haired teen shouted loudly, before being smacked in the head by Zoro and Koga.

"Vivi-chan…" The old man's trembling voice called everyone's attention. "Is… Is it really you?" His withered hands rested upon her shoulders and gazed right into her eyes. "You _are_ alive! I'm… so glad…" His wrinkled eyes began tearing up, his grip loosened a bit. "It's me… Don't you remember? Although, I've lost a bit of weight…"

Vivi then recognized him, bringing his hands to her mouth. "Toto-ojisan!"

"Toto-san!" Koga also exclaimed, barely recognizing the once chubby man in that withered old man.

"Hm…? And who might you be…?"

Koga lifted his sunglasses to his head, revealing his bicolored eyes. "It's me, Koga."

"Koga-kun! I'm glad you're okay too. It's been a long time since I last saw you." His face saddened as he looked at the remains of Yuba. "Alas, I wish our reunion was in better circumstances." He turned to Vivi again. "Listen to me, Vivi-chan… No matter what, I believe in the King! He isn't the kind of man to betray the country!"

He then fell to the ground to his knees, unable to keep back his tears.

"This rebellion is absurd! Those fools… I'm not the only one who believes in the King… A greater part of Alabasta does as well… But no matter what I said to them, to Kohza… They still want to fight!" He then met Vivi's eyes again, a hand on her shoulder. "Their strength is at its limit… So they plan to end it all with their next attack… They've become battle-hungry, and they intend to die! So I beg you, Vivi-chan! Please… Please stop those idiots!"

 **xXxTHAT NIGHTxXx**

Everyone huddled up in one of the inns Toto mentioned earlier to them, deciding to stick all together in a room. But Koga got out as soon as the beds were decided, glancing up at the stars with a grim expression on his scarred face.

The Rebels' idiotic idea chosen to end this senseless war in a single attack was practically suicidal, and it didn't need a master tactician to know that. The chronicler acknowledged the Rebels' spirit and their willingness to fight for their country, but everything was against them: numbers, weapons, even a strategized place. The Royals had all they needed in a battle in their favor, and even if the Rebels managed to take out a good number of soldiers, they would be simply wiped out.

And that wasn't the only thing that worried Koga. Once everything was over, no matter the winner, Crocodile would take advantage of the situation. He would kill the remains of both armies and would reaffirm his position even further. Even if they stopped the Rebels _and_ the Royal Army to fight against each other, Crocodile would find another way to stir a new conflict between them again.

They had to destroy the cause of the conflict.

Upon reaching to that conclusion, his bicolored eyes suddenly hardened and then looked down at the ground. He then shook his head to clear his mind before entering the room… only to get himself caught in a pillow fight.

The next morning, the Straw Hat crew, Ace and Vivi were ready to head for Katorea. Toto gave Luffy a small barrel of water, the only water he could take out from the hole. They said their goodbyes and the promise of solving everything before taking off.

Just as they were out of sight of the dried up city, Luffy suddenly got away from the group and plopped down underneath a dead tree, cross-legged and arms folded behind his head. His eyes were shadowed by the brim of his straw hat.

"Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed when he noticed him unmoving. "What are you doing? We need to get moving!"

"Is something wrong, Luffy-san?" Vivi asked descending from atop Eyelashes.

"I quit." Luffy bluntly declared.

"You… quit?" Nami repeated quietly.

"Luffy-san, what do you mean?"

Everyone approached him. Koga watched his captain, wondering if he had reached the same conclusion the chronicler did.

"Vivi." Luffy spoke up, uncaring for the cook's angry shouting. "I want to beat Crocodile! If we stop all these Rebels, will that stop Crocodile? Even if we reach Katorea in time, there's nothing we can do. We're pirates, remember? You'd be better off going there without us."

'Yes. He did.'

"But… That is…" Vivi sputtered.

"All you want is for no one to die in this battle. Not any of your people. Not any of _us_." He raised his head to lock a fierce stare at the princess. "You're trying to take on a Shichibukai in a battle with over a million people involved… And all you want is for no one to be hurt. Aren't you being naïve?"

"Luffy…!" Nami tried to intervene, but Koga put a hand over her shoulder to stop her, shaking his head when she turned to him.

'Vivi needs to listen to this.'

"What's wrong with not wanting people to die?"

"Because people die."

That seemingly nonchalant answer sparked something within Vivi, who suddenly clenched her teeth and slapped him across the face, removing him from his spot.

"Stop talking like that!" She yelled at him, still fuming. "That's _exactly_ what we came here to prevent! None of my people are at fault! So… So why does _anyone_ have to die?" Her whole body began trembling uncontrollably, renewed anger causing her fists to shake. "IT'S ALL CROCODILE'S FAULT!"

Koga's face slightly lost his natural harshness, softened by her desperation and her anguish, her feeling of being impotent before an ungodly strong opponent. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep his expression neutral when Luffy sprang up to his feet and punched Vivi in the cheek.

"Then why are you risking _your_ life?!" Vivi regained herself rather quickly and pounced on top of Luffy, slapping him across the face with both hands even as he continued speaking. "From looking at what this country needs the most…! Is even clear to me…! Do you honestly think risking only your own life is going to be enough?!"

"Then what else am I supposed to risk?!" The poor bluenette yelled back, a complete mess of tears and still barraging him with slaps and punches alike until Luffy managed to stop her by grabbing her wrists. "I… I have _nothing_ else to risk…"

Apparently having enough, Luffy sprung to his feet, throwing Vivi from over him.

"TRY RISKING _OUR LIVES_ ALONG WITH YOURS! ISN'T THAT WHAT NAKAMA ARE FOR?!"

Face completely moistened by her tears, the princess sat upon the sand, a hand trying to wipe away her tears but failing miserably as it became soaked too.

"We're your nakama, right?" Luffy walked away as Nami rushed to her side, kneeling beside her and letting her soak her shoulder with tears. "Huh… It seems you _can_ cry. You're the one suffering the most, and you want to beat the hell out of him more than anyone…"

A small silence filled with sniffles followed afterwards before the raven-haired teen scooped up the fallen straw hat to put it back where it belonged. Sensing a finality to this so hurtful fight, Koga also put on his sunglasses and adjusted his scarf around his head.

"Now… Where is Crocodile?"

Vivi wiped some of her tears, and answered through small sniffles. "… Rainbase."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **So, I love you all, please leave some nice/criticizing comments! No flames though, I hate them xD See ya!**


	42. Not enough

**42\. Not enough**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **There has been recently some comments that kinda got me on my nerves, which are "his power drawbacks are way too severe" and "doesn't seem like there's any reason for him to stay with luffy".**

 **I'll answer the second one later, and for the first I only have one answer: I _don't_ want an OP (Over-Powered) Original Character in any of my fics, much less this one. I'm already making him powerful enough to put him in a self-made Monster Quartet along with Luffy, Zoro and Sanji; more than that, and Koga would become a god.**

 **It is true that his power drawbacks _are_ severe, but (and any sportsman/athlete would agree with me) what happens when you force your muscles _beyond_ their limits? That's right: you strain them rather painfully. That effect is what Koga suffers whenever he uses his Flash Step: he forces his leg muscles to run at a speed untrained athletes or warriors (which include himself of course) aren't used to. Maybe I'm exaggerating the pain a bit too much, but for me, it's a very justified reason to draw limits to his Devil Fruit powers that would turn Koga into a god; seriously, without restrain, he would lift a mountain with his pinkie, and he wouldn't even break a sweat.**

 **Maybe –just maybe, I'll remove those restrains to a certain extent in the future. But it will be a long time before that. (Comments to that thought please).**

 **And about not having a reason to be with Luffy, is being his chronicler not reason enough? And also, he's trying to trust someone without using his intuition to guard his back.**

 **Phew, now I'm a lot better. Sorry for the long rant guys, but before I began with the chap I wanted to get this off my chest.**

 **-Boopadoop: Thanks so much ^^! Usually I try to keep with an even level of words in a chap, but it also depends on the ending I want to give to my chap, so… Normally the number of words I want in them don't coincide with the story per se. Of course I'd love to see it! I mean, it's also the first time someone actually wants to portray an OC of mine, so I'm even more excited to see that it's one of my most recurrent reviewers who wants to do it ^^! Wow, animation model, that's so cool! I totally suck at artistic stuff, except for writing (I love to give shape to what is in my mind). From Nami, huh? Well it is true that he's the first to kinda connect with her past, so I kinda see it. I know right? If there actually were some romance in OP, NamixLuffy would be one of the most evident ships. Hahahahahahaha! You should see what my phone makes me write when it autocorrects xD Please keep supporting me so much, I'm always glad to hear from you ^^!**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Hey, welcome ^^! Don't worry, speak your mind as much as you want to ^^! It makes me happy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Ace separated from them shortly after dawn the following day, with a message for the crew to look over his kid brother and a white paper thrown at the straw hat wearing teen. They would reunite each other again, the older brother assured him, and it would be in the Pirate Summit.

But still, as Ace began to walk away from them, Koga felt something clutching his guts.

And so, in a sudden outburst he would never understand, he sprung into a run behind Ace, calling out to him and ignoring the questioning yells from Vivi and the crew.

Ace stopped and turned around, no less surprised than the others to see the chronicler coming up to him.

"What's up? Forgot something?" He asked with a curious tilt of his head.

It wasn't that they didn't get along with each other, but rather that neither of them deemed necessary a conversation between the two of them. Ace thought of him as a cool and rather quiet guy, a bit jumpy but easy to talk to when you get past his walls; and Koga regarded him highly, thanking another cool-headed in the group.

"No, it's…" Koga rubbed the back of his head lightly. "Look, I have a… bad feeling. Just… Promise that you'll be okay, alright?"

Ace's face grew more serious. "Is that intuition telling you that?"

"Uh, kinda… I'll understand if you don't believe me, actually. But do be careful, okay?"

Given his message, he turned to go back to the crew, but this time the pale man called out to him. "Hey, Koga."

"Yeah?"

"Long ago, maybe I wouldn't have trusted you." That sudden admission made the writer blink. "But that was before. You're in Luffy's crew, and I know that he wouldn't have allowed you in the crew if you weren't trustworthy. Besides, I got to know you all during this journey, and I gather that you don't give counsels like this idly." The black-haired teen smiled. "I'll be careful, don't worry."

The blond blinked in surprise before giving a weak smile in return, waving at him once and returning to the crew. He ignored the curious questions about what they had said to each other and instead reminded them of the urgency of going to Rainbase to stop Crocodile.

The trip was rather uneventful –aside from Luffy surprisingly protecting the water Toto had so-hardly obtained. It had been a pleasant surprise to see him actually being responsible of something and not hogging it up like he normally did. Though Koga was pretty sure his mentality would be different if he carried a sack of meat instead of a barrel of water.

It wasn't actually long, barely a couple hours, before Eyelashes stopped in its tracks at Vivi's silent orders.

"We're here." She said solemnly, gazing down at the town and pulling down her veil.

The others quickly scrambled up the dune and saw the city before them, notably different from the disheveled ruins of Yuba or Erumalu. All about it breathed vitality and wealthy luxury, green popping out here and there. A flow of people crowded the streets, visible even from their distance.

"CROCODILE! COME OUT AND FIGHT!"

… An explanation wasn't even needed, right?

 _Does he even understand that he's going to defy a 'local hero'? And a Shichibukai for that matter?_

Nami punched Luffy's head when he continued shouting.

"We can't just march in and start shouting for a fight!"

"Why not?"

"If we raise a stink too soon, we'll never see Crocodile!" Usopp answered exasperated at his captain's shortness.

"COME OUT, YOU CROC!"

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

Koga facepalmed before calling everyone's attention. "Okay guys, before we enter the city, we have to set our priorities. First we need to buy provisions… again." Luffy got their looks but appeared absolutely clueless about what he was referring to. "Toto-san may have given us water, but it's still not enough for all of us, especially if we're going off to the desert again. So, one or two people have to go fetch food and water."

"Why only one or two?" Usopp asked.

"We're going directly into Baroque Works' secret base, we're ought to be discovered if too many of us go in there recklessly."

"Oh, that's right."

"Oh, oh, I'll go!" Luffy claimed, raising his hand excitedly.

Everyone looked at him eye-narrowed in suspicion.

"If it's you, then I don't want you to go alone." Nami declared. "Usopp, you'll go."

"EH?! Why me?!"

"Just because. Now don't argue!"

The rest sweatdropped, but then Koga cleared his throat and continued giving his strategy.

"While Luffy and Usopp buy everything we need, the rest will be hidden somewhere –Vivi, I'll need your help to see where– until they get back. We'll leave the provisions and the Pervy-Camel–" Something akin to a guttural cough interrupted him, and the writer rolled his eyes before continuing, "okay, _Eyelashes_ , somewhere else and only _then_ we'll go look for Crocodile."

"What if something goes wrong?" Sanji took a drag calmly.

 _Considering your luck, something's bound to be wrong…_

"Then we'll have to improvise." The blond helplessly shrugged.

Their plan forged, the crew and Vivi finally entered the town, the princess guiding them to a safe area before sending Luffy and Usopp for water and food. The others relaxed under the shade of a palm tree but kept alert in-case of danger.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

That was why the Straw Hat crew were absolutely not surprised when they faced the two idiots barreling down the streets at full speed and yelling at the top of their lungs… closely followed by a legion of Marines at their tails.

Wait, _Marines_?!

"Crap, I didn't consider the Marines in the picture!" Koga cursed loudly as they scrambled to their feet.

"Honestly, not again." Sanji groaned, running after the others.

"But what about Tony-kun?" Vivi asked in a hurry, remembering how the little reindeer had left earlier to find a bathroom.

"He'll be okay, he can handle himself!" Zoro answered quickly.

"YOU GUYS, THE MARINES AND THAT SMOKEY GUY ARE HERE!" Luffy shouted quickly catching up to them along with a wheezing and terrified Usopp.

"Thank you Luffy, we haven't noticed!" Koga snapped angrily.

'Wait a minute! If Smoker is here then _he's_ here too!'

His knuckles whitened around _Sankaoken_ 's hilt as his bicolored eyes scanned frantically the rooftops for a sneak attack from his brother Yuuto. But as they entered the city further and lost sight of the Marines following after them, his stance and grip visibly relaxed, even letting out a relieved sigh that didn't go unnoticed to Zoro; running the nearest to him, the green-haired teen shot him a look and the chronicler shook his head.

"You guys!" Usopp shrieked, lugging a small barrel of water and a sack of food. "If we keep running around like this, we're gonna be found out for sure!"

A warning tingle from Koga's intuition made him frown just as he noticed some people following their movements with hungry eyes as they zoomed past them.

"I think they already have…" Zoro coolly stated narrowing his own dark eyes.

"Guys, forget the plan! There's no time to find a hideout with the Marines on our heels!" Koga exclaimed. "Vivi, where's Crocodile hiding?"

"There! The building with the crocodile on top!" Vivi pointed ahead to a massive pyramid-like building in the midst of a brilliant lake. "Rain Dinners! It's Crocodile's headquarters!"

'Huh? Wasn't Rain Dinners a famous casino around here?' The writer fleetingly thought, before shaking his head forcefully and focusing on running.

"We should split up in the next intersection! Hopefully we'll lose the Marines before we charge in!" Sanji proposed.

"Sounds like a plan!" Zoro nodded.

"Be careful with Baroque Works though! They're gonna probably attack us now!" Koga added but accepted the plan anyways.

"Alright, we'll meet up there!" Luffy whooped before taking the mid-ground between the fork, leaping to the rooftops. "At the Croc's house!"

"RIGHT!"

Usopp, Nami and Sanji, along with Eyelashes, went to one of the intersections while Zoro, Vivi and Koga ran the other. Between the three of them they took out the non-uniformed thugs that swarmed the street, fortunately empty of civilians.

"There! That must be Princess Vivi!" One of the thugs shouted as another swarm of them rushed towards them, brandishing various weapons at the ready.

"Baroque Works Millions!" Vivi exclaimed.

Both Zoro and Koga looked at each other and nodded; they raised their right arms with hands closed in a fist, shooting once, twice and a third time quickly.

Rock vs paper. The swordsman lost.

"Give them hell." Koga said as he picked Vivi bridal-style. Zoro nodded and turned his back to him and Vivi, bringing out his swords.

"But, wait, Mr Bushido!" The princess exclaimed, quickly catching on their plan.

"I'll be fine."

That was the last they heard from the swordsman before the writer infused some of his Devil Fruit power to his legs, quickly zooming away from the alley. Thanks to the training Zoro had made him suffer (because there was no way in Hell that was a normal training), he had slightly some more stamina and could hold longer with his legs fueled by power, as long as he didn't overexert himself and only added the power he needed at that precise moment.

Thus, with his cargo in his arms guiding him, Koga could jump through the main roads and their back alleys for a good while before his muscles began aching in protest of having them working so hard. By the time he stopped in a small open area with a small tower standing tall over the sparse palm trees, the blond young man felt breathless and his muscles ached quite a bit, but not excruciatingly so, an improvement in itself.

"Are you alright?"

"Let me rest a bit before going on, okay?" He smiled softly at Vivi when he saw her worried expression.

"Okay, then we need to get to–"

Intuition tingling! Following his impulses, Koga embraced Vivi and brought them down to the ground in a single motion, a bullet hissing dangerously close to where her head had been standing just a second ago.

"It's the princess! Kill her!"

The Million that had shot called out to his colleagues, soon dozens and dozens of bodies swarming the small clearing around them. Koga narrowed his bicolored eyes behind his sunglasses as he helped himself and the princess up, both taking out their respective weapons.

Being a close-range fighter, the chronicler had to adapt his fighting style to Vivi's, not distancing himself from her in fear of being separated from her and letting her out of his sight. Thankfully, the Baroque Works Millions were confident of their number and swarmed over them with battlecries.

"Numbers won't help you against me." Koga smirked as he brought his iron-knuckled fists to his face, letting the others approach him.

The first one went down with a simple punch to the jaw that cracked it –maybe permanently –and the other with an uppercut to the stomach, sending him barreling to the thugs coming behind and knocking them to the ground. He barely avoided getting shot again, and sliced in two by a cutlass, but those problems were quickly solved with two well-placed punches in the face, effectively breaking their noses. One tried to backstab him, his actions cut off with a sharp elbow on his guts and a punch to the face as he descended with a groan of pain.

A chain wrapped up around his left arm just as the chronicler brought it back to continue punching an unfortunate one that had been trapped in his other hand. His gaze lazily laid from the helpless thug to his companion some five or six meters away, holding the chain in a hand and spinning the other end with a wicked smile on his face.

"Got you now!" The chain-holder proclaimed. "Now get 'im boys!"

The others roared with an enthusiastic cry. Koga allowed himself to raise a blond eyebrow, looked at his prisoner and then at the crowd coming after him, quickly coming up with an idea. A smirk played on his lips as his Devil Fruit powers imbued the arm holding the guy with physical strength.

"Wait, what are ya–?" The prisoner asked in fear as the grip on him suddenly tightened tenfold.

"You like to fly? 'Cause you're about to have a one-time, potentially dangerous one! RAAAAAAAAH!"

 **CRASH CLASH BOOM!**

The unfortunate thug, with a panicked screech that informed Koga that he absolutely _hated_ flying, collided with the group coming after the chronicler, toppling them over and knocking them out. The only thug left was the one still holding the chain, his face turning rather pale at the realization of being the one having to fight now.

"Yo." Koga lifted the arm restrained by the chain. "Shall we finish this?"

"Uh… No thank you?" The chain guy threw a tentative smile at him, his limbs trembling as much as Usopp's whenever he got scared. A.K.A almost always.

The writer sent an unnerving smirk at him, and then glanced to the side to see Vivi surrounded by half a dozen Millions that managed to surround her. Quickly realizing his plan, the chain guy began shaking his head frantically wide-eyed.

"Hey Vivi, DUCK!"

"What– AH!" She threw herself to the ground just in time to avoid being barreled by a flying chain guy screaming bloody murder and throwing away the remaining thugs. "Idiot, that was dangerous!" She seethed as she strolled up to him, the latter too worried in disentangling his arm from the chain.

"That's why I told you to duck." He threw the chain to the ground and glared at another wave of BW Millions coming up to them. "There's no end of them. C'mon, we have to keep moving!"

However, as they began to move away, an eruption of gunfire hailed down upon the Baroque agents, surprisingly coming from above their heads.

"Hey, is that–?"

"Pell-san!" Vivi exclaimed.

Flying high in the sky and steadily diving down to them, came a bird-like figure familiar to both of them, quickly wiping out the majority of the punks pouring from the alleys and skidding to a halt in front of the duo, who smiled at him in greeting.

Pell, one of the two head guards of the Alabasta Kingdom, was a tall man dressed a long white robe with brown star-like motifs on it and a matching hat. He also had a big orange necklace around his neck, and sported striped socks under a pair of normal shoes. He carried his sword on his right hip, and Koga knew for a fact that it was because he was ambidextrous in combat. His skin was rather pale, and his eyes had straight lines that ran down his cheeks vertically, resembling purple tears.

He was also possessor of one of the Devil Fruits Koga had ever wished to eat: the Tori Tori Fruit, Model Falcon, allowing him to become a falcon-man.

"Princess Vivi!" Pell greeted her with a relieved smile, before turning towards the other young man with a quirked eyebrow and a hand slowly going to the hilt of his sword, unable to recognize him because of his sunglasses. "And who are you?"

"No need to be so defensive, Pell." Koga smirked as he raised his sunglasses, enjoying the surprise shown in the general.

"Koga-kun! So you're back, eh? I'm glad to see you are both well."

Just then, a familiar tingle made Koga tense and frown, alerting the other two. Used to his intuitive warnings, Pell and Vivi glanced at him in total seriousness.

"Someone dangerous is coming." The blond young man declared with an inexpressive voice. "Pell, take Vivi somewhere safe, please."

"But what about you?" The princess quickly retorted in worry, but he shot a glare at her that stop her in her tracks.

"Vivi, you're their objective. Our priority is to protect you. Let Pell put you somewhere safe while I delay this threat."

"But Koga-san–!"

"Pell, now!"

The general grew serious and nodded. "Fight well."

He only responded with a nod before feeling behind his back a sudden rush of wind that whipped the strands of blond hair and the extremes of the light blue scarf at both sides of his head, not listening to Vivi's calls as she and the tall man flew away from the potential battleground. He then saw from the corner of his eye Pell in his complete falcon mode wiping out with the still emerging BW punks, preventing them from coming after Koga, something that he thanked deeply.

Just after he could no longer sense Pell and Vivi nearby, his eyes narrowed as a lean and feminine figure lazily strolled towards him, her hips swaying seductively, a confident smirk framing her face as she glanced up and down his slightly broader body.

"Well, what have we here?" Her alluring voice reached his ears as she stopped at the end of the clearing, some good ten meters from him. A hand rested on her hip as the other touched her cowboy hat. "A pleasure to see you again, Straw Hat pirate-san."

The young man put his sunglasses on the hem of his tunic, still eyeing the woman. "A shame I can't say the same with you, Miss All-Sunday."

Her smile tightened a bit with that affirmation, seemingly displeased at that straightforwardness, though it quickly regained her slightly alluring undertone. "My, such great mistrust against my person… Although it saddens me to confess that you're not the one I am interested in."

His knuckles tightened, turning white. The iron covering them pulsed with dark energy, something neither of them registered.

"I won't let you take Vivi."

"Oh. A shame." Miss All-Sunday began walking towards him, slowly but surely, and Koga's mind suddenly compared her movements as that of a snake's. "I had hoped to have a… nice chat with her. Mr. Zero has a great interest in talking to her, and I admit curiosity has shown in me. Is there not a way to… _convince_ you to let me see her?"

Faster than he thought, he had her just standing in front of him, her torso slightly bended forwards, letting him a nice view of her… assets. Though it was true that his bicolored eyes flickered down for a second, the writer glared back at her blue eyes with a furious scowl on his face.

"If you think I would stoop as low as to betray my friends like that, your mind is more twisted than I thought." He angrily spat. Her smile froze again. "Even if I have to die here, we won't let you lay a hand on Vivi or her country. So go back to Crocodile and tell him to prepare himself, because we won't stop until he's down and out of– UGH!"

 **Squelch!**

Hadn't Koga being so occupied ranting, he probably would've noticed the subtle hand reaching behind the small of her back, bringing out a small dagger that now entered deep under his ribs in his right side. A throbbing and numbing pain suddenly overwhelmed his entire being, and unable to keep himself balanced all of a sudden, he fell over on himself and hit the ground with a dusty thump.

His slurred, pain-filled mind and weakened senses –he hadn't noticed how enhanced they were by his Devil Fruit powers until now that he couldn't control them– barely registered Vivi's scream and Pell's attempt to help him by driving Miss All-Sunday away from his slumped body.

"Koga-kun…" The general looked down at him in worry, but then straightened and glanced at the side. "No, princess, don't!"

'Vivi, no…' He could barely utter these words in his mind before his eyes clamped shut in an attempt to keep the pain away now that his Devil Fruit powers didn't respond. A soft hand touched his left shoulder-plate, and he supposed the bluenette had gone down the tower anyways.

"Koga-san! Please hold on!"

And _that woman_ 's voice, slightly cocky, so full of herself, sounded as a background, and barely registered.

"' _And the world then saw, born from the ashes of that burnt sacred place, the rise of a newborn race, whose eyesight far reached beyond those of the humans'. Nothing differed them from the rest of humanity, except the color of their eyes, each different. Three great families were created, each with a sacred, unbreakable rule, a rule that later in their history… would lead them to their unavoidable doom.'_ Does that sound familiar to you, young pirate?"

Koga, amidst the pain and the growing darkness that began plaguing his mind, drowsily wished to tell her to go to hell, his mouth letting out groggy sounds that couldn't form into words. He fluttered his eyes open, but only blurred forms and splotches of color received him.

"What have you done to him?!" Vivi shouted in anger.

"Calm down, dear princess. 'Tis only a small Kairoseki dagger." He could almost _feel_ her smile widening.

"Kairoseki?" Her hand left his back.

"It is a rare substance that can drain the energy of Devil Fruit users to the point where they can't consciously control their powers." Pell growled.

"You'll pay for doing that to Koga-san." A spinning sound then let the semi-conscious Koga that the bluenette had brought out her chakrams.

'I-idiot…'

This was bad. He had barely the strength to keep himself awake, so taking that damn dagger out and helping the others with a deep wound on his side was not the best of his plans.

Now he couldn't register what was going on around him, though some muffled screams coming from Vivi and Pell gave away that they were steadily using against Miss All-Sunday. It both pained and frustrated him to no end, his uselessness preventing him to help his friends in dire need.

Without knowing how, his fingers trembled in an effort to grip in a fist but found no strength even to draw enough air to his screaming lungs.

'If I… could… take…' He couldn't complete the thought as a terrifying darkness crept its way at the edges of his more than blurry vision.

The writer took in shaky, shallow breaths. Was this the way he would end the journey? Was this the way he would leave his friends behind? No… They still had to stop this war, stop Crocodile and his minions from provoking a massacre. Koga still had to travel with the others, complete his dream of writing the most amazing story ever written, get over his uneasiness and began trusting the others enough to tell them his whole story, to let them watch his back as he watched theirs.

Fleeting images flashed through his mind.

Vivi's look of hope of recovering her almost hopeless kingdom.

Chopper crying and smiling of happiness at having found a crew that wholly accepted him.

The first true smile he saw on Nami's face once Arlong was defeated.

Sanji feeding a hungry Gin and Krieg just because it was his duty as a chef to feed people.

The harsh training Zoro put him through to avoid him from hurting himself further.

And Luffy…

…

Luffy was the first one he began trusting in, just by being himself.

Regret and sorrow filled his aching heart, his breaths slowing down as his consciousness began slipping away. Darkness overwhelmed him finally, a last thought flashed in his mind:

'Sorry…'

His strength alone wasn't enough to defeat the monsters of the future.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Sorry for the unexpected cliffhanger, couldn't resist the temptation xD**

 **So, I love you all, please leave some nice/criticizing comments! No flames though, I hate them xD See ya!**


	43. Intuitive trust

**43\. Intuitive trust**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Hey guys! I upload sooner than expected so apologies to those who finally got used to my updating schedule, BUT, there are reasons I swear!**

 **May and June will be a hella hard for me, because of my college final exams, so I won't be able to upload as often as always, and I don't even know if I'll have to make a small pause until I get back. Probably not, because I'm having tons of fun with this story and it serves me to disconnect and relax between study hours. But anyway, I'll do my best to keep with the fic.**

 **So now, review answers:**

 **-Boopadoop: Wow, that long review! Thank you so much! Hahaha, I couldn't have explained better! You're totally right, Boopadoop! It actually frustrates me that I'm unable to explain myself properly because I'm not that good at English and I tend to simplify what I want to express and thus leading to misunderstandings. About AcexKoga thingie… Well, they're both older brothers, and both have 'problematic' younger brothers, so it makes sense that they connect somehow, right? But don't worry, it's a completely friendly relationship. Hahahaha, poor Robin! Though yeah, she's absolutely a monster xD Yeah, Kairoseki is Seastone, or Sea Prism Stone, but I prefer the Japanese term. Most of the terms like Shichibukai, Yonko, the types of Haki and Kairoseki will be posted in Japanese in future chaps, so sorry if that's a confusion. Take your time! I'd like to see the result! (And my answers keep getting longer! xD)**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: NOOOOOO don't hate me please! Cliffs are fun, they keep your intrigue, right? *Awkward silence, then Author turns to Koga* Right, Koga-kun?**

 **K: You're the one who made that All-Sunday stab me with a Kairoseki dagger. Don't look at me.**

 **L: EEEEEEEEEEH?! *bows down with tears streaming down their face* I'm sorry, Stargaze.**

 **-PsychopathOnADiet: Thanks! Actually I think I'm the kind that likes to put their OC's in a pinch too much and too often to tell you the truth. It gives them personality growth and definition. I try to stick with the main events as much as I can with my OC inside, but sometimes I like to give him a… new environment to move around. It'd have been much easier for me to send him with Luffy or with Sanji, but then it wouldn't have been as fun. Oh, I wonder what five ways you've been planning out! But maybe I won't surprise you with this, I'm afraid. Normally I don't surprise anyone. Yeah, Robin is the knows-it-all of the crew, and her archaeology knowledge, along with some cultivated myths here and there, makes her extremely useful regarding Koga's origins.**

 **-zerom1v: Thanks! Hahahahaha, loved that game too! I wonder if Koga didn't cheat…**

 **K: I didn't. I'm honest in these games.**

 **L: And you're not in others?**

 **K: ... Shut up.**

 **L: Anyhow! If you're asking about romance KogaxRobin ship, nope! They'll be great buddies, sure, considering both like reading myths, but little else. Sorry!**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: Baroque Works, yeah… We'll confront them soon, don't worry.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Absolutely, and even more than with other people! He's normally very mistrusting, but usually warms up quickly the longer his intuition doesn't work around them. Oh, that's a great idea! It'll give my head a sure rest. It's too late for this Arc however, because this evil OC background will help me develop further Koga's original Story Arc. Oops, I revealed a bit too much, hehe. But thanks for the suggestion!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **"What are you doing here?!"**

 **"I'm sorry… I… I hadn't anybody else to turn to…"**

 **"… You're crying. What happened?"**

 **"I… I made a mistake, Hisao-kun. I made a _terrible mistake_ … Please, _help me_ …"**

 **"… *sigh* Come in– wait, that baby…"**

 **"We can't stay here, Hisao-kun. He'll kill us if he ever finds out about this…"**

 **"How? You have the collar, and you're not allowed to get out of this place, not without permission. As soon as you set a foot outside, they'll blow your head up! It's too dangerous for you, and for this kid too!"**

 **"You have contacts outside. Clearly there _has_ to be someone who could free us…!"**

 **"…"**

 **"You… you _do_ know someone, don't you?"**

 **"… Look, I… Yeah, I do, but I don't even _know_ if he's around Sabaody right now…"**

 **"We need to try anyways! Please, our time is running out!"**

 **"Alexandra…"**

 **" _Please_!"**

 **"… Just tell me something first. Does this hurry have anything to do with this kid?"**

 **"I… Yes. I don't want him to grow in this Gods-forsaken place, like a caged bird. Knowing his father he won't live long if his existence is found out. I… can't allow that to happen to my little baby, Hisao-kun. He deserves to be free, far away from this kind of life!"**

 **"… I thought you didn't want this kid."**

 **"At first, I didn't. But then I began to _dream,_ Hisao-kun. About this baby, and all the possibilities he has if he were free. I talked to him in my sleep, and I _envisioned_ his life. Not being a slave, not being a _property_ of someone else. He'll have dear friends, he'll live wondrous adventures, and he'll even find his own dream and pursue it.**

 **This baby… He may be son of _that man_ , but he's also _my_ baby. And as such, I won't let the stain that is his father end his life."**

 **"… Alright, Alexandra. I'll help you."**

 **"Really?!"**

 **"Of course. Just let me make sure you haven't been followed. Do you have everything you need?"**

 **"Oh, yes, yes! I didn't own much."**

 **"That will change, you'll see, Alexandra. You and the kid, you'll be happy outside those walls. I'll make sure of that."**

* * *

Dragged down abruptly to reality, Koga gasped for breath opening his eyes wide with pain. He tried to incorporate, but a muscular arm blocked his attempts and kept him lying down. He grew frantic, and despite the sharp painful twinges at his upper torso, he thrashed and attempted to free himself. A low curse sounded, and suddenly a foot pressed in his upper right arm; responding to the threat, Koga's other hand closed around his ankle.

 **SWISH clink!**

"Stop right now, or you're dead."

It wasn't the cold order what abruptly stopped him, or the point of the heating sword firmly pressed into the hollow of his throat just enough to not draw blood.

His bicolored eyes, disbelieving and still slightly pained, cleared up enough to see a familiar figure standing above him, dressed in white and blue, wielding a black broadsword now menacing his life. Breathing very, _very_ slowly –both because of the pain and also to not startle his savior/potential executor– his body froze completely as his eyes travelled up the sword's edge and landed on cold, unforgiving ice-blue eyes, slightly covered by dark bangs.

"You and your crew made a remarkable job evading us thus far." He coldly declared, his grip not faltering even once, the edge still glued at his throat. "Fire-Fist Ace created a great distraction and you got away by the time he disappeared. It was a lucky shot having found you in Rainbase."

"Y– Yuu… to…" Koga croaked, his voice catching in his dry throat.

But his little brother continued speaking, relentless. "I'm not supposed to _be_ here though. Smoker and Tashigi destined me to seek for your scrawny boat, but I got away. One of the perks of having a Lieutenant rank is that soldiers will never tell that I've been gone while I slipped into Smoker's search group, with a little disguise of course." His scowl deepened, his lips pursing in a tight line. "I imagine you'll be pleased to know that, despite my being a Marine, I'm not in the least interested in your Straw Hat companions. They'll be arrested soon, anyways."

"I know…" Koga hid the best he could the relief of hearing his intention of leaving the Straw Hats alone –and by extension Vivi.

"I didn't allow you to speak." The sword's point pressed a bit more, but still didn't draw blood. "Both you and I know it, that we're destined to fight, and no distractions are allowed. Fortunately, your crew will be apprehended or even dead soon, and I have no one you could use against me to distract me." Yuuto tilted his head to the side then. "But, when I arrived here, I found you lying there, in a pool of blood, so pathetically _weak_ I almost fell into the temptation of ending you then and there."

At those words, the hand Koga had gripped around Yuuto's ankle flew to his side, and felt that his robe and the shirt underneath had been moved aside and his injury parched up.

"As you can see, I didn't kill you. Although don't you _dare_ doubt that I haven't wished it."

And, with a reluctance easily seen in both his stance and his blue eyes, he retracted his broadsword, sheathing it behind his back, and began walking away. Now free to move, Koga groaned as he incorporated gingerly, and looked around to see that he was in the same clearing he had confronted Miss All-Sunday, in the same spot he had fallen. Much to his alarm, Vivi and Pell weren't anywhere; gone were the fallen thugs and the aforementioned wicked woman, but they didn't worry him so much as his friends. Were they okay?

And then, his gaze fell on Yuuto as he began talking through a small Transponder Snail he had carried around, and saw a familiar dagger strapped to his waist, clean of blood. By the time the platinum blond young man put the shirt and robe into place and recuperated _Sankaoken_ –who was absolutely _not_ pleased at the fact that he had almost let himself die– Yuuto had already finished speaking.

"I can't contact Smoker." He indifferently declared. "And the others can't find your crew. I'll be going now."

"Yuuto…" Koga at least could gather enough strength to stand on his own –though staggering a bit, and without letting out a groan of pain.

He didn't know what to say to his little brother. Hatred and the past haunted him too much for words to reach him; he wouldn't even listen to his older brother's words. Scratch that, he would listen to his words even _less_.

"Be sure to heal and not go dying on me now." He turned to shoot an icy glare at him once more. "And remember, I held your life in my hands… and I spared it. Next time we find each other, I won't be as merciful."

And with a bleeding heart, the chronicler watched him disappear, once more feeling useless and desperate, unable to call his family back, to draw him out of his own pool of despair and hatred…

'How could I save him, if I can't even get myself out of my own past?' He laconically thought, teeth and fists clenched.

The writer would've stayed standing there, for hours if needed be, but his worry for Vivi and the others' wellbeing determined him to _move_. Furthermore, he felt as if that clearing was a reminding of his own defeat and incapability of helping his friends a sentiment he despised a lot; who didn't, though?

He stumbled a couple times before thankfully gathering enough strength to quiet his pain with his Devil Fruit powers, responsive at last. As he walked and entered a street full of people –surprising how no one had at least peeked at what all that fuss was about– he briefly unwrapped his scarf from around his head to clean it of dust and blood; finished this, he put it back up and put the miraculously intact sunglasses on.

It wasn't long before he found– or rather collided against a frantic reindeer, too hasty to notice he had trampled the poor chronicler until both were rolling on the ground and stopped in a mangled heap of limbs.

"Ow…" Koga groaned in pain, briefly holding his side.

"Koga!" Chopper jumped over him and embraced his torso tightly.

Bad idea.

"Ow ow ow!"

"Oh no, I'm sorry! You're injured? Show me!"

"No, don't worry." The human managed to show a weak smile as he pulled back down the robe, ignoring Chopper's attempts. "It's already dealt with. More importantly, Chopper…" His expression grew serious as both of them stood up. "Where are the others?"

At that question, the reindeer's expression grew frantic as he began explaining how Luffy and the others (except Sanji and himself, and apparently Koga too) had been captured along with Smoker by Crocodile, and about the chef's plan to free them. One stage was already done, he said, and the others should be running around the town right now, but Chopper's rule was to find a friend of Eyelashes and help the escape from Rainbase before Crocodile went after them.

Once everything was done and said, both Koga and Chopper ran to the outskirts of the city and to where Eyelashes and his friend would be waiting. But as the reindeer tried to pry out of him where he had been and why he was injured, the chronicler shut out his voice and instead wondered about the reasons of Miss All-Sunday leaving him alive instead of finishing him off.

Not that he felt ungrateful of still drawing breath. But, being a direct enemy to her boss, Miss All-Sunday's first concern should've been putting him completely out of commission, instead of leaving him with a small dagger in the ribs. Unless…

'Unless… Did she _really_ expect me to die because of that dagger?' He thought to himself, frowning, following after Chopper when he turned left. 'I don't know… But I need to keep my guard up around her. Someone who lets an enemy alive normally has second intentions behind her acts.'

Eventually the both of them got out of Rainbase at last, and they had to enter the desert a long bit before actually meeting with Eyelashes… that was once more followed by a giant moving sand mountain. Oh, wait, that wasn't right, it was some kind of frenzied pack of dinosaur-like monsters –which honestly Koga didn't remember their name of their species– trying to get a bite of the unfortunate camel.

Fortunately, Chopper and Koga beat them down into a pulp– the ones that actually fought, that is. By the time they finished beating a couple, the others quickly fled.

Eyelashes came out to them and began mumbling something.

"He says, 'Thank you for saving me but–'"

"I know, I know, you still don't want me on your back." The platinum-haired young man waved a hand dismissively.

But another warning tingle made him gasp and whirl around again just as the ground began to shift beneath their feet, sand giving way to another giant subterranean beast. The creature turned to be a Moving Crab, a massive crab with an awkward-looking smile on its face.

Upon seeing it, Eyelashes trotted towards it and began speaking at once, a harsh tone of voice evident in its baying.

"Uh… Chopper? Translation, please?"

"Oh, apparently the crab is Eyelashes' friend and he's angry at him for abandoning him to the lizards that attacked them both."

"Great, now there's two animal perverts…" The chronicler groaned ruffling his hair before raising his voice against the incomprehensible mumble– at least for him. "Sorry to interrupt, but our friends need your help Moving Crab. Leave the berating for later, will you?"

It actually didn't take them that long to leave everything behind before Eyelashes and the Moving Crab –they still had to name it, and Koga wasn't in the least thrilled to discover Nami's 'inventive' originality for names– got along well again. The three of them got on top of the crab and it began directing them back towards Rainbase.

The sun was already setting when they reached the edge of the city, just in time to also see the rest of the crew and Vivi, safe and sound. Upon seeing them, Koga's shoulders sag in relief and even let out a small smirk, while they stood mouth agape at what they were riding.

"A Moving Crab!" Vivi instantly recognized it of course, but then her surprise grew when she saw the chronicler, and a wide smile split her face in two. "Koga-san!"

"Hey." He rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Sorry, Vivi–"

 **BAM!**

"WHAT'S THAT, BLEACHED HEAD! You left Vivi-chan alone to face danger!" Sanji roared, pressing his foot against the chronicler's sheathed blade.

"Gimme a break Romeo!" Koga yelled in response, pushing against him. "She wasn't al– Ugh!"

A strong pang of pain erupted in his side, though the only reaction he let go involuntarily was a wince and a fleeting hand on his side. The cook noticed and, much reluctantly, lowered his foot slowly.

"You're injured." He blankly stated, eyeing him with his visible eye.

"I tried to look at his injury but he doesn't let me." Chopper whined as the crab lifted the others up.

"Come on, it wasn't _that_ bad." He slapped the reindeer's hoof away and ordered the crab to get them all out of there before they got caught.

It actually took a _lot_ of convincing, but in order to make them shut up, Koga finally relented and allowed both Vivi and Chopper to see the extension of his wound. The gauze Yuuto applied previously was already soaked in blood, but at least it didn't threaten his life.

"Koga-san… Who helped you?" Vivi asked him as she held a new gauze to his wound while Chopper wrapped clean bandages around it. The writer's expression went inexpressive all of a sudden. "That dagger took out all of your power. Pell-san and I thought you…"

"… I don't know if I was dead or alive for a while." He reluctantly admitted, tying his scarf around his neck and relishing in its warm softness. "But then I awoke in the same place I had fallen. Someone… healed me."

"Who?" Zoro pressed on with a green eyebrow raised.

The blond hesitated. Then sighed, put his clothes back into place when his 'nurses' finished and answered in a whisper. "My brother."

"What?" Usopp blinked in confusion. "Didn't you say that your–"

Intuition tingling! Snapping his eyes wide in alert, Koga whirled his head around just in time to see a golden hook about to snatch Vivi around the waist. In slow motion, his mouth opened to yell as his body began to incorporate…

Too late.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Vivi!"

Everyone moved then, alerted by her shriek of terror, but already the hook had wrapped around the princess' waist and attracting her towards two figures in the distance. One a man wearing a massive coat… and the other, much more recognizable, that made Koga's blood churn in anger.

"Chopper, stop the crab!" Zoro roared.

"IT'S HIM!" That shout of rage came from Luffy, who stretched his arms to the hook and in one swift motion freed Vivi from Crocodile's grasp and inserted himself in her place. Koga cushioned the bluenette's landing with his own body, but no one registered that fact as their eyes set on the diminishing figure of their captain, being dragged to a certainly deadly battle.

"YOU GUYS GO ON AHEAD! I'LL HOLD OFF THE CROC! GET VIVI HOME, _NO MATTER WHAT_!" They heard him bellow his orders to the crew, flying towards Rainbase and the two leaders of its residential crime syndicate.

"Idiot…" Koga heard Zoro mutter under his breath before ordering Chopper to get going to Alubarna.

With a quick snap, they resumed their course at full speed, but no one yet said a word or turned their backs to Luffy's retreating form. Until, when Luffy's distant form grounded, Vivi take a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs (the chronicler made sure to cover his sensitive ears):

"LUFFY-SAN! WE'LL AWAIT YOU IN ALUBARNA!"

"OKAY!" Came his echoing response before Luffy and Rainbase disappeared from their sight.

An oppressive silence then fell over them, tense and expectant, not knowing what would await them at Alubarna, or what would happen to Luffy. Unable to bear with the tension, everyone scattered over the crab's smooth back, doing different activities to keep themselves entertained and out of the pressing matters that weighed in their minds.

Zoro, as he always did, was weight-lifting with Eyelashes perched upon a sheathed sword; Sanji, with his back to the setting sun, began smoking away his frustrations, looking into the distance; Usopp and Chopper sat together blabbering and chattering about this or that ridiculous thing; Vivi, still looking at the place where they last saw Luffy, fidgeted nervously with her hands, with Nami glancing worriedly at her.

And Koga…

He sat at the front of the crab, directing him towards Alubarna, face grim and bicolored eyes hard as stones. His frantic mind couldn't rest easy, flying between his worry for Luffy's safety, his own confused memories and his encounter with his brother Yuuto.

He felt almost glad that they hadn't asked further about why the Lieutenant had spared his life. In fact, it was even better avoiding mentioning him _at all_.

It hurt, having his life spared out of _pity_.

He forcefully shook his head and then thought of the strange conversation he had heard in his head before recovering consciousness. What had that been? Who were Alexandra and Hisao? And what were they running away from?

Dammit, facts, he needed _facts_. Okay, what did he know? Sabaody. He'd have to investigate, but wasn't it near the first end of Grand Line? Sabaody Archipelago, he thought the full name was. But little else came to his mind, and the chronicler clicked his tongue in frustration. Well, he would find out more in books.

His stomach churned from nervousness that didn't feel like his. His hands tightened around the crab's reins. Of course he had heard about Sabaody, but the writer usually didn't pay much attention to them until he found proof of them being real. Furthermore, the ones of Sabaody Archipelago _really_ gave him the creeps. Pirates everywhere, slavery… Could those two, Alexandra and Hisao, be slaves that were trying to escape?

And if so, then why the hell did he dream about them?

"Koga-san!"

At the sound of his name, Koga blinked, but didn't turn. "What?"

"Tell them! Tell them not to worry about Luffy-san! He promised to meet us at Alubarna, and we'll meet him there for sure!"

For a moment, the writer hesitated.

He hadn't felt well when Luffy got dragged to that fight against Crocodile, and that discomfort hadn't disappeared yet. His intuition, even muffled because of the growing distance, hadn't quieted down either.

"Koga?" Chopper mumbled, worried about his silence.

"Idiots. Of course he'll be okay." Koga turned to his friends with a smile on his face. "He's our captain after all. We'll meet him at Alubarna alright." He then faced the horizon again, his back to the group. "Just leave the worries for the elders, kids."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A KID, BASTARD?!" Both Zoro and Sanji sprung to their feet and yelled at his back; they paused and faced each other: "DON'T IMITATE ME YOU DARTBOARD/MARIMO! _WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"_

Koga sighed and picked his ear while the other two began fighting, still not facing anyone. "And they wonder why I called them kids."

"Well, it's true that you're the oldest here." Usopp shrugged helplessly, but then adopted a more serious tone. "Are you serious? Do you really think Luffy will win?"

"You're asking if I'm talking with my intuition. Well I'm not, really." That got everyone's attention again, even the two idiots that were fighting. Koga let out an almost inaudible sigh. "I won't lie to you guys: Crocodile is strong. He's a Shichibukai, and pirates don't reach that rank without merit. Whether Luffy wins against him or not in this fight is irrelevant for me; what really matters… is that he _must_ come. That's all I'm really concerned about."

'You hear me, Luffy?' His face, glaring dead ahead and not daring to turn around, showed an unusual seriousness, his hands tightening even more around the crab's reins. "As long as you're in the battle at Alubarna, I don't care if you win this fight or not. Just come back, you idiot. I trust you'll come back.'

"Okay!" Nami cheered. "Now let's all face towards Alubarna! Let's go, Scissors!"

It took only a moment before the long-nosed teen piped up: "Scissors?"

"That's the crab's name!" She gave him a stink eye. "Got a problem with that?"

"No… None at all…"

The chronicler let out an amused snort and a short smile. "That's the spirit."

And thus, he squashed the warnings his intuition was sending him –about something going terribly wrong with Luffy, and tried to divert the crew's attention to another pressing matter. One more… aquatic.

"Huh? Is that…?" Koga blinked and then turned to Vivi. "Oi Vivi! Isn't that the Sandora River? What're gonna do now?"

"I completely forgot!" The princess exclaimed as the others looked confused between the two. "Moving Crabs can't stand water!"

"IT'S A CRAB!" Usopp wailed loudly, bemoaning about their ride as he gazed towards the ever-approaching river.

"It'll take forever to swim across this thing…" Sanji stated, pointing at the map Vivi had unfurled, the Sandora looking to take up a good portion of it, "but it's better than nothing…"

"I don't know, I'm a Devil Fruit user. As soon as I'm in the water, I'll be pretty much useless." Koga frowned.

"Maybe we could force him to swim across." Zoro suggested.

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"If it works, then what does it matter?"

Nami sighed and then stood up. "Well, if we're up to this, I think there's only one way to do this." And with a fluent motion, her robe flew up, revealing her dancer girl's outfit. "And with this~!"

"MELLORINE!" It only took half a second for the cook to revert to his idiot love-cook mode, along with the camel Eyelashes.

Alerted by the noise, the crab's eyestalks rolled around and saw Nami dancing.

"WOAH!" Everyone bobbed and weaved to maintain balance as Scissors suddenly sped up, massive hearts pounding in his eyestalks. Koga gritted his teeth and tried to control the crab, but soon realized it was useless, and let him go towards Sandora River.

'Let's see if this absurd idea works…' He smirked, half-crouched.

"IT ACTUALLY WORKS! WOOOHOOO! GO CRAB!" Usopp began cheering and dancing around as Scissors struck water and dashed across the river's surface in a lust-driven burst of energy. "Run! Run! Run! Run! All the way!"

Just then, Koga's intuition blared awake, and his eyed widened as Scissors began sinking mid-run. "Uh oh."

"Hey, hold it! Is he sinking? Are we sinking? AHHHHH WE'RE SINKING!"

Koga staggered back when his feet became dangerously close to the water. "Dammit…"

As the crab finally sank into the Sandora River, the entire crew and Vivi got swallowed by the waters. Not even five seconds later, they emerged again, Chopper on Sanji's head and Koga with an arm around Zoro's shoulders, both feeling quite weak because of the salt water. Once everyone resurfaced, and the Devil Fruit users were taken care of, the Straw Hat crew began dog-paddling to the shore a good thirty miles away.

Only ten minutes later, Koga alerted them of a new danger (by tapping Zoro's shoulder, because he couldn't speak properly with his body underwater), a Sandora Catfish the size of a galleon surging from the water, glaring down at them as if they were food. Thankfully, before they got eaten, the Kung-Fu dugongs saved their asses, letting them reach ashore without any more problems.

"We're making good time… Think we'll make it?" Zoro asked.

Vivi and Koga changed serious looks, and the princess answered in a grim tone. "Even riding Eyelashes… I don't know."

"Riding the camel is out of the question at the moment." The blond writer stated. "But the thing is, we cannot enter Alubarna on foot, and even more with Vivi. Don't take me wrong, Vivi," he turned towards the princess, "but unlike in the other cities we've been, this is the one place they'll recognize you as soon as you set foot inside."

"I understand." The bluenette nodded.

"It's more than likely that the bigshots of Baroque Works are waiting for us in there, from what you've told me." His bicolored eyes scanned at the others. "Our best option is 'Divide and Conquer'. There are four main entrances into Alubarna. In pairs, we should enter and stop the Agents from Baroque Works while Vivi stands aside and tries to stop the rebellion once we attracted all the attention. Remember, that guy Bon Kurei knows most of our faces, so remember our marks," he raised his bandaged left arm, and received a serious nod from the Straw Hat crew.

"But how are we gonna enter the city with only a camel as a transport?" Sanji mused while glaring at said animal.

"And not only that, but a camel that only lets women ride him." Usopp gave Eyelashes the stink eye.

"Well, to tell you the truth, that's the only… thing that…" Koga's phrase was lost as he glared dead ahead, eyes wide in surprise, before composing himself and smirking. "On second thought, I have _everything_ covered now."

… Maybe there _was_ something or someone up there looking after them.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Next chap you'll see my new evil OC that'll fight against Koga! Thanks King0fP0wers again for the idea, but I think I'll stick to create new OC's (at least in this arc) because I have some kind of background with this enemy to work with in the future.**

 **So, I love you all, please leave some nice/criticizing comments! No flames though, I hate them xD See ya!**


	44. Alubarna Battle

**44\. Alubarna battle**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **… I'm so ashamed. I passed the one-year anniversary of this story and hadn't updated then. I'm so, so sorry guys. I'm terrible at celebrating things like birthdays and anniversaries and all. But I promise that (once my exams are over) I will post a chap celebrating it!**

 **I'm also a bit sad, because today makes been five years since my mom died. I honestly forgot all about it, 'cause I'm buried deep in exams and the date slipped my mind, and my aunt sent me a message reminding me of it. I decided to set aside my notes for a bit and remember her, along with my older brother and dad. Even if it was a sad reminding, it also felt good talking with each other, just the three of us. I won't go to the cemetery (mostly because it's physically impossible for me), but I will keep her in my mind, today and all my remaining days in my life.**

 **Okay! Now I'm good. Sorry about that rant guys. I'm not like this, seriously. I tend to keep my thoughts to myself, but my brother usually tells me that I should let them out more often. But well, now's your moment, so here are your reviews' answers!**

 **-zerom1v: A bit, yeah, but that womanizing aspect is what makes Sanji who he is. Sometimes I get angry at him because it seems that he's underestimating every woman he faces in combat, but other times I see awful women that take advantage of his gentleness and I forget about it.**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: I'm glad you're not mad! So, here's the fight! Hope you enjoy it (though I'm afraid that you'll most likely hate me again…)**

 **-Boopadoop: Hehehe, sorry~! Not my intention, I swear! Thank you, this chapter will also be pretty informative: we'll get Koga's personal enemy and his association, and a few tips on his demon. Exactly the feelings I wanted to inspire about Yuuto ^^!**

 **K: Well done, author, but you could've chosen something else instead…**

 **L: Oh, Koga-kun, Boopadoop says hi!**

 **K: Hi, Boopadoop. Glad my misadventures please you. *Smiles a bit unnervingly***

 **L: Koga-kun! *bonks him in the head!* That wasn't nice! I created you to be always be good, not snarky.**

 **K: Sorry. *Hands virtual cookies to Boopadoop***

 **L: That's much better! *turns to Boopadoop again* Anyway, thanks so much for your support, both in this story and my exams! Hahhahhaha, I love your autocorrect xD But what does Karadzic mean?**

 **-King0fP0wers: Thanks! Damn, it was that evident huh. Be careful, I did say he was pretty hard to kill, but with a Kairoseki dagger deep in your stomach (and yourself being a Devil Fruit user)… And I also said that Koga doesn't know of another way to kill him (don't worry, this one isn't that method). And yeah, theoretically he can, but first he would have to train to dominate them. Glad you liked it! I enjoyed a lot writing about it; being Koga the oldest member, it's natural that he sees the others as kids in comparison (when Robin joins he won't be the oldest anymore, but, mmm…)**

 **K: *pops out of nowhere* Who's Robin?**

 **L: KYAAAA! Where did you–?!**

 **K: I've been here the whole time.**

 **L: *kicks him out of the room* Get out! You have a battle to fight! GET ON WITH IT!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Un, deux, trois! Un, deux, trois…!"

"Shut up with the 'Un deux trois' before I stamp your ugly face into the ground!"

"How violent!"

"Uh~ The enemy~"

"Speak faster Mr. 4, you're wrecking my nerves! Faster faster _faster_!"

Mr. 6 breathed heavily, leaning on his black sword in utter boredom, questioning himself once more why he joined this organization. True, he needed the money, and his organization had a temporal contract with Crocodile, but still he didn't _like_ his… 'associates'. Not. At. _All._

"Looks like they're here." Miss Doublefinger commented idly, standing beside the ever-quiet Mr. 1 with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk crossing her features.

"But they're all wearing capes! That's cheating!" The hysterical Miss Merry Christmas screeched indignantly, hurting Mr. 6's ears.

 **CLANK!**

Mr. 6 used his weapon to heave himself up from his seated position, casually strolling to the wall where the rest of the Agents were standing on watching the desert. Out of curiosity, and also to make sure his objective was among the pirates, Mr. 6 also looked down.

A small squadron of hooded figures rode towards the wall-guarded Alubarna, mounted in what seemed giant ducks running at supersonic speed. Six people, all identities concealed from them. For a moment Mr. 6 wondered which of them was the princess, and which his own private objective.

As Mr. 4's dog threw an explosive shot towards the approaching figures, they suddenly scattered, three pairs each direct to one of the main entrances to the city. Mr. 6 narrowed his beady dark eyes, ignoring the indignant screeching coming from a displeased Miss Merry Christmas.

"You sense him…?" His low voice, surprisingly melodious, attracted his temporary allies for a second. "Where…?"

His piercing gaze fell on the pair approaching from the South-West entry, the two very well covered with the capes; but, under that glare, it seemed nothing could escape, not even their identities.

"There, huh?"

And without turning back to the others, he headed his way towards the South-West gate.

"I don't trust that guy, going all quiet and mysterious! Gah, he wrecks my poor nerves!" Miss Merry Christmas shrieked, palming her poor back that began to hurt.

"His first priority isn't with Mr. 0 and our organization, but with his own. Something called The Chapel." Miss Doublefinger muttered, taking a drag on her cigarette.

"Demon Hunters. That's what they call themselves. I call that 'bullshit'." Mr. 1 growled.

"Well, as long as he takes out one of our enemies, I'm satisfied with that." The purple-haired woman shrugged her shoulders.

Meanwhile, the mysterious Mr. 6 gripped the handle of his weapon tighter, knuckles turning white, as he once more ignored Bon Kurei dancing around behind him and proclaiming to 'help him in the battle as good comrades'.

"Time to hunt."

 **xXxKOGA'S POVxXx**

Covered by the heavy capes, Usopp and Koga whirled away from the others and directed their Supersonic Ducks towards the South-West entrance, the sniper quietly praying to get into the city without any incident.

Though Koga wasn't that optimistic.

The blond tried to ignore the heat the extra clothing gave him, trying to focus instead in incoming enemies. As the ducks entered the streets with claws hitting paved road with a strange clacking noise, his hand closed around the hilt of _Sankaoken_ , wary, feeling his stomach revolting in nervousness.

Suddenly his intuition flared off just as a chain appeared out of nowhere and hauled Koga out of his mount with a harsh tug; with a loud curse, the blond landed on his butt and back, the chain dragging him away.

"Koga!" Usopp whirled around with a disguised voice, the two ducks stopping for a moment.

"Just keep going!" He grunted, managing to get free of the chains and standing up, ready to face the enemy head-on. "I'll cover you, just go!"

"Un, deux, trois! Un, deux, trois~!" He heard a familiar voice getting past him at supersonic speed, dancing around like a ballerina.

'He's going after Usopp!' The chronicler realized quickly, and cursing again he whirled around to attack Mr. 2, _Sankaoken_ morphed into his naginata.

But again, the chain stopped him in his tracks, holding off one of his arms and giving Bon Kurei enough time to get away, chasing after the fleeing Usopp and the ducks.

Pissed at whoever had stopped him from helping his friend, Koga turned his furious bicolored gaze at his enemy.

The man looked around his thirties, and was fairly tall, with a muscled complexion, extremely pale skin and covered his body in black armor, like a dark knight. A messy mop of light green hair partially covered his piercing black eyes, fixed on Koga's, his face having a permanent scowl that made him think he was precisely not easy-going. As a weapon, he handled an impressive-looking double-edged sword, a chain attaching it to his right gauntlet, the other end wrapped around the chronicler's arm.

'So that's the chain he's using to hold me off.' The blond thought, narrowing his eyes at him.

The man tilted his head to the side, assessing his rival with an inexpressive black glare. He then looked down at his sword… that was beginning to pulse with an unknown energy that sent shudders down Koga's spine for some reason.

As if he were looking at something _prohibited_ for him to witness.

"So he's the one…" He muttered to himself.

Koga frowned under the deep hood covering his face.

"What are you talking about?" It didn't escape from him the fact that the armored guy said 'he'. Wasn't Vivi Baroque Works' objective?

At first he didn't answer, seemingly enraptured in some sort of trance, before coming back to the present with a small jerk of his pale green head. His chain suddenly unwrapped from Koga's arm and slithered back to his owner's free hand, the one not holding the impressive sword.

"Cursed One, I'll bring you down here and now." The black knight declared, lifting his sword up to his face in a solemn salute before his scowl deepened even more. "In the name of The Chapel, DIE!"

 **Swish RIIIIIIP!**

The destroyed cape flew a few more moments before floating to the ground, turn to shreds because of the black knight's extremely sharp sword. The green-haired man incorporated from his semi-crouched position and looked over his shoulder at Koga standing a few feet away from him, naginata at the ready with a wary look on his face.

"To be honest, I'm glad to see that you're not easy to kill, Cursed."

Koga's grip on the naginata tightened.

"Thanks, I guess. But I have questions for you. Who are you, and how do you know I'm a Cursed?"

"You're more uninformed that I thought." The black knight sighed in an almost dramatic way. "I've always thought that your demons keep you vessels like this, but I didn't think of the extent of it."

The pirate's whole body tensed. Did that mean that _Sankaoken_ had lied to him? But why? If there was a danger, he should've been the first one in alerting him of the existence of it. Why leaving him in the dark if it meant both their deaths?

"I'm actually not surprised that your demon didn't tell you anything though. Demons trade with information as well as with lives. It's their purchase coin." The black knight spat at his side, disgusted. He then stood straighter and turned around completely, facing Koga. "I am known as the Black Knight, server of one of the Four in The Chapel. If you want more information," he brandished his sword expertly and pointed at him with the edge, "then you'll have to beat me first to get it."

Koga pressed his lips in a tight line, and stood in combat stance.

"That can be easily arranged." And sprang into action right away, hoping to catch the other off-guard.

No such luck, unfortunately, as Black Knight swiftly blocked his incoming dash with a wide arc of his own weapon, both blades colliding with a loud clank. Koga's eyes grew wide instantly, feeling the force in that swing in his trembling arms. The knight even provoked a small tornado that blew his blond hair away from his face, and practically made him _fly_ away.

His body slammed against a wall, creating a huge hole in it, debris and dust covering him.

'Dammit, that freaking _hurt_!' He inwardly groaned, a hand holding his injured side. 'That guy is fast, and strong. And this wound won't make things easier for me.'

Chains rattled, the blonde managing to roll out of the way as it cut deeply into the wall's remains, the sheer brutality but in that swing enough to destroy it completely. Koga rushed to his feet and barely blocked the blade's edge directed at his torso; the blond cursed again at his inhumane strength and tried to step away from Black Knight by stomping a foot into his stomach.

Bad idea.

To tell the truth, he _did_ manage to get the black-clad guy away, but the jolt of pain what went up his foot to his hip reminded him that stomping an _armored knight_ wasn't exactly the smartest move.

As he stumbled away, the Black Knight brought his sword up again, but didn't attack right away.

"I don't get it." He mumbled, as if astonished.

Koga sent his Devil Fruit powers to block out the pain for a moment before grasping his naginata tighter. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not using your demon powers. Why?"

"I'm already using it." The chronicler raised his naginata with a cocked eyebrow.

The green-haired knight raised an eyebrow too and put a strange face. "… That can't be."

"Huh?"

 **CLANK!**

'Grk!' Koga growled, barely blocking the sudden attack. 'What's with his speed and strength! It's almost out of this world!'

"You're kidding, right?"

"Huh?" The blond raised his head instinctively in confusion…

… and _froze_.

…

How could he begin to describe the sheer emotion on his enemy's face and eyes? Was it anger that clenched his chest so hard breath couldn't reach his lungs properly? Yes, it was… but that word didn't even reach the profundity reflected on his face. The writer also saw raw desperation, of those that tear your flesh off and turn your soul into a bottomless dark pit.

However, deep inside, something lurked under all those intense feelings.

… Disappointment, maybe?

But why?

"You're mocking me you prick!" The Black Knight roared right in his face, that incredibly harsh expression still on. The pressure suddenly increased, and Koga gritted his teeth, the sword about to cut him in two.

'Dammit! Bull's Strength!'

Bull's Strength was the name of Koga's ability to enhance his physical power. Normally he would use it to attack, but right then he was stuck in defense.

"What got you so riled up?" The writer grunt out from gritted teeth. "That's all my–!"

 ** _SLAM!_**

"URK!"

His back slammed against another wall forcefully, creating a small crater with the impact; gasping for a breath that was suddenly lacking, his tanned hands flew up to the armored hand viciously gripping his throat.

"Don't you _dare_ say that." A snarl, vicious and wild, came to his ears.

Fury, cold and menacing, seeped from his armored frame, reflected in the pale man's face. Unable to form a retort, Koga tried to pry the hand away from his windpipe –with absolutely _no_ success. The naginata, forgotten in the ground, pulsed with a darkness neither of them perceived.

"Every subordinate of The Chapel _must_ fight at their fullest against the worshippers of the Devil." The Black Knight recited, anger laced in every word; Koga barely listened, too worried in drawing breath. "I know your demon is able of more than… _this_. If you're not going to give your all in this fight, then you're underestimating me; thus, you underestimate The Chapel's principles. And that I _cannot_ and _shall not consent._ "

"Grk…" Unable to get the knight off him, Koga's left eye opened just a tiny bit, the other clammed shut because of the dull pain at the back of his head and the iron-grip around his throat.

"If you're hiding your power, _demon_ , I command you to show it to me. In the name of The Chapel and all that's pure and sacred in this world… _I. Will. End. You._ "

And then he murmured three words. In a language Koga didn't recognize, but still sent a shiver down the blond's spine. Not one of excitement, but one of _terror._

He recognized that language, even though he didn't know its meaning. He had heard it, only once.

 _When_ Sankaoken _bonded with his soul against both their wills._

Immediately, all his body and mind flared up in ardent fire, an acute pain wiping away what was left of his will with unrelenting force. That pain battled against the knight's command –whatever it was– and also plummeting down his entire being. A shrill, agonized scream left a throat, and after a few seconds the chronicler realized it was _his_.

Suddenly, all sense of reality escaped from him, consumed by a dark fire only his own mind could visualize. The pain on his back and throat subsided until they disappeared, as well as the vicious face of the enraged knight that brought this, their existence insignificant under that all-consuming pyre that filled his soul. The black-and-blue fire roared in his ears, surrounding him completely in a tight circle, with nowhere to do except standing there, waiting for the flames to turn him into ashes. He stood there, unarmed, naked to the world, quivering with helplessness and dreading in despair at what that simple command could have unchained.

A growing darkness then let out a dry laugh, the coldness and _evilness_ it held stopping Koga's heart for a painful moment. Panicked, unable to think for himself anymore, he swirled around, trying to see beyond the flames destined to engulf him and devour him whole, but his weak eyes could detect nothing, the darkness too penetrating for him.

He suddenly tensed as an icy breath tickled the back of his neck, a hand slithering his way up his spine, long, claw-like fingers brushing away the small braid located there until they rounded his throat from behind, burning his skin with the cold. It had no force in them, but the threat was still there, craving his blood but unable to draw it because of their Contract.

F ** _r_** _E_ **e _M_** e… _C_ **h** O ** _s_** _E_ **n** … o ** _F_ T** _h_ E **d** _A_ r ** _K_** l ** _O_** _r_ D **…**

Every fiber of his entire being sparked at that command, willing him to say _No_ before a disaster occurred. But even then, a small voice asked from somewhere dark in his mind… _Why not?_

'He has me cornered… if I die, I won't be able to help Vivi and the others… I still have to achieve my dream… and discover who I am…'

As noble as those thoughts were, the rational and rightful part of his mind compelled him to refuse the demon's demands. What good would it be, they argued, if he surrendered his soul to the darkness for the sake of those dreams? Were they so important to him to taint his hands in blood, to bury himself in the darkness?

If you surrender to _him_ , they insisted still, the poisonous presence of the demon will never leave you again. Your soul will forever be tainted in corruptness, sentenced to be a possession of the Dark Lord in the afterlife.

F ** _r_** _E_ **e _M_** e…

The icy voice quelled the rational part of his mind, sealing it behind tight bars. Only panic was left behind, and the visions of his friends bloody and dead on the ground. Not breathing, cold, just like Karen's body had been all those years ago.

Something snapped.

And the creature was then set _free_.

Back at the present moment, the Black Knight instantly felt the effect his words had provoked in the suddenly unmoving blond pirate. Only a second had passed since they were pronounced.

A freezing cold enveloped the body, and hissing in pain, the green-haired knight set him free, the hand that gripped his throat shaking in both cold and stinging pain. He observed with growing uneasiness as, like a puppet whose strings were cut off, the blond's body slumped to the ground on his knees, harsh breathings leaving him, the icy breeze softly brushing his head.

The knight then noticed the scorching sun over their heads, the wind still around them.

Seconds passed. The boy still on his knees with his eyes shadowed by his blond hair, the older man watching him with his hand gripping his giant sword, loosely but ready to be brandished against any foe.

The boy lifted his right hand at an agonizingly _slow_ pace, slipping it under his robes, until it stopped at his heart.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Darkness suddenly sprung to life around the boy's hunched figure, engulfing him whole like a starving wolf. At first it took a shapeless form, swirling around him, some tendrils occasionally whipping everything around –forcing the knight to jump back when one of them almost split him open. As he retreated though, he noticed the abandoned naginata being dragged by a tendril inside the formless darkness.

When it settled, it molded to the boy's body like a cloak, leaving his face open. He had stood up while surrounded by the darkness, but his expression showed no emotion, frighteningly void.

A shiver went through the veteran Demon Hunter's spine. That coldness felt more threatening than any rage-filled face he had ever seen before.

 ** _"I have to thank you, Demon Hunter."_**

The sudden address made the Black Knight raise his sword with a jolt. He would never admit it, but that voice, even sounding cocky and condescending, held a great power behind –a deadly one, and far beyond any other demon.

 ** _"As useless as my vessel is, he has a rather stubborn personality and his willpower is… a bit molesting to my liking. Even more when he began walking with those lowly pirates. I could barely reach him."_**

The now cloaked boy raised an arm, a thin column of darkness enveloping him and slowly forming an impressing scythe.

 ** _"But now… I'm free."_**

The freezing wind picked up again from behind the dark-cloaked figure, wiping green hair away from the Black Knight's face and forcing him to squint his beady eyes. His lips tensed into a firm line, crinkles on his forehead denoting stubbornness and determination.

He blinked, and the figure disappeared.

 ** _"How ironic, that one of my enemies would break the chains holding me."_**

"What the–?!"

 **SLASH!**

Blood sprayed all over the scythe's dark blade and both their faces, as a deep gash appeared on the armored man's chest, his beady eyes wide open with incredulity; his sword had an alarming crack where he had tried to block the scythe, and his armor had been cut open like butter.

Instincts and years of harsh training kicked him hard, and the Black Knight slashed at an immediately disappearing figure. One hand shot up to the gash across his torso, feet slightly swaying.

How, he wondered. Even if he wasn't one of the fastest or the strongest guys in The Chapel, he was by no means a pushover. The hellish training he and his fellow companions went through pushed them to their very limits, to get them used to the often far superior force the demons possessed.

And also, their little secret helped quite a bit.

Much to his relief, the wound began to heal on his own thanks to his own spirit.

"Thank you." He lowly said as his fingers traced the intact skin under the slashed armor.

The spirit didn't answer, but he expected none either way. They couldn't speak. He did however feel a warm sensation.

 ** _"Oh, a spirit, huh."_** The knight jumped again at the sudden voice. **_"You know, you call the necromancers jailors, but you of The Chapel don't go too far from that description, hypocrites."_**

"Don't compare us with you." The man snarled, frowning and raising his cracked sword. "Those spirits are victims that were killed by Cursed like your own vessel. We gather them and give them rest, or vengeance if they seek them. Our purpose is righteous. Don't you dare sully The Chapel's sacred purpose, _demon_."

 ** _"Huhuhu, how amusing."_**

 **CLANK!**

Scythe and sword collided with a spark, and this time it was the knight who gritted his teeth. Since the demon came out, the boy had suddenly increased his strength and speed, and most likely his resistance too. True, the spirit could heal his injuries, and his own power wasn't something to be underestimated, but eventually he would grow tired and the spirit would be in danger of being sucked by the demon, leaving him defenseless again.

… Maybe it wasn't a good idea to incite the demon to come out after all.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Sorry for the shortness of the chap guys, but this was only a quick update of Koga's adventures, and my exams are literally killing me right now. I managed to come out for a brief moment to update and let you guys know that no, I'm not dead (though most likely most of you want me to die because of this awful cliff), and this story is by no means suspended.**

 **So yeah, until next time! I'll try to get away before July, but no promises. See you, keep your reviews coming and stay beautiful!**


	45. Hellish fight

**45\. Hellish fight**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **WOO-HOO! I actually updated sooner than expected, aye? Surprise! And I have another surprise for you… It lacks something, but I simply couldn't do anything about it...**

 **Okay! As per Koga-kun's insistence, from now on he'll be present to answer reviews alongside me. Say hello to everyone, Koga-kun!**

 **K: Hi everyone, please treat me well. *dips his head respectfully***

 **L: Certainly they'll treat you better than I in my story. *snickers deviously as Koga sweatdrops nervously at the Author* So, on with the reviews, please~!**

 **-PychopathOnADiet: Totally. Koga will have a really bad time with this fight, I assure you. I hope I surprise you even more with the outcome of the fight. There will be _many_ revelations here.**

 **K: Gee, thanks.**

 **L: Hey, no protests. Power comes from suffering, that's my motto.**

 **K: Yeah, but suffering is _not_ masochism!**

 **L: *expertly ignores Koga* And thank you! I hope I don't die from them either xD**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Thanks! I always thought fighting scenes weren't exactly my forte, hehe. Good luck with your exams!**

 **K: Yeah, good luck! But please don't ask for more fights… I'm the one suffering in them…**

 **L: Shut it, you.**

 **-Boopadoop: Thanks~! Well, more like wind-darkness, but his main power now is darkness, yeah. Seems our demon had some nasty secrets hidden, huh…**

 **K: *hides a blush under his scarf, avoiding his gaze* Glad you like them. It's actually a recipe I learnt from someone long ago. She and I used to do cookies for our grandpa… though Yuuto usually stole them…**

 **L: That's actually sweet of you, Koga-kun.**

 **K: *blushes even more from embarrassment***

 **L: Good timing indeed haha! The demon actually _has_ a name, but it never revealed it to Koga.**

 **K: When my grandpa bonded it to my soul, I named it Sankaoken. And what's his real name?**

 **L: Well, _I_ know his name, but I won't reveal it until later on. You'll both have to wait. And thanks about that. I'm sorry for your losses too :'( And I'm glad you're finally free from school! I'm actually feeling envy…**

 **-King0fP0wers: Thank you. Yeah, keep an eye out to Mr. 6, because he'll play a rather important role later on in the story…**

 **K: Really?**

 **L: … Dammit, I forgot you were here.**

 **K: Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, when I saw the knight I actually felt rather hot 'cause who the hell actually wears a black armor in the freaking desert? And no, he used a sword.**

 **L: And yeah, the demon is Sankaoken, who has some secrets up its sleeve…**

 **K: Hmmm…**

 **-avatoa: Uh, I'm sorry?**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hi there! Long time no see! Yeah, I got Koga into a nasty situation.**

 **K: *sighs wearily* I'm actually quite used to it, but I'm not really piped up to fight against a demon hunter like this… Will I be able to control it, I wonder?**

 **L: You'll find out soon, don't worry.**

 **-zerom1v: I'm not sure about that. Sankaoken in complete possession of Koga's body right now.**

 **K: Damn.**

 **L: But I won't let our hero die. And thanks! They're tough, but I'm even tougher!**

 **I normally don't recommend music for my chaps, basically because I feel that not many songs completely capture the essence of what I'm writing.**

 **THIS IS AN EXCEPTION THOUGH! Of course, it's merely a recommendation, but as some kind of background for this chap, I suggest you to hear Halsey's "Control". It-is-freaking- _awesome_. And it totally catches the atmosphere of what Koga is going through.**

 **Here's a link to the song:**

 **watch?v=jGALaVgwdc0**

 **Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Location: Around the South-West entry of Alubarna, Alabasta, Grand Line.

Time: Shortly after dawn.

Fighters: Baroque Works (hired) VS Straw Hat pirates.

Situation…

 **CLANK!**

A restless fight.

Only ten minutes had passed since they began fighting, three since the Black Knight forced the demon inside Koga to take part in the fight. And thus far, he regretted that reckless decision.

The evident disrespect had blinded his better judgment, and he acted before thinking of the consequences of calling out a demon he didn't know the powers it possessed. He normally wasn't that unprepared; his master taught him well the importance of always maintaining your cool and analyze the demon's powers before and during each battle.

But… He admitted that Koga's proclamation (of the demon only possessing powers of transformation to fight) rather angered him, because the spirit inside him clearly felt a greater power underneath it all. The thought of being underestimated clouded his reasoning, and he practically _challenged_ the demon to come out with its full powers.

Honestly… If his master could see him right now, he'd be terribly ashamed of him, and would ask him to come back to being an apprentice. To relearn everything all over again.

Uh, now that he thought about it… If he came out of this fight alive, he might just do that.

 _If_. He came out alive.

Sparks flew each time the black sword and the black scythe clashed with thundering noises, dark tendrils often molesting the knight, seeking to distract him. The Black Knight gritted his teeth and slashed another tentacle with his sword, barely avoiding an incoming slash from the scythe. Said weapon slashed open a new wound on his cheek, and the knight actually cursed out loud before punching the boy in the stomach with great force.

His armor was already severely damaged, multiple bruises and slashes coating his entire body; he lost in the fray his left shoulder pad and both his shin guards, destroyed completely by the scythe's extremely sharp blade. His spirit had not too long ago healing his most grave wounds, only having enough mana to close shallow cuts, and though he had still stamina to keep fighting, he was panting heavily of exertion and the frantic pace of the fight.

As for the pirate, his black cloak made of darkness barely let him know anything, but the slight delay in his attacks and the occasional –but increasingly larger– pauses he did after each attack made him think that the demon was absorbing a lot of energy. However, his strength in each swing remained the same, and the fact that his cloak seemed to absorb the impacts, he could as well tell that he was practically unharmed.

Koga twirled the scythe expertly and dashed forwards, and the Black Knight raised his sword once more.

 **CLANK!**

The impromptu dragged the green-haired knight a few feet backwards before gritting his teeth and clawing his boots on the ground; he gave a mighty push that disconnected the edges of their weapons before kicking him on the side. He felt satisfied at hearing a few cracks before the boy was sent flying off to a wall.

However, the black-clad boy back flipped mid-air and kicked the wall forcefully, leaving a small but deep crater behind. The kick gave even more power to the swing of the scythe, but the Black Knight faced it head-on with a powerful swing on his own. The blond boy opened one hand from the handle and tried to grab the knight's face, even if it was out of his arm's reach.

'What's he doing?' The green-haired man wondered, confused. 'He's far away from–'

Suddenly, everything slowed down as he watched with growing eyes the outstretched hand grotesquely changing, a dark claw completely engulfing his face.

 ** _"You got cocky, brat."_** He heard the younger man's distorted voice. **_"It's true, my host's arm range wasn't enough to reach you, but you forgot…_ I _am here too…"_**

 ** _SLASH!_**

Another gash opened at his chest, opposite to the one made at the beginning of the battle, making a huge cross. The destroyed armor clanked to the ground, useless, leaving him in a tattered bloody shirt.

 ** _"You're fighting against a Darkness demon. My power far surpasses you."_**

But the man also saw an opportunity. With a fierce determination showing in his face, his sword pierced the boy across the stomach. Even if the shadows didn't let it show, he knew he couldn't have avoided that. For good measure, he willed his already weakened spirit to wrap the chain around the pirate's torso, binding him in place and unable to move away.

Up close, he noticed the blank expression on the boy's face, his eyes pitch back with veins protruding from the corner of his eyes.

"And you forgot…" He couldn't help but to comment although panting, "that you're fighting… against The Chapel… and we are _always_ alert against you scum…"

As the boy looked around and struggled against the chains, the knight breathed deeply with a frown of determination.

'I have no level to do a complete exorcism, and even so I'd need the help of at least five more acolytes like me to completely exorcise a demon this powerful. But…' His teeth clenched against each other. 'If I don't do something, the level of haunted spirits will only increase…!'

'Meshu lior ak terh mii…'

Words left the man's mouth, and at the same time a circle made out of pure light appeared at both their feet. The boy's dark eyes widened and a hiss escaped from him, some tendrils of darkness disappearing like a fire drowned in water.

'The circle affects it! Maybe I have a chance!'

'Tuaw limos tih mura labohk… ITUA!"

'I'm sorry, spirit… I need to push you even more with this…'

A giant column of light engulfed them both, but only Koga was affected by it, judging the ear-splitting screeches he formed out. The cape of darkness covering him wriggle desperately, wounded by the light, trying to escape from the barrier without succeeding.

 ** _"NOOOooo! I CANNOT DISAppear yet!"_** The claw grasping the knight's face slowly vanished, leaving a simple human arm behind, still outstretched and fingers twitching from pain. **_"you filthy LOW HUMAN! I WILL FIND YOU AND END YOU!"_**

"That's too bad." The knight calmly stated with a careful blank face. "Because this filthy low human has just defeated you."

 ** _BOOM!_**

The shockwave brought them apart, landing opposite to each other, destroying walls at their path. The circle shone for a few seconds more before disappearing completely. The street went silent after that, only broken by the distant echoes of fighting in the distance.

…

* * *

 **xXxKOGA'S POVxXx**

…

Cold…

…

– _up_ …

Dark…

 _–ake up…_

'Huh?'

 _Wake up, mongrel. I won't repeat myself._

Koga blinked blearily, wondering what had happened, and why the hell his whole body _hurt_ like crazy. The blue sky covered with white specks of cloud felt calm.

But nothing inside him felt right.

 _Brat, the enemy is still alive. Kill him._

The enemy… Right, that guy from Baroque Works –no, The Chapel… The Black Knight.

'Dammit… I barely have strength enough to breathe… Fighting will be a major pain in the ass…'

Flinching and letting out grunts of pain at every small movement he made, the blond propelled himself up to his elbows, and when he looked down, he actually _chuckled_ mirthlessly at how broken and bloodied his body looked. Cuts of all depths decorated his pretty-much-ruined robe, pants and shirt underneath; his left wrist sat at an unnatural angle, and a stab of pain flared up when he tried to move it. The chronicler choked back a scream of pain as he shakily cradled the injured wrist to his chest, trying not to aggravate it further.

He analyzed his cuts feeling dizzy and lightheaded. The gravest injuries he could see were a huge gash on his left leg that would leave a pretty nasty scar, and a great stab in his abdomen that was copiously bleeding, among other minor wounds all over his body.

When Koga was to incorporate, his right hand grazed something that sent out a metallic sound. He turned to see _Sankaoken_ in the ground, already transformed into a katana and hidden in its sheath.

Though still with glassed eyes, the blond frowned.

' _Sankaoken_?' He tremblingly thought, holding the sword. 'What happened?'

 _Destroy the enemy._

Taken aback by the rather harsh comment, Koga's frown deepened into a scowl and stood up, swaying back and forth weakly before willing his body forwards. Probably he shouldn't be moving, but if the Black Knight wasn't yet finished, he had to end it and go help the others…

Something felt wrong, however, as he crossed through holes in walls that were formed when he flew through them.

For some reason, he felt… hollow inside.

No feelings.

He found the Black Knight just at the street where they started the fight. He looked even worse to wear than himself, with all those terrible wounds and his black armor –that he probably took pride on– almost completely destroyed. He was using his sword as a walking stick, and only then did Koga realize that his hand had been dragging _Sankaoken_ 's sheath through the ground and that the demon had made no comment of it. Weird.

The knight's eyes, hidden by the mop of light green hair, rose to meet his.

'His eyes… They look dead already.'

"So… You're still alive and moving…" The Black Knight commented, assessing his wounds. "If it weren't for your demon, you'd be already dead."

"I could say the same…" Koga muttered. "And I suppose… I can't feel anything right now."

His rival smirked. "Well you're lucky… I feel every broken bone in my body… every gash…" He let out an airy chuckle that sounded like choking. "Even my _loss_ …"

With a mighty clank, the knight fell to his knees, the sword at his side. He breathed heavily, raising a hand to the X-shaped wound on his chest that still bled copiously. Like a flash, and with an agility and vigor he didn't know he still possessed, Koga rushed at his side and helped him rest his back against a rock.

"Heh, a Cursed helping his enemy, that's a first for sure…"

Koga didn't answer as he sat by the rock, still feeling strangely empty inside, tying _Sankaoken_ at his side once more. He then untied the scarf from around his head and wrapped it around his neck, hiding the bruises on it when the knight had grabbed him.

"I don't remember _when_ or _how_ I defeated you, but if you said you lost, then that means you'll answer my questions, right?" He nonchalantly declared.

"… Heh, I _did_ promise that. Ask away then."

"You're not gonna die yet, right?"

"As long as my spirit gets a rest, I'll hold up with the pain until it's able to heal me." His hand clenched into a fist. "It sickens me, to feel that I'm only using it, but…"

The younger man shot him a pensive look. Something about it all felt familiar…

"C'mon, neither you nor I have time. You still have to stop this war."

"Oh. Yeah. Then, who are you?"

One second. Two. Three…

"I am a member of The Chapel, an organization created exclusively to defeat demons and Cursed people." The knight blandly answered. "The base is far away to the east of the Grand Line. It consists of four levels of–"

"I didn't ask you that." Koga interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "I asked who you are."

"Huh…? But don't you want to learn about the entire organization that will go after you?"

"I can learn everything about them from books." The chronicler waved a hand, uninterested. "That kind of stuff normally is rather well-documented, even more if they're viewed as the 'heroes against evil'. And if there's something I don't know about them that can't be taught by books, then experience will make me learn."

The knight blinked, confused at the pirate's words.

"But… When we first started fighting, you presented yourself as the Black Knight, server of The Chapel. But that's not _you_. That's only a role you play within The Chapel. If there's something I hate about meaningless fights, it's that I'm unable to connect with my rival because he won't tell me anything about himself, not even a _name_." He suddenly sighed and rubbed the back of his head, flinching at the stinging pain. "I don't ask you to tell me the story of your life. Just tell me who you _really_ are."

The man pressed his lips in a thin line and looked aside for a moment, seeming to ponder his thoughts.

"… Thirty years ago, my village, along with my parents, were swarmed by an attack of demons. I was four at the time, and I also was the only survivor." He began talking in an icy tone. "The Chapel came too late, but took care of me. They raised me, trained me to become a protector of the people, to prevent such thing from happening again."

Even though he had asked him not to talk about the story of his life, Koga simply kept quiet, staring at the destroyed wall ahead, the echoes of the battlefield raging far ahead.

"But… I lost to _you_ … a Cursed…" The knight's voice quivered from the tears, pouring down his face, though the pirate didn't look at him out of respect. "I… I _can't_ go back… and face the disappointment… of my masters… my partners…"

"So that's why you resent us Cursed…"

"Exactly!" He finally exploded, still crying. "You Cursed people are obsessed with power, and play with things you don't know a thing about! You condemn other people to live and die tied to a destiny your own greediness can't control! You strive for glory, immortality, all that crap that only leaves behind death and sorrow! You…" He took a breath and then shot a furious teared look at the impassive-looking chronicler. "ALL YOU SHOULD JUST BURN IN HELL AND LEAVE US ALL ALONE!"

As the knight finished his rant, Koga suddenly stood up abruptly, causing him to sway dangerously before reaffirming his feet on the ground. His eyes were shadowed by the long bangs of blond hair, but his mouth was pressed in a firm line of displeasure, obviously not liking what he had heard.

"When I was fifteen, I almost died by treachery." He numbly murmured, forcing the knight to listen. "I was framed for a death I didn't commit, no matter how loud I cried or how raspy my voice became after my shouts." His hand went to his chest. "I was shot. In the back. By a shotgun. A completely blank shot that almost ended me right then and there."

"Wha– a shotgun…!"

"I wasn't a Cursed then, but my grandfather saved my life tying a demon in my soul. Most of the Cursed people I heard about are like you said, only concerned with their own wants, but…" Then his gaze lifted, a bottomless sorrow deep in his bicolored eyes as he locked eyes with the speechless knight. "There are others, like me, that couldn't choose their fate. Tell me, Black Knight, should we be treated like those egotistical bastards?"

"H– How do I know you're not lying? You vessels master the art of delusion and trickery better than anyone, thanks to those demons of yours!"

"I don't care if you don't believe me. And honestly, I understand that. I personally prefer to be dead than stay in this… half-life state."

The chronicler sighed at the lack of response from the knight, who turned his gaze to the ground, and then turned around to start walking down the street towards the fight that was brewing.

"Wait!" He stopped. "What's… your name?"

"… Sarugaki Koga, Cursed, and also chronicler of the Straw Hat pirates." His head turned slightly to the knight. "What's yours?"

The older man let out a soft snort. "I don't have such fancy titles. I'm just ol' plain Akera Seishiro. I was named the Black Knight by my colleagues and the people I saved, but that's all."

"Sometimes that's all that it's needed, Seishiro-san. Well, either way, it's nice to meet you at last. Not as the Black Knight, of course."

"… Yeah, same here." They both smiled at each other, before Seishiro cringed and looked at the boy with a serious spark in his beady dark eyes. "Before you go, I want to give you an advice."

"An advice?"

"The ritual I performed on I obligated your demon to take part in the fight. However, it took total possession of your body and mind, and I was forced to contain all that power back in your soul, which brought you back to reality... And you're not understanding anything, are you?" Seishiro declared with a deadpan expression on his face at Koga's confusion.

"Yeah, I'm understanding everything perfectly fine, but I don't get why you're telling me this."

"Because, when I tried to imprison your demon back inside you, I couldn't do it properly."

The chronicler's whole body tensed at that.

"It won't go on a rampage anytime soon, but you'll be most likely affected by its influence more often than before. Don't lose sight of what really makes you human."

Some silence fell between them before the blond nodded in determination. When he began walking away, the knight called out to him again.

"One more thing… Be careful with your demon. As far as I know, a demon that changes its looks… doesn't exist. It's hiding something from you."

This time the boy didn't acknowledge him, or it seemed to before he answered with a low voice.

"I know."

Once he left the older man behind, the pirate gritted his teeth as he sent his Devil Fruit powers to block out the pain, breaking into a jog towards the battlefield.

He still felt strange. There was no emotion inside him. Other than tiredness, he didn't feel joy because of the victory. He didn't feel confused because of how he had defeated Seishiro. He felt… empty.

But…

Seishiro's words ran through his mind, about _Sankaoken_ hiding secrets –something he already knew. And what really happened when they were fighting?

'Who are you, _Sankaoken_?' He found himself thinking. 'Did Seishiro-san tell me the truth about you? And what were those dark powers?'

 _Fufu. I don't have any name, or rather I have so many that I forgot the majority of them._

'What about that power? Was that yours as well?'

 _But of course. Did you actually believed me when I said I could only transform myself into weapons? You're way too naïve, boy. Actually, it wasn't in my plans having a server of that demon hunter association reveal my secrets, but well… Now you're a bit more useful. See, I'll even let you use my Death Scythe to bring down any enemy. Generous, aren't I?_

'… What's the catch?'

 _Who says there is a catch?_

'… Fine. Have it your way. Damn demon.'

 _Fufu._

When he finally reached the plaza, it had already turned into a pandemonium.

Revolutionaries and loyalists fought left and right, sometimes accidentally hitting their own allies in the fray. Some of them mistook Koga for one of the enemy, but were quickly dissuaded from attacking him after a few swings of his new scythe –he didn't kill them though, only knocked them unconscious. Furthermore, for some reason, the whole place was swarmed by a raging sandstorm only located there, making visibility almost nullified –Koga supposed it was Crocodile's doing, meaning Luffy hadn't defeated him, or at least not yet.

The chronicler had managed to knock a royal guard unconscious with a mighty swing of his scythe single-handedly (as the other was rendered useless for now until Chopper could take a good look at it) when he suddenly heard familiar voices somewhere from his left, just outside the palace entrance.

"Honestly! These guys are flying toward us now!"

Pushing aside the combatants in his way, he finally found Sanji, accompanied by Usopp, Chopper, Luffy, Pell, Vivi and Eyelashes.

"At last, I found you guys." He breathed in relief –the first feeling he recovered.

The others turned to him in surprise.

"Koga-san!" Vivi exclaimed delighted, though soon worry crept through her big eyes as she noticed all the injuries he had sustained.

"What's with that huge scythe?" Sanji pointed at the weapon. "Gives me the creeps."

"Does it?" He nonchalantly swung it and rested it over one shoulder.

The cook narrowed his only visible eye at him, wondering about that strange attitude of his; something about it felt iffy.

"USOPP!" A new voice rang out, along with the sound of metal clanging against said sniper's skull.

"OW!"

"Nami-san, Mr. Bushido!" Vivi's slightly teary eyes wandered around the crew, a small hopeful smile creeping into her face. "Everyone… You're all safe!"

"I'll deal with you later!" Nami threatened the long-nosed teen before walking up to Vivi in a hurry. "What's going on? Why's there sand everywhere?"

It was Koga who answered though, looking up with a frown. "Crocodile, no doubt. I heard he has Devil Fruit powers. This entire island is his weapon."

"Sorry guys…" Luffy's solemn voice brought everyone's attention to their captain/ally. "I went, and lost to him once. That's why…" He trailed off, before glaring upward towards the palace roof and direct to his intended target. "I won't lose again! You guys take care of everything down here!"

And the crew answered the way they knew how.

"Go and get out of here already…" Zoro said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"You _have_ to do it, Luffy!" Usopp cheered on him. "Because if you can't beat him, then who the hell is supposed to?!"

"I'll take care of it… _All_ of it!" He regarded them with a one-eyed look before rocketing away.

Towards his second round against Crocodile.

"YEAH!" His crew chorused below, as he disappeared into the barriers of the sand cloud above.

Vivi sniffled, a tear running down her face, but a rough hand ruffled her navy blue hair in an attempt to cheer her up. Startled, she looked up to see Koga looking aside but with his hand on her head. The young girl smiled, warmed by that gesture and more relaxed upon seeing that, despite what could've happened at his fight, Koga was still himself.

He seemed colder, but his hand still felt warm.

Vivi used a couple of minutes to steel herself as the chronicler lifted his hand from her head, before she turned to face the rest of the pirate crew.

"Everyone, we have no time to lose!" She ordered, her unusual tone drawing everyone's attention. "There's a bomb somewhere in the square that will go off in ten minutes… And it will annihilate everything in a five-kilometer range if we don't stop it!"

"A BOMB! WHAT DO WE DO?!" Usopp and Chopper screeched in fear.

"Isn't that obvious?" Koga lifted his scarf to his nose.

"Find the bombers." Zoro stated, the older boy agreeing with a nod.

"In _ten minutes_?" Nami shot back.

"If we fan out and search separately, we can cover more ground in less time." Sanji came out with a plan.

"Each of us grab a flare. If we find out something, we alert the others." Koga proposed, and the others nodded, Usopp giving the pertinent cylindrical sticks.

"I really hope this works, Usopp…" Nami shot a venomous glare at the long-nosed teen, who began sweating profusely before affirming they were the real deal.

"Let's ge–!"

Intuition tingling! Koga hadn't finished hearing Zoro giving the order to split up as he sprang into action. Just as the ugly mugs of three thugs appeared from amidst the sandstorm behind Vivi, the chronicler dashed towards them; Zoro and Sanji, long ago used to his quick reactions, didn't waste time in imitating him, and each of them took out a man bearing the brand 'BW' in some part of their bodies.

"Baroque Works." Sanji hissed, noticing a battalion of similarly-branded brutes appearing, with bloodthirsty grins and a myriad different weapons pointed to their little group.

"There's no time for this shit." Koga twirled his scythe in one hand as he cradled the other close to his chest, going up to them calmly.

The thugs doubted an instant, but their stupidity didn't let them assess the danger and some of them simply threw themselves over him, trusting their number would crush the heavily-injured guy. The others stayed behind.

How wrong they were…

 _Hey brat, here's a new move for you._

Darkness swirled around the scythe's sharp edge as he extended it far to his side, before swinging it in a wide arc before him, directly towards the group jumping over his figure. They watched, wide-eyed and unable to do anything except trying to block the arc of dark energy with their measly weapons, as the chronicler stared up at them nonchalantly.

"Dark Crescent Moon." He murmured, freeing all the energy in that swing.

Blood rained over the scared thugs that so smartly stayed aside, terrified as the corpses of their comrades fell to the ground. However, they didn't have any chance against them as Sanji and Zoro quickly took care of them too.

"Koga?" Chopper asked from behind the suddenly unmoving blond boy, who had eyed the scythe wearily.

"Damn, that's a pretty powerful move you have there!" Usopp exclaimed, before adding as an afterthought, "and scary too…"

"Yeah, it is…" Koga mumbled, frowning down at his weapon.

"There's no time! C'mon, let's split up!" Zoro ordered, disappearing into the sand.

The others nodded with an exclamation and dispersed too, leaving Koga standing alone before he shook his head forcefully and disappeared, intended to search for the bombers and stop them before it was too late.

 **xXxMEANWHILExXx**

Seishiro stopped walking –or rather limping– for a moment to catch his breath before continuing on his way out of the city. Well, he was already at the doors, but the perspective on heading out on his own into the desert didn't look like an appealing idea.

It _was_ true that he had been hired to help Baroque Works, but after meeting Koga he had this feeling that it wouldn't be long before the entire organization crumbled. And after all, The Chapel wouldn't want to be related with that kind of people when they got into prison; better to disappear now before it was too late.

Thinking of Koga, the knight frowned. He felt genuinely worried for the kid. Even if he managed to drag the demon back inside his soul, he had the feeling that it would take some time for the boy to go back to how he was.

"I wonder who the one really in control is." He wondered out loud, looking at the sky. "The host… or the demon inside?"

"There is a legend that talks about the two wolves that each human being has inside." A familiar grave voice boomed suddenly, startling and at the same time surprising the knight. "The white wolf that represents all that's good, and the black wolf that represents all that's evil. The one that wins is the one that's better fed."

The green-haired man turned and watched with huge eyes as a tall, bulky figure, with his back to the sun, walked towards him. "However, the Cursed only have one wolf: the black one. That is why we of The Chapel have the duty of erasing them from the face of the world."

"Mi– Milord Faith…" Evidently with a lot of effort, the knight dropped to one knee before the bulky shadowed person.

"Son… You did well. Let me take you home and heal your wounds. Next time, you'll definitely kill the Cursed boy. I'll put a price to his head, but we of The Chapel will be the ones in bringing him down."

His face hidden, Seishiro pursed his lips before tipping his head further.

"… Yes, milord."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it!**

 **Extra-long chapter for you guys, 'cause I adore you!**

 **K: At least I'm no longer controlled by that beast. Though I don't remember anything from the fight…**

 **L: Poor Koga-kun. You won something, at least.**

 **K: I don't think it's exactly a 'win' situation for me…**

 **L: Well, hope you liked it guys, see ya next time! Please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: Bye, everyone. Until next time.**


	46. Ten minutes

**46\. Ten minutes**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hello again! I'm tired.**

 **K: I'm tired too, and I'm not complaining.**

 **L: You're doing it now.**

 **K: I have reasons! You just put me in a deadly fight!**

 **L: And you have more to come, so…**

 **K: …**

 **L: Okay! Not so much to say here, except that I hate summer… And that I love you all ^^.**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Oh, how nice! Hope you did good on them ^^ Yeah, elements xD**

 **-14fox: HEYYYYY! Long time no see! Of course I remember you!**

 **K: It's nice to meet you. Author had talked to me a lot about you *gives a pleasant smile* Only good things, I promise.**

 **L: You really shouldn't like Sankaoken. He's evil. Like, totally. I'm no good at describing him though so… I'm glad you liked Koga's fight, thought I was doing it awfully short!**

 **K: Believe me, it wasn't short at all. And I also kinda liked Seishiro… If he and I weren't enemies, I'm sure he would be a good friend. And Ryo, you should be good with your author: remember that s/he's the one that determines if you live or die… Literally.**

 **L: Totally! *pats Koga's head like a doggie***

 **K: Don't touch my head… *swats Author's hand away* Anyway, yeah, my surname means 'Monkeybrat'. Not on purpose, 'cause apparently Author likes Bleach and there was a character named Hiyori Sarugaki who author liked. So… *shrugs a bit* there you have it.**

 **L: Of course, both his name AND surname aren't his real ones. Remember that he lost his memories before meeting his grandfather, and he, Yuuto and Karen put him his name and he adopted their surname.**

 **K: Thanks for the support, Ryo. I'll try to not kill myself, though maybe you should say that to Author. *shots an angry glare at Author, who whistles while looking at the side***

 **K: A Reaper huh. That doesn't sound fun, I agree.**

 **L: Really? I think it's interesting.**

 **K: … Don't. Whatever you're thinking about, just, don't.**

 **L: Boo, you're no fun. Well, I hope to see you again soon!**

 **-zerom1v: Thanks! I'm giving my best to improve my writing and let you feel everything in my fic. And yeah, Sankaoken's hiding a lot of things. Suspicious…**

 **-PsychopathOnADiet: Yeah, he's changed. This kind of battles leave deep scars in both combatants, and surely whatever Seishiro did to Koga would also leave its toll on him.**

 **K: I also wonder what Sankaoken's hiding. The more I know about him, the more secrets I seem to find.**

 **L: Don't worry, you'll know soon enough.**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Uh, sorry? What does that mean?**

 **-King0fP0wers: Thanks! He'll be his normal self soon, don't worry. Uh, I don't think so. You know, I suck at doing one-shots. I _could_ try, but I didn't watch every movie either, so… But thanks for the proposal! I promise to keep it in mind should I ever change my mind.**

 **-Boopadoop: KITTIE!**

 **K: Author, down. I know you love cats, but this is Boopadoop's, not yours. *lowers his voice to a whisper to Boopadoop* I recommend to keep an eye on your cat, in case Author steals it.**

 **L: Ahem! I'm civilized, Koga-kun, thank you very much. Oh, did I? Damn. Well, I'll make sure to correct them as soon as I can, promise.**

 **K: Well, I used to live here for a good two, three years. And yeah, that picture is mine, though it doesn't have my scar.**

 **L: I want to use it for your Wanted Poster, Koga-kun~!**

 **K: … Uh. Right. Do whatever you want.**

 **L: Really? That's great! Yeah, I'm really proud of you, keep it going! Aw, thanks~ I love to have so enthusiastic and grateful readers like you Boop ^^**

 **-WaterStar45 (from chap 43): Welcome, and thank you very much! Sometimes it's a pain to keep the canon characters as accurate as possible to avoid making them OOC, but I'm glad I'm doing fine ^^**

 **K: Ugh, I hate Alabasta. All I know is heat and sand, and drama everywhere. Sure it feels good to help Vivi and her father, but…**

 **L: Koga-kun, this Arc served to give you and the Straw Hat crew a good push to your growth as good people, so don't complain so much.**

 **K: Ugh. You're right. Sorry.**

 **L: Thanks! Yeah, Vivi's a great fighter, of those that makes people want to follow her. Not many can achieve that, and I admire that quality a lot.**

 **-WaterStar45 (chap 45): Absolutely not, but Sankaoken doesn't care about that either. And thank you! You'll find out more in the following chapter, I think. Uh, she won't, sorry. I wanted to give a twist to the plot here. Not major, but I have to put it somewhere.**

 **K: My birthday? October 1st.**

 **-ARSLOTHES: Hello, and thank you so much! Hope you continue liking it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

'Alright, find a bomb in the middle of a raging war, a bomb that will detonate in ten minutes if we can't find them in time and will destroy everything in a mile radius. Man, talking about complicated missions.'

 _In truth, you could let that bomb go off. You know you wouldn't die from it._

'And what about all the others? The people fighting, the innocents? My friends?'

 _That's just collateral damage. You know you can't find_ and _deactivate a bomb in less than ten minutes._

Koga raised an eyebrow as he stopped jumping from roof to roof, glaring down at the dark scythe in his only usable hand with rage in his bicolored eyes. Since the fight against Seishiro, _Sankaoken_ seemed to reach his mind far easier than before.

'… You really have nerves to say that.'

 _Huhu. Don't be like that. Oh, and by the way… You should watch out for–_

"YOU!"

As his feet touched the ground once more, a painfully familiar voice stopped the chronicler in his tracks just when he took impulse to jump up again to the roof of the next house.

 _… him._

Marine Lieutenant Yuuto Sarugaki glared at his older brother, as the lower-ranked soldiers squirmed in nervousness at his obvious hatred and mistrust. Smoker had ordered them to try to dissolve the fight and indirectly help the Straw Hat pirates in any way they needed; of course, that order didn't exactly bode well for the black-haired freckled teen, whose fingers shook in eagerness to wield his black greatsword and cleave Koga in two.

The chronicler, however, didn't turn to acknowledge him, hiding his face behind his scarf and his eyes under the blond bangs of hair, a huge menacing-looking scythe as black as coal resting in one of his shoulders.

"… I don't have time to deal with you right now, Yuuto." Koga declared with a gelid voice. "Stay out of my way if you're only going to waste it."

Enraged, Yuuto grit his teeth so hard that his jaw let out a small crack of protest. The black sword he wielded let out a small tendril of blue fire before it disappeared in a puff of dark blue smoke.

"Seven minutes left." Koga murmured, a hand running through his pale blond locks in what seemed frustration.

"What are you talking about?" Yuuto growled out with gritted teeth.

"In seven minutes, a bomb will go off, killing thousands of innocent people."

The absolute indifference he put in that simple sentence froze everyone. How could he talk like that, so careless about people's lives?

 **CLANK!**

"This is your doing, you filthy pirates, right?!" Yuuto seethed in fury, face inches from his older brother's; his flaming broadsword had been effortlessly stopped by the scythe's black pole. "I don't care about Smoker's orders, I'm going to kill you right now!"

"If it really were my doing, then why the hell would I tell you?" Koga raised an eyebrow, not bothered at all at his brother's hateful glare. Or so it looked like. "Besides, you're wrong: my crew and I are trying to stop this."

"Why would you want to?" The younger brother spat venomously, intent on trying to overcome the pirate's power. " _You killed everyone._ "

A small tendril of darkness whipped at Yuuto's stomach, snatching him away from Koga.

"Lieutenant Sarugaki!" The petrified soldiers behind exclaimed at once, hands to their weapons.

"Stay where you are!" Yuuto barked, not sparing a glance back as he dropped a knee to the ground. The tendril floated around Koga, emerging from his own shadow at his feet, and the black-haired Marine eyed it warily. "I see… So that's your demon element, huh? Fitting for you. _Scum._ "

The tendril suddenly hissed at Yuuto like a furious snake, beady red eyes flaring with cold hatred, but otherwise Koga didn't react at his little brother's insult. Sure he had heard a lot worse words used to describe him, and though it certainly hurt knowing what the black-haired Marine thought of him, the chronicler couldn't make any retort.

Seeing that his forsworn enemy wasn't going to move to attack –as always– Yuuto made the first move, shooting himself forwards with his black sword covered in blue flames. Darkness flooded through the scythe's sharp edge as the chronicler swung it single-handedly, the two weapons clanking as they met violently.

Yuuto's icy blue eyes widened for a moment at the strength used in that swing, and also at the fact that Koga didn't retaliate, as he usually did when they encountered each other. His attack also held a silent determination, one that sent shivers down his spine for some reason.

One of the Marines he brought along raised his gun and shot at the pirate, who threw a side-glance at him before raising an arm to trap the bullet in a dark wall emerging from his own shadow. That same wall morphed into a dark hand that closed into a fist and slammed against the three Marines away from the battle between the two brothers.

Yuuto lowered his guard for a moment when he saw the three Marines bleeding on the ground, worried about their wellbeing. A sharp kick in the guts soon brought him out of his reverie, and he skidded before stopping with his sword digging deep in the ground; he cursed to himself before looking upwards and glaring daggers of hatred at his older brother.

Who, surprisingly, had a small smirk drawn on his face.

"You know, you're the same as me. Even after so many years." The scarred older boy muttered almost to himself, his bicolored eyes showing a spark of something.

"What are you talking about? We're not the same." Yuuto couldn't help but growl, his face contorted into an angry scowl.

"You only swear in a fight, like me. You have almost the same moves as me. And…" His gaze fell on something behind Yuuto, and when the Lieutenant looked over his shoulder he saw his fallen Marines slowly raising up, bloodied and slightly battered but overall fine. "You worry about your friends even when you're fighting against an enemy. Just like me."

Relief flooded Yuuto for a moment, before he registered Koga's words and shot an angry glare at him again, no longer worried about his underlings' wellbeing.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He repeated harshly, lifting his flames-covered sword to point at the older boy once more. "You don't have any friends. You're just a _monster_ who burned everyone in the orphanage _alive_ and killed Karen-chan. And of course, _I am not like you_."

A flicker of deep sadness passed over Koga's face, but otherwise kept silent as before. He felt all his efforts seemed in vain, and that, along with his brother hating him to the core and his inability to explain what really happened that day– mainly because he didn't remember –broke his heart in many pieces. He prayed that one day he would be able to make his younger brother see the truth.

But he could say nothing as the dark-haired Marine launched himself at him again with a battlecry, their weapons clashing once more. Koga managed to keep up a good fight even with only one usable hand and his whole body covered in deep cuts; his Devil Fruit and his newfound darkness powers also helped him quite a bit. However, he desperately tried to _not_ harm his brother in any way, as he always did whenever both of them fought.

 **BANG!**

Startled by the sudden shot, Koga, Yuuto and the three other Marines whirled around just in time to see a slowly growing column of red smoke flying up to the sky, around the giant tower clock, where the plaza was flooded with misguided fighters.

Recognizing the red smoke as one of Usopp's flares, the blond pirate quickly retracted the dark tendril inside his own shadow and turned around to go back to his crew. The sound of weapons being cocked stopped him momentarily though.

"Where do you think you're going? Our fight isn't over yet!" The Lieutenant protested.

Koga spared a glance over his shoulder at the Marines, all of them.

"It didn't begin in the first place, little brother. My mission is to stop a bomb from going off. Yours is to set aside your idea of revenge and to get people to safety in case we fail." At the stubborn silence he received, the scarred young man sighed deeply, looking at the smoke column. "I don't know if I will ever be able to make you see the truth, Yuuto. But let me tell you this: I am not the monster you're labelling me with. I didn't kill the kids at the orphanage, and of course… _I didn't kill Karen_."

That last sentence, concerning their little sister, held a truth he had been holding back for years; the insecurity of what really happened and his own guilt over the past drowned that simple truth. It seemed insignificant, a mere assumption, an _intuition_ … But it meant the world for Koga.

'If only he believed me…'

Brushing that fleeting thought away, the chronicler took off before the Marines could stop him.

"He's getting away–!" One of the Marines, a scrawny-looking man, raised his shotgun aimed at the retreating pirate's back, but Yuuto's arm shot up and in front of the man. "Lieutenant…!"

"As much as it shames me to admit it, he's right." The black-haired officer ground out from behind gritted teeth. "He was in front of me, I could've killed him and get rid of a dangerous threat to the world. But… There are people killing each other on the streets. All those innocents, the elders, women and children…"

His free hand clenched into a fist, the other holding the black broadsword. Unsure of what to say or do, his subordinates stared at each other before glancing back at the younger superior officer when he suddenly straightened up and turned around sharply.

"Contact with Lieutenant Tashigi." He ordered the one carrying the communicator device. "Tell her we four are going to get the villagers in this area to safety. Then contact the others in our unit to begin searching for the bomb in the palace area and the battlefield. Do not engage with the fighters. And…" He doubted. "And tell Captain Smoker that we're also going to help the Straw Hat pirates."

The three blinked in surprise. Not only at the fact that he was for once willing to put his duty as Marine over his desire for revenge, but also that he had called his superiors Smoker and Tashigi for their rank.

"I really hope this works…" The Lieutenant sighed as his hand ran through his raven locks, looking up to the dome-like sandstorm locked in the plaza. "If no one needs healing, then let's get moving men!"

Yuuto then ran off the opposite side his brother went, the three Marines following after him with an enthusiastic 'Aye!'

 **xXx2 MIN LEFTxXx**

Avoiding Baroque Works' thugs, Royalists and Rebels alike, trying not to kill either of the two latter, Koga managed to reunite with Vivi, a mummified Usopp, Carue, Nami and Chopper.

"… The bomb is up there in the clock tower!" The princess was saying to the present crewmembers.

"But… How are we going to get up there? We can't climb that high in less than two minutes." Nami protested, looking up at the tall tower looming over their heads.

"We'll have to find a way." Koga shrugged, holding the black scythe against his shoulder.

"Nami-san, Vivi-chan!"

Sanji's voice suddenly called out to them… Well, the ladies… From up the tower. They all tilted their heads up at the same time to find the one-eyed blonde cook waving at them from one of the higher windows.

"WHY ARE YOU UP THERE!"

"On the message you left you wrote 'Clock Tower', so I climbed up!" Sanji loudly replied.

"On the top of the tower, just climb up and finish them!" Usopp pointed up the clock.

Koga blinked in surprise as he noticed a mop of green hair popping from a window even further up than the black-clad chef.

"I've been looking for you guys for a while!" Zoro exclaimed in irritation as everyone gaped at how high he was.

"You're here too! What are you doing up there?!"

"Those Marines told me to go North and I climbed up here!"

"Since when is 'North' and 'Up' the same thing?" Koga shook his head, exasperated but relieved that at least two of their strongest combatants were so up the tower.

However Vivi had a worried expression on her face as she looked at the two idiots argue with one another.

"From where they are, however, they can't enter into the inners of the clock tower. To go there you must use the stairs from ground level."

"B– but Zoro can break those walls!" The sharpshooter objected sharply, confident in the swordsman's ability.

Koga frowned as he thought of the consequences as he said: "That's too dangerous. The cannon may not be able to take that much shock."

"We still have to go from the stairs!" Vivi decided as she got ready to run.

For the first time in quite a while, the chronicler's intuition suddenly flared awake as his head snapped up to the clock face, slowly swinging open. Two voices, one male and the other female, cackled above their heads from the revealed hole, and the Straw Hat crew along with Vivi watched helplessly at the odd pair as they laughed.

"Hehehehehe, this is our last job!" The woman laughed. Koga and the others were too far to see either of their features, but they had a pretty accurate idea of who they were.

"Baroque Works Company, middle-class workers, Miss Father's Day and Mr. Seven!" The man introduced them with a grandiloquent tone, as if announcing the main protagonists of a play.

 _Interesting how Crocodile's mind works, inspiring that much inspiration in his underlings. So much that they're willingly going to surrender their own lives to his ideals._

Koga's face turned into an angry scowl as some dark tendrils left his scythe.

"15 seconds till shooting! Aimed at the center of the palace grounds! IGNITE!"

Adrenaline rushed through the chronicler's veins as a crazy idea popped out in his head. Interrupting whatever Nami was saying –and deciding that later he would apologize to her– the blond dug the scythe's blade deep in the ground.

"I don't have much strength left, but I'll manage to boost you three up there. Chopper, Vivi, get on my back. Usopp's too injured, so Nami, you'll have to send me up there."

He crouched a bit to let the princess and the doctor get on his back; they instantly did it, not having time to argue. Nami pulled out her new weapon, positioning as she called out, "Today's tempo is, typhoon!"

"13 seconds before shooting!"

"CYCLONE TEMPO!"

Aiming the time right, the chronicler jumped just as a sudden gust of wind boosted him up high in the air. Following the improvised plan, Vivi clung on Chopper's back as the reindeer stepped on Koga's uninjured hand, and he quickly brought to his arm power from his Devil Fruit.

"Bull's Strength: Mighty Swing!" He called out, launching the two up even higher just as they began losing height. "SANJI, CATCH THEM!"

"Right!"

The cook nodded, jumping off the ledge of the window. He started to swing around, ready to kick Chopper higher, up to Zoro's window. The swordsman, in turn, unsheathed one of his blades and went to use the blunt side to launch them to the face of the clock.

However, the Mr. Seven-Miss Father's Day pair suddenly noticed them. Just as Sanji shot both Chopper and Vivi up to Zoro's window, the Baroque Works officers brought from out of thin air two sniper guns and pointed at the princess mainly.

"Shit! They're snipers like Usopp!" Koga cursed with wide eyes, already safe on the ground.

"There's only seven seconds left!" Nami shrieked, her hands pulling at her orange hair in desperation and fear.

 _Hey, kid. Send me up there._

'What? What are you–?'

 _Just do it. If you want to save your friends, that is._

Not losing time, the chronicler snatched the scythe from the ground and threw it high in the air with a mighty cry, using his Devil Fruit powers to boost his strength.

Meanwhile, Zoro managed to launch both Vivi and Chopper higher up. The pair went to shoot, but a scythe appearing from thin air 'stepped' in their way. Startled, they shot.

 **BANG BANG!**

But the bullets never hit their targets.

In the blink of an eye, a horrifying image imprinted itself forever in the eye of the unfortunate pair of snipers. The scythe, seemingly useless without anyone to wield it, suddenly morphed into… something else. A shapeless dark creature with beady red eyes that roared at the pair and swallowed their bullets easily, like a daily meal.

Miss Father's Day shrieked at the creature as it roared again, but Mr. Seven cursed loudly and raised his gun again, this time ignoring Vivi and Chopper and aiming directly at the monster, firing the gun three more times…

… before the monster roared and _devoured them whole_.

The screams ceased as soon as Miss Father's Day was gone, along with her companion, as the Straw Hat crewmembers and Vivi watched dumbfounded for an eternal second, unable to lift a finger as the monster let out an animalistic groan as it morphed back to the scythe and fell to the ground just in front of Koga, its sharp edge digging into the ground.

Just like that, Mr. Seven and Miss Father's Day were gone. No one knew if they were dead or not, just that they vanished, swallowed by a beast.

 _Huhuhu, those shocked expressions, I love the most. Now I'm going to nap. Don't wake me up._

The scythe hissed as dark smoke escaped from it, morphing back into the rusty katana.

"What the hell just happened…?" Usopp muttered in shock.

As everything around them moved again, Koga simply stood there, looking down at the old katana with an indescribable expression on his face, a mixture of horror and disgusted bewilderment.

'Such power…'

Words tried to break him out of his reverie.

'It holds so much darkness…'

"… ga…"

'I… I don't want it…'

"SNAP OUT OF IT!"

 **BONK BAM!**

"OW!"

Next time he knew, his head sported a brand new lump and he was on the floor face-first, eating a mouthful of dust and sand.

"Whatever is eating your mind right now, leave it for when we're safe!" Nami roared from above him, not precisely helping with his growing headache. "We have more urgent matters!"

'Urgent matters…? Yeah... She's right.'

Just as he gingerly stood up, he noticed Zoro, Chopper and Sanji already on the ground. They, along with Usopp and Nami, were watching him with worry.

"NO!"

Vivi's broken voice snapped their attention back to her. She had her head out of the clock opening as she screamed:

"THIS IS A TIME BOMB! IT WILL EXPLODE AT ANY TIME IF IT'S NOT DISASSEMBLED!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"He had a plan B all along…" Koga murmured, looking up at the princess as she entered the hideout once more. His shoulder sag in defeat at the implications his words contained. "Even when we found the bomb and managed to stop it, he made sure it would go off either way…" A hand ran through his pale blond hair in anger and despair. "Dammit… Crocodile outsmarted us…"

"So… we lost?" Chopper looked down as he asked this.

The chronicler glanced at the reindeer with a small frown and went to answer, but the sound of flapping wings made him look back up.

Dumbfounded, he watched Pell in his full falcon mode enter the opening of the clock tower. Something clenched his stomach, an uneasiness that brought suspicions about the loyal soldier's purpose.

"What's happening up there?" Sanji growled in frustration, his hands closed in shaking fists.

Koga's eyes grew impossibly wide as he finally figured out Pell's plans.

"He's… saying goodbye…"

"Huh?"

"He's… going to sacrifice himself… for his princess… and his kingdom…"

As if confirming his stuttering mumble, the next thing the crew saw was Pell again in his full falcon mode, a device they deduced it was the bomb firmly held within his enormous claws, flying up, up, up and away from the town. Away from causing any harm to anyone… except himself.

Like flashes, images of Pell ran through Koga's mind. His kind demeanor and his patient attitude towards Vivi's mischief instantly won his respect and admiration; also, his firm loyalty to his king and his devotion towards the people he protected served as a great model for the much younger chronicler. Pell became a role model for him, the kind of man he had wished to become one day.

And now, as the bomb exploded with a massive thundering noise that illuminated the sky brighter than the sun for a brief moment, Koga couldn't help but feel admiration towards that valiant man amidst the numb void in his heart.

'I'll protect her, Pell-san. I promise.'

"Why…?"

Nami's disbelieving voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Why are they still fighting?" She muttered, a mask of sheer fury slowly covering her face.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" They heard poor Vivi's anguished voice from above, pleading instead of demanding. "PLEASE, STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING!"

Seeing the warriors still fighting against each other, too enraptured in their bloodthirst to notice their princess calling out to them, Koga snatched the rusty katana from the ground and sheathed it with a furious clank. His long strides, determined despite the injuries he had all over his body, led him towards the battlefield, and Usopp called out to him in confusion, asking what he was going to do.

"Stop them!" He answered with a sharp angry tone. "Those idiots are _killing_ each other in front of their pleading princess, and that I cannot tolerate! After all we've been through, stopping the bomb will be useless if these dumbasses don't stop fighting!"

And thus, he joined the fray, just to deliver strong punches to the head left and right, Royalists and Rebels alike. Soon after the rest of the crew imitated him, defeating the stray Baroque Works minions causing confusion amongst the two sides and instilling them to fight each other.

'Hurry up, Luffy!' Koga thought, digging a fist on a Baroque Works minion's stomach acting as a Royalist with all his pent-up frustration.

 **BOOM!**

He stopped fighting for a moment just in time to see the defeated form of Crocodile flying high in the air before plummeting down again, creating a small crater in the ground that briefly stopped the fight around. The chronicler smirked in relief, but then tightened his lips in a frown as the soldiers simply stood up and resumed their struggle, not caring for the fallen body that joined the numerous others at their feet.

'Are they really that blind?' The blond couldn't help but think in despair, avoiding being beheaded and kicking the person's shin before breaking a few ribs with a mighty punch. 'Is their bloodthirst so strong that it is impossible to bring them back to reality?'

 **Drip**

Something landed on his nose.

 **Drip**

 **Drip**

 **Drip drip drip drip**

Familiar drops fell from the sky, and when the blond looked up he noticed the sandstorm covering the battlefield slowly vanishing, letting the rain that didn't fall for three years wash everyone's faces, finally driving them out of their misty misguided minds. They all stopped, Royalists and Rebels alike, blinking in confusion and then in wonder as the much-needed drops of precious rain washed them. Weapons were lowered, minds were cleared as their ears and eyes, blinded and deafened because of their bloodlust, finally registered everything around them.

And then, they heard Vivi's cries.

Throughout all the fray, she hadn't stopped screaming for them, tearing her throat out, her voice becoming hoarse because of despair and anguish, the death of her dear friend heavy in her heart and the fear of losing her people evident in her tone.

"EVERYONE! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING! THE RAIN WILL FALL AGAIN LIKE BEFORE!" She called out, choking back her tears so that everyone would hear her. "BECAUSE, ALL NIGHTMARES HAVE ENDED AT LAST!"

He really hoped everything would be alright, but Koga felt disappointment when he glanced around at the people surrounding him and seeing anger.

"THE NIGHTMARE HAS NOT ENDED YET!" A Rebel cried out from somewhere behind him. "WE SAW WITH OUR OWN EYES WHAT THE KING HAS DONE IN NAHAN!"

"KOHZA WAS ATTACKED TOO!" Another Rebel corroborated, as angry voices cried out both in protest and support. "WHAT THE LOYAL ARMY DID CANNOT BE FORGIVEN WITH AN APOLOGY!"

"HOW DO YOU SAY SUCH THINGS TO THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES?!" A Royalist standing right next to Koga seethed in fury, once more raising his weapon.

'Idiots…' Koga frowned, preparing his fists once more, when…

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS, LOYAL ARMY!"

Even if he hadn't heard that voice for seven years, he would recognize it anywhere. The chronicler smirked as he glanced and saw the tall and imposing figure of Chaka among the crowd. He was still the same dark skinned man with medium length black hair and a long broad nose resembling that of a jackal; hence the name, that sounded quite similar to jackal, 'Chaka'.

"YOU –AHEM, mah~ mah~ mah~ mah~! YOU PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AS WELL, UPRISING ARMY!"

Now _that_ was a voice he didn't expect hearing again.

"IGARAM?!"

Right, the curly-haired man emerged from the troops, holding a small child in his arms that seemed injured with a serious expression on his face. Somewhat feeling that the two leaders would manage to calm the people down and let them see the truth behind the war, Koga sighed in tiredness and slipped away quietly, reuniting with the others at the clock tower.

The boy, though tired and obviously in pain, managed to explain both armies that the attack to Nahan, previously thought as perpetrated by the king himself, had been a trap. The royal soldiers and the king leading them were all fakes, whose sole purpose was to instill a war.

"Right…" A man said as he pushed himself up off the ground. "This battle was planned from the beginning."

"Kohza!"

"Everything about this incident will be explained clearly!" Igaram called out once more. "NOW, PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!"

The two armies looked at each other and between them, not knowing what to do for an agonizing moment, the rain still soaking them wet.

 **Clank! Clank! CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK!**

And they threw their weapons to the ground, this time for good.

Knowing the battle was finally over, the small pirate crew agreed on getting away and look for their captain before tending to their injuries. Though with tired limbs, the rain felt refreshing after the scorching sun, and they battled their own weariness and pain to look for Luffy.

"Oi, there he is…" Zoro suddenly pointed out ahead of them through the downpour.

Standing there, a regal yet slightly bloodied man carried an unconscious but alive Luffy on his back, and a knot in Koga's stomach loosened at that.

"Who are you?" The man asked as the crew approached him. He then blinked as he noticed someone in the group. "Koga-kun?"

He smiled tiredly, waving a hand as he stepped forwards. "It's been a long time, Cobra-sama. Thanks for saving my captain."

The black-haired man also smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Indeed, boy. So you're the pirates that brought Vivi to the country…"

"Who is this, Koga?" Sanji asked the chronicler.

But before he could answer, a new voice came from the crowd behind the crew.

"Everyone! Papa!" Vivi ran towards them through the drizzle, relief plastered all over her face.

"Papa…? VIVI-CHWAN'S FATHER?!"

"So you're the King?" Zoro asked bluntly, maybe too tired to care about etiquette around royalty.

"Yes…" Cobra muttered, laying Luffy down with his back against a semi-destroyed house wall. "And I was prepared to die, but… This lad saved me. After he defeated Crocodile, he carried both of us back to the surface…"

' _Both_ of us?' Koga frowned at that, but decided to let it aside for a moment, his own tiredness about to take his consciousness away.

"So hurry and go already, Vivi." Zoro plopped down beside his unconscious captain, with Koga seating down the other side. "Go back to the square."

"Haha…" Usopp laughed weakly as he also plopped down unceremoniously to the soil. "That's right. This country's rebellion is over. But without the King and princess' words to guide it, it won't be a real ending."

"Ah… Well, then, we should all–" Vivi began before being interrupted by Sanji.

"Vivi-chan, you understand, right? We're marked men." He lighted a cigarette before flashing a Luffy-esque smile at her. "We aren't going to concern ourselves with politics and stuff like that."

"I'm hungry…" Chopper muttered, holding a hoof to his stomach.

"Don't worry, we'll get to the palace when we're ready." Nami smiled down at the reindeer.

"Hm, I'll get to eat Terracotta's spicy food again… I can't wait." Koga smirked as he looked up at the for once cloudy sky.

Vivi merely giggled at them with an affirmative nod, and began walking away with her father. The crew silently watched them, and as soon as the two passed the corner… a wave of great fatigue hit everyone and all laid on the ground in a fit of weariness.

'Ah… For once, the rain feels nice…'

That was Koga's last thought before Morpheus took him in his dreamy realm.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! A pretty long chap, a little twist at the end, and everything went well!** **Hope you liked it guys, see ya next time! Please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: I want to sleep...**


	47. Study time

**47\. Study time**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L:Hi there! Uh, Koga's sleeping now, so we should leave the review answers to the end of the chap...?**

 **K: Huh? No, I'm awake.**

 **L: Oh. Really? Cool. Well, this chap's gonna be LOADED of new information. If you have any doubts, you can PM me if you like.**

 **K: Also, if you think you find any incoherence, make sure to point it out to correct it or explain it.**

 **L: So now, on with the reviews~!**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Oh really? Sounds cool! I like it ^^!**

 **-Boopadoop: As always, I love your reviews, hahahahahahaha! I actually want to play Bayonetta but I don't have Xbox or PS3, so... Sucker xD**

 **K: Yeah, Author's very proud of you! And actually I want to see your picture of me too. Wow, sounds complicated, hahaha. Don't worry, I know you're doing your best. Keep at it!**

 **L: Kitties... DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME! I had to give away my kitty so that my stepmother could have her pitbull. Dammit. Uh, I dunno, I live in an island near Africa, so... You tell me if we're far away or not xD OH-OH-OH, I HAVE FIRE EMBLEM TOO! Which version did you get? I have the Birthright side, and I plan to buy the Revelation side -if I ever pass my exams xD.**

 **K: There goes Author's gaming side.**

 **L: Shut it, you.**

 **K: What? Let me tell you that my stubble makes me look masculine! (jk)**

 **L: Hm, an insight of how Koga would be after the timeskip, huh. *thinks about it a little* Uh, sorry, no can do for now. My vision actually doesn't reach that far. I could give you some clues about his looks, but I don't think that's what you're asking, or is it?**

 **-Guest: Thanks! This is the continuation, enjoy!**

 **-InuKamahira: Hey, long time no see! Thank you so much for that lovely review, I hope I keep you hooked...**

 **-WaterStar45: Thanks! I wanted to give a minor plot twist, not major, 'cause unfortunately, this fic isn't exactly AU.**

 **K: You could post it as AU, though.**

 **L: But I don't want to. I respect Oda's work, and everything he does in the anime actually has sense later. I don't have enough imagination to suddenly pop out with brand new situations. Too complicated and risky for me. If you're looking for good AU fics (of One Piece, 'cause I don't know about others) I suggest you to check out This Bites! by Xomniac. It. Is. AWESOME. If you don't mind Self-Inserts, of course.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Aww, thanks~! Well, not just yet, I have to post another chap before completely finishing the Alabasta Arc.**

 **K: Yeah, it actually changed quite a bit, huh. I'm still better at hand-to-hand combat though.**

 **L: They'll stick for a good while, of course~! Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that. Koga will be able to use the darkness ONLY if he had morphed his katana into the scythe. Otherwise, his brass knuckles and the other weapons will be normal. And yeah, the bounty will come up in this chap, along with Koga's brand new title! I had a really bad time finding it out actually...**

 **K: Uh... I don't know what to think about that.**

 **L: *Sighs* Blazblue... Been a long time since I saw it. I loved Ragna.**

 **K: Yeah. I don't want to see more desert in my life thank you very much.**

 **L: Well, if Oda says you won't get into another desert, then I won't say otherwise.**

 **K: ... Who's Oda?**

 **L: Uh, nevermind.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **Thump**

Koga let aside another thick book with an exhausted sigh, ruffling his hair and reclining back on his chair. His head already hurt and his body felt stiff because of all the hours he had spent in the Royal Library, looking for information. Luckily his injuries were all already tended to, but still he would have to see Chopper and leave him check on him again.

It was day three since the battle between the Royals and the Rebels ended, thankfully without any more bloodshed, and the whole situation was explained in detail by a very much alive Igaram and Vivi, who spent two years inside the organization behind their war to unravel their plans and destroy it from inside. Though many lives were taken and some cities would take years to recover, the relief the rain brought somewhat eased their pain; both armies joined their efforts in finding the stray Baroque Works minions and bringing them to justice, in the hands of the Marines. Said Marines also collaborated in this endeavor, and when everything calmed down and the criminals were checked on, they also began to help rebuilding the partially-destroyed city and healing the wounded, along with dispatching some squadrons to other prejudiced cities like Katorea.

Behind the stages, however, Vivi and her father Cobra ordered their soldiers to bring the heavily wounded Straw Hat pirates into the palace and to attend them until they were fully healed. Although Luffy had been the one in most critical condition out of all of them, in time his high fever was controlled and only needed time to recover. The others, apart from some serious wounds that would need stitches but wouldn't scar -fortunately, were only exhausted for all the battles they had to suffer, and happily slept off to recover their strength.

The first day after the battle, much to Vivi's relief -who had been attending them restlessly until the doctor reminded her that she was hurt too and needed as much rest as the pirates, Nami, Usopp, Chopper and -surprisingly enough- Koga woke up from their slumber, almost completely recovered.

Nami suffered stab injuries and slashes, nothing that couldn't be healed with some bandages and a good night's rest, which she already had; the only concerning thing was the stab she received in her foot, that would make her limp a bit until it finally healed.

Usopp, apart from having been battered and having minor burns all over his body, didn't have any major injury. The same went with Chopper.

Koga received several slashes and stabs of different depths, like Nami, and his wrist wasn't broken thankfully. Although his stomach wound was pretty serious and, according to their reindeer doctor, would've been cause of certain death were it not for the presence of the dark demon inside Koga, that certainly saved his life.

At the mention of the demon, however, the chronicler's expression suddenly turned cold. And without giving any explanations and only a quick thank you to the royal doctor and Chopper, he fled from the infirmary room, straight to the library.

He had stayed inside since then, only leaving on fleeting occasions like at supper or when he needed to eat and sleep, but nothing more. Of course, the other Straw Hats went to check on him on occasion and Chopper made him promise that he would come to let the doctor redress the wounds, but his curt answers and his overall cold attitude towards his friends made them aware that whatever was eating his mind wouldn't leave him until he wanted to.

So, in hopes that their friend would find the answers he needed, the crew let him be. And Koga really appreciated that.

Letting out another sigh, the chronicler rubbed an eye while he inspected the two mountains of books in the table at his right and the stacks of paper in front of him full of some scribbles. Since his battle against Seishiro, he had reached the conclusion that the little he knew about the whole situation about demons and Cursed people wasn't enough. As a collector of stories, the blond knew the importance of prevailing over ignorance, and with that aim he had gone directly to the library, in hopes of searching for answers.

Though, the exhaustive search didn't come as fruitful as he had hoped.

From what he had managed to gather out of all the books in the library regarding demonology, there are several myths regarding the demons' origins, but none clear enough to reach a conclusion, so he let it aside for the moment. Koga decided to look for more accurate information, though he did find some vague allusion to a kind of connection between the demons and the Devil Fruits; what kind of connection, he didn't know.

Around the world, the people who could communicate with demons -some naturally, some by means of magic tomes and rituals- were called 'demonists' or, more commonly called, 'dark ritualists'. They were a lower branch of the so-called 'mediums', people able to cross the imaginary boundary between the real world and the spiritual one. Their level of power could vary, from the lowest that simply could feel the dead's presence there to the highest that could actually touch them as if they were alive.

The dark ritualists specifically, often sought the company of dark spirits, those that had fallen in disgrace in life due to various reasons and were condemned to wander the earth or fall into Hell and be reborn spiritually as 'demons'. To the rest of the world, at least at the beginning, they were thought as harmless as the rest of the mediums, but soon the dark spirits they frequented influenced their own souls and minds, murmuring their most concealed secrets in their ear and whispering impossible promises they could make true.

Thus, the first 'Cursed people' began to appear. No one actually knew how or why, or even when, or at least the books Koga searched didn't let it show, but he managed to find out that it was humanity's search for power what brought Cursed people like him to existence.

About the spirits themselves, the chronicler divided them firstly in two basic categories: the good ones and the bad ones.

The good ones, or 'sprites', normally had an average-fortunate life that had an untimely death; in other words, their lives ended much before it was estimated. This unexpected death led to the sprites being confused and their way to the afterlife interrupted; they would wander across the earth until they could find someone -mostly a medium- that would solve their doubts and 'show them the light' as it was commonly said.

The bad ones, of course, were the 'demons'. He didn't need much definition about them.

The blond young man already knew all that information, though. Some things in general, others more thorough, but he had already known about them. Which frustrated him to no end.

All those hours spent in the library, just to find out things he already knew about!

Finally, he gave up and went to stand up and return the books to their place when suddenly the door opened, startling him.

Igaram's head popped in, looking around the ample, well-illuminated library.

"Igaram?" Koga couldn't help to raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Koga-kun. So you were here, as Vivi-sama told me." The mention to the princess made Koga flinch, thinking about her and his friends; he'd have to apologize for his earlier behavior. "There's someone that had requested seeing you."

His cautious voice made his frown deepen. "Who is it?"

Igaram entered and gestured for the person outside to enter as well.

Though he didn't have the black armor on, and his black giant sword was nowhere to be seen, that mop of light green hair was unmistakable. Koga's eyes widened.

"Seishiro-san?"

And the server of The Chapel let out a smirk. "Hey."

At the same time, they both examined each other with critical eyes. Seishiro wore a peculiar outfit, consisting on a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, sleeveless tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimmings that went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. He also wore tight white pants, and a pair of leather, knee-high brown boots completed the outfit. Koga couldn't see any visible injuries, but the way Seishiro flinched as he held his side indicated him that he was still hurt.

As for Koga himself, he had asked to have his previous clothes repaired after the battle, so he still had his dark blue tanktop and khaki cargo pants, along with his precious light blue scarf -that had been thoroughly washed of blood, dust and overall dirt.

Finally Koga stood up completely and let out the first smirk since Vivi and the Straw Hat pirates finally stopped the war. Seeing everything seemed okay, Igaram let out an excuse and left them alone.

"Why were you looking for me?" The blond asked, tilting his head. "I thought you were already with The Chapel guys."

Seishiro sighed and scratched his neck awkwardly.

"Actually, I was. The Chapel is helping reconstructing the city, undercover. My leader doesn't want to attract attention. Besides..." He put a more serious expression as he looked at the puzzled chronicler. "They know about you."

"You mean...?" Koga pointed at himself. "Me as Cursed?"

"Yeah. I don't know _how_ they know though. I suppose they watched us fight. I don't know." He took a chair and sat down gingerly, wincing at his stitches. "You know what that means, right? You'll have your own bounty soon, maybe tomorrow."

The younger man let out a soft snort as he took another chair to sit beside the knight.

"I kinda expected that. I'm a pirate after all; I'm surprised I didn't get a bounty sooner." He shot an inquisitive look at the green-haired man. "But you didn't answer me: why are you here?"

For some moments, only silence answered him, until the knight breathed heavily and inclined his torso forwards, resting his elbows in his knees. He looked at the floor before raising his head back at the pirate.

"I'm going to be frank, and I'm sorry if I'm too blunt about it: I still think you're dangerous to humanity." Koga winced; Seishiro didn't exaggerate when he said he was going to be frank. "But not because you're Cursed, but because of the demon inside you. I think you don't know how to control it, and I assume the responsibility of it."

"Huh?" The boy blinked in confusion.

"During our battle, I lured your demon out; when I saw how powerful it was, I tried to bind it back to your soul, but some of its power is still free. I was told you didn't know how to control it, and you jailed yourself in this library to find out something about how to do it. Am I right?"

Koga nodded.

"That's why I'm telling you that I'm taking responsibility of that. I can't bind back the demon's powers inside you," Seishiro raised a hand when he saw the other boy opening his mouth, "but what I _can_ do is answer any question you have. I suppose that you didn't find much here, judging the long face you showed earlier." He chuckled at his groan.

"You would think that they would have at least _something_ when you see this enormous library," the writer waved at the rows and rows of books, "but the things I managed to gather I know already. It's frustrating."

"Well, not many people would be willing to actually _write_ about demons and all that stuff. Too sinister, don't you think?"

"But they're real. Just because they're spooky doesn't mean that they should be set aside. If the people don't know about them, it could be really dangerous; they could be caught unaware."

Seishiro sighed, and Koga suddenly got the impression that he had already discussed this with another before him.

"I know, but panic is as dangerous an enemy as demons themselves. Plus, the wrong people knowing about their existence could lead to more ritualists and with them, more Cursed people. Maybe it's the wrong way of handling it, but the less people know about the existence of demons, the better. After all, The Chapel exists for something. As long as we are around, we'll keep the demons at bay."

"Seishiro-san..." Koga frowned as he looked down. "I suppose you're right."

"Hey, don't look so down just because I think otherwise!" Seishiro punched Koga's shoulder playfully, apologizing when he let out a groan of pain. "Anyways, I suppose you want to ask me about some things, right?"

Thus they spent the evening, talking.

Koga learned about the most basic structure of The Chapel –much to Seishiro's insistent argument of 'knowing your enemy could save your life'. He learned that The Chapel's main structure was divided into four sections, each led by a powerful leader. Each section contained roughly near a thousand 'acolytes', with five of them being the direct underlings of the leader. Their united symbol was the four-leaf clover, with each of the orders representing one of the meanings of each leaf: 'Hope', 'Faith', 'Love', and 'Luck'. Seishiro admitted he followed the Order of Faith, whose leader took him in when his family and friends died, and even showed to him the four-leaf clover tattoo he had on the inside of his left wrist.

"You should be extremely careful with each of the leaders of the Four Orders, kid." Seishiro explained with a serious expression. "Each of them could exorcise a Demon Prince single-handedly. They're trained for that."

"Demon Prince?"

At that question, the green-haired man sighed and went to explain about the division The Chapel made of the demons.

Firstly, they could be divided into Elemental and Non-Elemental demons. The latters were far more frequent, and mostly didn't generate as much problems as the formers; mostly because their power barely reached to keeping their container alive, and thus their combat power was almost non-existent. The Elemental demons, however, could create a _lot_ of conflict; each demon could control a single element, but their power level could reach from simply being immune to it to cause great catastrophes with them, and it wasn't only limited to the elements of nature like fire, water, earth or air. There could be poison demons, or mercury demons.

"Inside the Elementals, there are seven that we, both you and us of The Chapel, should be _always_ on guard: the Seven Demon Princes. They each represent one of humanity's deadly sins, and they all control one element. And of course, I don't simply mean that they are immune to them."

Seishiro reached for paper and pencil and began writing something on it:

 **-Sloth: Purple Jelly (confirmed identity).**

 **-Gluttony: Pink Plant (confirmed identity).**

 **-Lust: Unknown.**

 **-Greed: Yellow Metal (confirmed identity).**

 **-Envy: Green Poison (confirmed identity).**

 **-Pride/Superiority: Unknown.**

 **-Wrath/Hatred: Blue Fire (needs confirmation).**

"From what I could see from our battle, I don't have enough power to exorcise your demon because it's too powerful for me. It's an Elemental Demon, but I've never heard of a Darkness Demon before, much less one that's as powerful as a Demon Prince. You should– Are you listening to me?"

Truthfully speaking, Koga hadn't listened a thing of that last sentence. His face had paled quite a bit as he glanced down at the list of Demon Princes, his mind restlessly remembering.

 _Yuuto's sword letting out fire of a pale blue._

"Are..." He stammered, a shaky finger pointing at the list. "Are you sure that's absolutely accurate?"

"Well, yeah, of course." Seishiro raised an eyebrow, worried about his reaction. "We hadn't found the Demon Princes representing 'Lust' and 'Pride', and we only saw 'Wrath' once, but it's accurate. Hell, the leaders themselves found them. Why...?"

"Shit..." Koga brushed a hand down his face, still shocked. Then he abruptly stood up and began pacing, murmuring curses under his breath.

"Hey hey hey, kid, calm down, calm down." The knight also stood and managed to stop the slightly panicking pirate by putting his broad hands over the youngster's shoulders. "Breathe."

Koga obeyed, taking shaky breaths before glancing up at the dark beady eyes. He nodded, barely.

"Okay, kid." Seishiro nodded back, much more determined.

"Are _they_... watching us?"

"No." The knight reaffirmed him, noticing suspicion creeping behind Koga's mismatched eyes. "I came here on my own volition. Only my leader knows I'm here, and he trusts me enough to let me come here alone; he thinks that I asked an audition for the King to talk to him about the Cursed people like you."

"Are you _sure_?" He shot an even more intense glare at the older man. "Because right now, I need confirmation on _something_. Maybe I'll be endangering someone I know with this. If I tell you this, I will _ask_ you not to tell a word of this to your leader, or anyone else."

Cold spread through Seishiro's body at the implicit threat.

"Of course you can trust me."

As if hit physically by a blow, the writer closed his eyes and breathed heavily with a pained expression on his face; he reopened them and glared at Seishiro. His pupils held a murderous glint, a more dangerous threat than his veiled one.

"Are you... absolutely sure that the... Demon Prince representing 'Wrath' controls blue fire?"

Seishiro nodded. "The leader of the Order of 'Hope' exorcised it, but we recently found out that it found a new host. We hadn't found anything about the new Cursed though..."

The nervous knot in Koga's stomach suddenly loosened. If The Chapel didn't know about Yuuto's identity, then that meant that Yuuto already knew everything about his demon and was keeping his power on check; or maybe the Marines did and were protecting him.

 _His little brother was safe._

"Wait, so you know the Wrath Prince Demon's container?" Seishiro suddenly narrowed his black beady eyes at him.

"... Yes. But, I won't tell you who it is."

Wanting to give an end to the conversation, Koga got out of the library and went to the infirmary room to see the other Straw Hat pirates, but the knight followed after him.

"Why not? I told you everything I know about my organization and the demons. I'm breaking my leader's trust by being here with you betraying the secrets of my order just so that you can have a possibility against us." The stubborn silence exasperated him, and the green-haired man abruptly stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "You're protecting a Prince Demon, kid. And yours is in the way of being considered a Prince. If you hold that information, you'll find not only the Marines after you, but The Chapel as well. I would think about it if I were you."

"Problems, Koga?"

The sudden voice startled them both as they whirled around to find a serious-looking Zoro strolling casually towards them. His stance and his gaze, however, indicated that he would step between them if needed be, to defend a friend.

Seishiro reluctantly released Koga's shoulder and looked at him once more. The chronicler merely glared back, and the knight finally let out a sigh and began walking away, brushing past the green-haired swordsman without looking back.

As he turned a corner, Zoro's tense stance relaxed at last and he strolled down to Koga's side.

"You okay?"

The blond turned from looking at the corner where Seishiro disappeared to the younger crewmember and friend, still a bit shaken by all the revelations the knight had conveyed to him but much better after finding out his brother would be okay.

"Yeah... I think so." He nodded, just to reassure himself and the younger man.

"Who was that?"

Koga bit his lower lip. The first thing he thought was, 'an enemy'. He technically was, but he had entered the palace just to give him information. But... Should he consider him that, knowing that The Chapel was after his head?

"I don't know. We shall see in the future."

The ex-pirate hunter raised an eyebrow at that vague answer, but decided to let the topic aside as they both continued on their joined path to the infirmary. He trusted the older man after all.

"I'm sorry." Koga suddenly apologized in a low tone.

"For what?"

"I... I just... had to figure out some things. I left you all aside."

"Hey. You were worried. And we all know that when you're worried, it's better to let you figure it out on your own. Though you know, it doesn't really hurt to talk if you need it. Maybe we won't understand everything, but we can help you out."

Koga let out a small smirk show in his tired face, raising his scarf up to his nose.

"I know... Thanks."

And he saw from the corner of his eye the answering smirk from Zoro.

When they finally reached the infirmary room's door, they heard loud voices coming from behind that made them look at each other with raised eyebrows at the ruckus. Then the swordsman shrugged and opened the door, stepping inside with Koga following behind.

The sight of their captain awake at last stretching his arms with a stupidly wide grin explained the situation very well.

"Oh Luffy, you're awake." Zoro announced nonchalantly with a hint of surprise before going for a pitcher of water resting on a table nearby.

"You sure sleep like a log." Koga smirked as he went to the bed, ignoring Chopper berating Zoro for taking out his bandages against his specific instructions.

"Zoro, Koga, long time no see!" Luffy shouted in glee, until he twisted his face in confusion and repeated the line to himself. "Long time no see?"

"It's no wonder you feel that way, Luffy." Usopp talked out from the couch where he had claimed a seat. "You've been asleep for three days."

"Three days...?" The captain's face went blank, and suddenly realization hit him hard. "I MISSED FIFTEEN MEALS!"

"Why are you so fast at calculating _that_?" Nami facepalmed in exasperation.

"And you counted five meals a day!" The long-nosed teen added.

"SO!" The doors suddenly boomed open, and when everyone turned they saw a large woman with curly blonde hair with a dark red tunic strolling inside, a great grin on her face. "The Captain is awake, now is he? Dinner's in thirty minutes if he doesn't mind waiting!"

"Oh! Curly-ossan, you're alive!" The idiot captain grinned at its maximum at the mention of food and at the 'man' he thought had come back from the dead.

"I _knew_ you were into that kinda shit!" Zoro accused while hiding his eyes.

"Idiots, you're wrong!" Koga went to the woman's side. "This is Terracotta, Igaram's wife and the Palace's head chef."

"A couple can only look _so_ much alike!" The swordsman exclaimed.

"I'm glad to see you brat had managed to come out of this alive." Terracotta smiled up at the young man, who merely rumbled something behind his scarf. "I hear you eat a lot, captain-san. Do you think you could snack on this fruit until dinnertime?"

She brought inside an enormous tray full of diverse kinds of fruit, some of them making Koga's mouth water. He went to grab a pomegranate, but Luffy snatched _the whole mountain of fruit_ and gobbled it up in a single motion.

"WAS THAT SOME KIND OF TRICK?!" Sanji and Zoro screamed at the same time, while Koga let out a soft whimper at his precious food gone. "AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CRYING OVER?!"

"Oh, you don't know? Koga-kun has a... weak point with spicy food and fruit." Terracotta explained with a soft smile as the blond sniffled.

"What a weird combination!"

"Obaa-chan, I'm going to eat three days' worth of food!" Luffy piped out, holding three fingers triumphally.

A familiar spark flared on Terracotta's eyes. "Oho... I was hoping you'd say that. I'm not going to lose to some young buck's stomach! Eat all you can!"

 **xXx30 MIN LATERxXx**

In the main hall, the soldiers guarding the entrances couldn't believe their eyes.

They had naïvely expecting an appropriate banquet, held by the King himself for the pirates to thank them for saving their country and protecting his daughter, but it looked more like a food battle. Luffy's rubbery arms shot left and right from his position to steal other people's food, often finding resistance as the victims fought for their plates. The only people behaving normally -or as normally as they could considering the mayhem- were Sanji, Nami and Koga. Vivi, her father Cobra and Igaram were getting too much fun out of watching the pirates eat to eat themselves.

"Eat! Finish them faster!" Zoro exclaimed from Koga's side, as the reindeer stuffed lots of noodles down his throat.

"Hey hey, why are you eating so fast?" Sanji commented to Chopper, who was too preocupied in not choking to answer him properly.

"Hey! Luffy! You just took my plate!" Usopp yelled in outrage as Luffy's rubber arms stretched out to grab stuff from every point of the table.

Well, except from Koga's, that was drenching his food in hot spicy sauce to avoid getting his food robbed and to enjoy Terracotta's cooking, that he had missed so much.

The long-nosed teen took revenge by puring chili on a rice ball, which the captain blindly stole... And a few seconds later said idiot ran back and forth with flames rushing out of his mouth.

"What's this dish?" Sanji asked one of the cooks, pointing at his dish.

"This is called Konaafa, it's baked noodles." The cook gladly answered with a grin.

"It's nice!" Nami exclaimed, eating her own fill.

"Can I have more sake?" Zoro called out holding up his mug.

"I need water!" The cook exclaimed as he noticed Chopper choking on his food for eating too fast.

Koga let out a smile at the scene, with Cobra, Igaram and Vivi laughing wholeheartedly. Soon, even the cooks bringing the food in and out and the royals soldiers couldn't keep their own laughter in and joined on their own.

After everything calmed down, a good few hours later, Cobra proposed to have a bath exclusively used in the rainy seasons. They all accepted gladly, and some half an hour later the men and women were relaxing in separate baths. Luffy and Usopp, too excited in getting into the water, went running in and slipped, banging their heads painfully. Cobra, Igaram, Sanji, Zoro, Chopper and Koga followed much calmer, a towel wrapped around their middles.

At first, the King and his captain reacted with unveiled concern and a bit of pity when they saw the raw scars in the chronicler's back and the crude black tattoo emblazoned in his chest, but the blond quickly brushed away their worry, saying that everything was in the past and that it didn't have sense bringing it all up now.

They idly relaxed, letting the hot waters wash their still-healing injuries and their tense muscles, before a subtle conversation between Sanji and Igaram piped up everyone's curiosity.

"So, where's the ladies' bath, huh?" The cook pervertedly asked, elbowing the captain in the ribs as he put on a smirk.

Igaram went all red and responded with fanged teeth: "You ignoramus! I would never tell someone like you! Vivi-sama's in there!"

"It's just over that wall!" The king pointed out at a tall adorned wall that could be easily climbed to peep.

"YOUR MAJESTY, YOU BASTARD!"

Not a second later, the bunch of men -save Koga and Zoro, who raised an eyebrow at the others' perverted expressions- were up the wall. Vivi let out a shriek and Nami sighed in exasperation.

"Those guys... It'll be 100,000 Berri each... Happiness... PUNCH!"

Immediately, the entire crowd erupted in a fit of nose-bleeds and plummeted down to their floor.

"Happiness..." Sanji mumbled, almost out because of what he just saw.

"Thank you all." The king suddenly declared.

"Pervert." All the others deadpanned, misinterpreting Cobra's message.

"That's not what I meant!" He roared jumping to his feet, then suddenly cleared his throat, wiped the blood and got to his hands and knees, bowing deeply to the pirates. "Thank you, on behalf of this country."

The crew stood in silence until Igaram went out to his lord. "Your Majesty, kings shouldn't bow..."

"I'm not speaking as a king. Here, in this bath, I'm speaking as a father. So, from the deepest part of my heart, thank you."

No words were needed to answer.

Once refreshed, everyone dressed up and reunited with the women outside of the baths. Nami had a malignant expression on her face, while Vivi seemed... contemplative, to say the least. They wished Cobra and Igaram a good night and went to the room they had occupied.

Suddenly, they were stopped by a soldier who came running and out of breath, looking for Koga.

"That's me, what's the matter?" The chronicler steppped out in confusion.

"Someone told me to give you this." The man handed out a rolled up pamphlet and a letter, before running away once more.

The Straw Hats and Vivi bundled up around him as he opened the letter first.

The handwriting was unknown though, and the message was short.

 ** _I've done what I could._**

 ** _The clover will be watching you._**

 ** _Remember, you and I are enemies._**

It wasn't signed, but Koga had a pretty good idea of who it was.

And so, he hardly felt surprised when, ignoring the others' questions, he let the letter fall to the floor and unrolled the pamphlet.

The first thing he saw was his own face, glaring back at him with cold, bicolored eyes, mouth set in a grim line, the blue scarf around his neck. He was stopped mid-swing, the enormous black scythe making him look like a god of death.

 **WANTED**

 **DEAD OR ALIVE**

 **"CURSED REAPER" KOGA**

 **50,000,000 BERRI**

"WOAH!"

Everyone exclaimed at the Wanted poster.

"That's an impressive bounty!"

"Cursed Reaper, huh. That title is... a bit shady."

"Nice job, Koga! Shishishishi!"

"Uh, thanks... I guess..."

"But Koga, what does that note mean? You know where does it come from?" Nami asked the blond chronicler.

"Yeah... But– OUF!"

Luffy suddenly threw his arm around Koga's slightly taller shoulders, almost knocking him over. "What does that matter?! Let's celebrate Koga's new bounty!"

"Idiot, not so loud!" Usopp hissed, clamping a hand over the captain's mouth. "We may be in a palace, but we're still pirates!"

"Besides, we don't have time for a celebration." Their navigator's serious voice brought them back to the present, Vivi's expression making them wonder what they talked about in the baths. "Come on, let's go back to the room."

Once there, the redhead didn't lose time in telling the rest what she had planned. They had to leave, the sooner the better. The Marines were beginning to grow restless at not finding the Straw Hat pirates –framed of being the ones causing all the chaos at Alabasta– and were beginning to ask the royal guards to let them revise the entire palace in their search. Chaka had managed that day to keep them at bay, but if they stayed any longer, then they would be found out for sure and the Nefertari family accused of holding criminals.

Though reluctantly, Luffy and the others agreed that their presence there would only harm Vivi and her father, and began packing their things. The princess watched them pack, unsure of what to do herself, whether to go sailing with them or stay to fulfill her duty as princess and take care of the country she loved so much.

Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi at the stand of one of the beds rang loudly. Sanji, who happened to be the one nearest to it, went to answer it.

"Hello?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, it's me~ The Okama~!"

The cook immediately hung up with a sour expression, obviously having recognized the voice. But the Den Den Mushi rang up again.

"WHAT IS WITH YOU?!" The blond cook roared at the poor snail, answering the call.

Then Luffy snatched up the transceiver. "Hey, you're the okama! What do you want from us?"

"Wha? Isn't this Straw Hat Luffy? You're alive! Okama is so happy~!" Koga then recognized the voice as Bon Kurei's, and frowned. "Don't call me Mr. Two, the Marines might have tapped the phone and I might get into trouble."

"If you get into trouble, you just did it yourself." The chronicler deadpanned.

"Get to the point!" Zoro crossed his arms over his chest.

Of course, he didn't. First, he began rambling about friendship and how marvelous gift it was before finally confessing that he had stolen their ship Merry. However, the okama managed to calm down the outrageous protests from the pirates, and explained that he had taken it up the river Sandora before he hung up, finishing their conversation.

"Can we trust him?" Sanji wondered, mostly looking at their captain and Koga.

Both of them looked at each other.

"We are nakama." Luffy declared.

"You have a problem." Zoro sweatdropped.

"I honestly think he's telling the truth. I say we give him a try." The chronicler shrugged.

"I agree." Chopper nodded. "We have to look first."

"That's right. Our boat is with him now. If this is a trick, we'll just have to kill him." The cook hefted one of the bags on his shoulder.

The others nodded, and Koga picked up his katana and tied it at his waist. The contact itched him, as if it were a beast that would go wild at any minute, but it was his only weapon; then he grabbed another bag full of provisions.

"Everyone…" Vivi's low voice called out to her friends. "Please tell me… What should I do?"

Her tone held doubt, and the chronicler couldn't help but feel sympathy towards her. She had been working undercover in an organization that had planned to destroy everything she knew, forced to do things she despised, everything just for her kingdom and family. In the end she accomplished in protecting both, but the sense of adventure the Straw Hat crew taught her had begun to born in her, and she had suddenly found herself in a crossway.

And she didn't know which path to take.

"Vivi, listen up." Nami walked out to her and put each of her hands on her shoulders. "We'll give you twelve hours. We'll get our ship back at Sandora River. Then, at midday tomorrow exactly, we will pass through the East coast. I'm afraid that we can't stop there, but, if you'd like to come to travel with us again, that's the only time you can come aboard. When it's time, we'll welcome you. But, it's a pirate adventure. Because you're a princess, we can only do it that way."

As the navigator talked what everyone was thinking, Sanji and Zoro finished making a rope out of the bedsheets and had tied it to one of the windows, so that the crew could escape without being noticed.

"You must come. Okay, Vivi?" Luffy said with a goofy smile.

"Luffy!" Nami hissed, bonking him in the head. "Don't be like that!"

"The only one that can really answer if you come or not, Vivi, it's you." Koga smirked at his friend as he patted her head lightly; he really appreciated the girl, and he had even begun to see her as a little sister. "We can only support you in your decision."

"But what if I make the wrong choice?" Vivi fumbled with her dress, gaze on the floor. The others were already sneaking out of the room, only Luffy and Nami waiting for Koga.

"Hey. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' decision here. It's simply a decision. What determines if it was right or not, is the consequences it will have in the future. But you know, I've always been a _carpe diem_ type of guy. Use the time we give you. Talk with the friends you have here, and think."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! A pretty long chap, a LOT of info and our crew is getting away from the Marines!**

 **K: Could we skip seeing Bon Kurei and the Marines and go directly to the following adventure please?**

 **L: Hm, let me think... NO.**

 **K *groans.***

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya next time.**


	48. Goodbye and Hello

**48\. Goodbye and Hello**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Alright! An Arc ends, another begins! That means, the title will grow larger! And I have FINALLY figured out how to put that damn separative line! YAY! I'm not very clever as you can see!**

 **K: *pats Author's head* Don't worry, you're still more intelligent than Luffy.**

 **L: Really?!**

 **K: Just sometimes.**

 **L: *sulks in a corner of the room* You're so mean, Koga-kun...**

 **K: *shakes his head* Well, as Author's brooding over there, I'll point something out. Soon this story will reach 200 reviews, and Author wants to celebrate it by dedicating the 200th reviewer a one-shot.**

 **L: *springs back to life suddenly* Yes~! I'm not very good at making one-shots, but I want to make an effort for you guys. And also, I have to post a chapter of the anniversary of this fic, that was on May 25th. Yeah, quite a while ago, but I was waiting to finish the Alabasta Arc before posting it. So, depending on which comes first, next chapter will be the Anniversary one-shot chapter or the 200th reviewer dedicated chapter. Of course, the latter will be about whatever the reviewer wants me to write about (Except romance and all-related themes to them please; I suck on them).**

 **K: Wow, a year already? Sure feels like I'm getting old...**

 **L: Uhm, your birthday is on October 1st Koga-kun.**

 **K: ... Well I 'appeared' on this fic a year ago. Better?**

 **L: Somewhat. And now, review answers~!**

 **-Boopadoop: Yeah, so much stuff. I fear too much xD Sorry, never watched Blue Exorcist or Fullmetal Alchemist! Never got the time actually xD Uhm, about Sankaoken being the 'Demon of Pride'... Not actually.**

 **K: Yuuto's more problems than he's worth. If he wasn't my little brother I would let those The Chapel guys fend him.**

 **L: You wouldn't do that to anyone, whether he's your family or not.**

 **K: ... Shut up.**

 **L: Huh, Boo Camp and Ghostly Gold. Hehe, I like how those sound! Well I say Africa, but it's really the Canary Islands, Spain. Another nasty place to be right now. I always wanted to live in America actually, but... Well, stuff happens. Damn my keyboard's messing with me right now.**

 **K: I'd love to see it!**

 **L: Me too~! And sorry for not telling you anything of the timeskip. Basically I would have to make you spoilers... And Koga-kun's in the room right now, so... *shrugs apologetically***

 **-InuKamahira: Thank you Inu! Here comes the next chap!**

 **K: *accepts cuddling somewhat uncomfortable* Thanks Inu, but I already know that, with this kind of Author, my life will suck either way... I learned to live with it... But thanks anyway *blushes a bit under his scarf***

 **L: Aww you're blushing Koga-kun!**

 **K: S... Shut up already!**

 **-BlueVanLocke: Thank you! Here comes some informative tidbits as well.**

 **-BleachedShadow (from chap 4): Thank you so much! Yeah, I actually wanted to give that side of Koga to the readers too. Having Mohji get suckerpunched in the face was actually his own doing as you say... He's not very brilliant of course.**

 **K: Like someone I know...**

 **L: ... Stop messing with me or I erase your existence from this room and this fic.**

 **K: *grumbles a bit, but complies***

 **-Guest: Thank you! Here comes Nico Robin! I hope you like her introduction!**

 **K: Again with this 'Nico Robin' person? Who is it?**

 **L: Stop asking! You'll find out!**

 **-SHSL Student (from chap 1): Hi! Wow, weird request indeed, just because this is the first time someone asked me something like this. I'll PM you the answer.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hahahahahahaha! Yeah poor dude! Sorry, no answers for now!**

 **K: Yeah, why the hell do I have a higher bounty than even Luffy's?**

 **L: Because his hadn't been updated yet. Do you really think that defeating a Shichibukai wouldn't have consequences, Koga-kun?**

 **K: Oh... Right. Okay.**

 **L: Hahahahaha, those crazy theories. I won't deny or accept them though. You'll have to figure out later, so stay tuned~!**

 **K: Author actually likes to mess up with everyone's minds, even my own...**

 **L: You're wrong. I like to mess up with your mind even more than everyone else's!**

 **K: Someone help me...**

 **-AO Black (from chap 1): Thanks! Hope you continue liking it!**

 **-Lauri3n: Thank you, and welcome! This is the update!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"I WAS WAITING FOR YOUUUUU!"

An annoyingly loud voice greeted them as the Supersonic Ducks brought the Straw Hat pirates near the Merry at last. They had ridden for about an hour or so, and the sky was beginning to turn a bit greyish, signaling dawn's approaching.

Everyone decided unanimously to ignore the idiot and helped each other unloading their belongings from atop the ducks that carried them onto the ship, and bid the giant birds goodbye and a safe voyage back to the palace when they finished.

Unfortunately, someone saw fit in joining them in bidding farewell.

"GOODBYE~!" Bon Kurei waved his arms from Koga's right. "LET US MEET AGA–!"

 ** _POW!_**

"OW! My poor nose~!"

"Shut up already." Koga growled, before getting the last bag and hoisting over his shoulder, ignoring Luffy and Bon Kurei as they started talking to one another.

As per Sanji's request, the writer brought the bag to the cargo bay and left it there, along with several boxes Zoro had already brought up. As he turned to return with the others on deck, however, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of something scurrying behind a wooden box.

Unsure of what he saw, the blond chronicler stopped in his tracks and wearily turned to the place he believed the shadow had hidden. It had been only for a moment, and the scarce light seeping through the door and the small windows didn't help much, but the youngster was almost sure that the shadow had a human figure. And even if his intuition remained silent, his hand slowly slid to the katana's hilt; he glanced at the stairs leading up to the deck and then at the barrel where the figure remained hidden.

Damn the tension was getting too much for him.

"I know you're there." He called out with a steady, but low, voice. "Come out."

A heartbeat passed, then two, and then the figure emerged from behind the hideout.

He didn't know just who he had expected to see, but certainly, the tall, raven-haired female dressing with Nami's clothes _wasn't_ one of them. She was supposed to be caught by the Marines after all, unless she got away just in time.

Nevertheless, there she was, Miss All Sunday, with a fake mask of cheerfulness on her face as she crossed her arms under her supple chest. Her stance gave away the fact that she knew just _where_ she had entered herself into, and was prepared to defend herself.

"We meet again, Cursed-san." Her voice… It didn't hold anything. It was masked, much like her own face.

"… Okay, the question of rigor here is, what the hell are _you_ doing here?" Koga pushed away his surprise before it showed in his face, his hand still close to his weapon. "Hitchhiking the same pirate ship that belongs to the pirates that defeated you and your gang isn't exactly a smart move."

Her airy chuckle left him raising an eyebrow in inquiry. "I must admit, I didn't think you would be so calm and receptive with me, Cursed-san. Especially considering that I gutted you with a kairoseki dagger."

For a moment, his side flared awake, remnants of the wound sending sinister thoughts through his mind.

And before he even _knew_ it, he had already moved.

His katana disappeared in a black smoke, a sinister-looking scythe replacing it as the chronicler flashed right behind Miss All Sunday, halting just as the enormous weapon grazed the skin of her neck. She was slightly taller than him, but that didn't matter.

Everything happened so fast that the woman didn't have even time to react. Her entire frame stiffened, the mask of indifference slipping for just a second to show her surprise and fear. A tendril of darkness licked her delicate soft skin, imitating a snake's tongue tasting its prey.

"Just for now, I'll give you a word that is both a warning and an advice." Koga hissed in her ear with an even hoarser voice than usual, his grip on the weapon unwavering. "Right now my fuse is incredibly short, so I _kindly suggest_ you to drop the 'Cursed-san' and to avoid that topic of the dagger. I seriously doubt you would want a second bloody grin, and I certainly don't want more blood on my hands that the strictly necessary. So please do us both a favor. _Are we clear?_ "

"Crystal." He had to admit, the woman had guts; her voice didn't waver a bit.

"Glad we agree on that. Now tell me, _what are you doing here_?"

The chronicler saw her swallow thickly before her mask came back into place. "I came because I have an… unfinished business with your captain. Nothing dangerous, I assure you. But, because of him, I have nowhere to go. Crocodile and his business are finished, and the Marines would never let me go. That is why I'm here."

He narrowed his mismatched eyes. His intuition _still_ hadn't given him any warning of an imminent attack, and for a second he wondered if it would remain silent forever.

The thought terrified him; that special 'superpower' had saved his life more times that he could count, and the sole perspective of losing it hurt more than he dared to admit. Not only to save his own skin, but also everyone else's in the crew. People he had grown fond of, even when he had tried to maintain his distance from them.

 _Kill her. She's dangerous. Don't trust her._ In his mind, _Sankaoken_ murmured venomous words as, unbeknownst to him, the white sclera in his eyes turned black for a brief moment. His arm muscles tensed for a moment, ready for the kill–

Suddenly, the ship shook violently as cannon fire ripped through the air outside. Both Miss All Sunday and Koga swayed, surprised by the sudden noise.

That racket served to bring Koga back from his momentary dark thoughts as he let the woman go and flashed to the stairs in an instant. Before he got out, however, his head turned to tell her to stay hidden…

… and then closed his mouth, watching her.

Her azure eyes had flashed with… something that made his heart ache with recognition. A mixture of loneliness and helplessness, looking like a lost puppy searching for affection. Well, maybe not a puppy, but she certainly looked… just like him, all those years ago, when he had to leave his homeland.

Could it be…?

 _It's a façade. Don't fall for it. Kill her before it's too late._

This time though, he forcibly shook his head to get rid of the thoughts as his grip on the scythe tightened. He didn't trust her, not one bit, but that didn't justify cleaving her open. And besides, this wasn't exactly _his_ call to make; he wasn't the captain of the ship or the crew after all.

The chronicler looked at the woman, and saw her mask back in place once more. That didn't help ease his suspicions, but right now he had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Stay hidden. We'll handle whatever mess we got ourselves into." He glared at her, making sure to imprint enough coldness in his distinctive eyes as to point out his stance.

Not waiting for an answer though, the blond turned back around and got out to the main deck, where the rest of the crew were scrambling along with a very annoying Bon Kurei to get away. Three quarters of the Monster Quartet were at the stern, ready to bounce back whatever cannonballs the Marines –who had managed to get them– were sending them. The chronicler then noticed Bon Kurei's horrific ship also tagging along, trying to get away from the Marines too.

Cursing under his breath, Koga ran towards Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, noticing the dozen or so Marine ships surrounding them. He reached them just in time to hear the rubber-brained captain protest loudly:

"Dumb Marines! Fire cannonballs so I can bounce them back to you!"

Only then did the blond see the pile of iron-clad, man-sized harpoons.

'Huh. Smart. They know Luffy's a rubber man and cannonballs wouldn't make any effect.'

"Their formation is damn clever!" Zoro grunted, jumping and knocking away an incoming spear with one of his swords. "Even if we rush them or retreat, they won't break and we'll sink for sure!"

"Hurry up and _do_ something guys!" Nami ordered amidst the canopy, frustration evident in her voice.

Koga grimaced and swung his scythe, letting a dark 'Black Crescent Moon' fly into the sky and slicing quite a few of the incoming harpoons about to skewer them. Sanji, Luffy and Zoro took care of several more, but it was evident that even the Monster Quartet could do little from so far away from the Marine ships. If only they were shooting actual cannonballs…

 ** _BOOM!_**

A sudden shot collapsed a Marine ship to the south, sending it careening into its partner and thus clearing a path for the pirates to escape. Koga turned, and saw Usopp standing beside one of the only cannon sitting on the deck, wide-mouthed in shock at his own handiwork that had been absolutely perfect.

"Well that works, I guess…" Koga smirked appraisingly at the long-nosed teen.

"Usopp! Was that you?" Luffy beamed in amazement. "Awesome!"

"Y –YES! THAT WAS ME! JUST AS I PLANNED!" Usopp screamed, letting a huge grin plaster itself on his tan face.

And for the first time, Koga let out a soft chuckle under his breath, shaking his head as he walked past the sharpshooter and clapped his back. "Yeah, we know."

The younger man looked at him in wonder for a moment, before Bon Kurei's shrill scream reminded them all of his presence in their Merry.

"Nose-chan, amazing! Now let's get out of here~!"

"Bon Kurei-sama, we have a problem!" One of his croons shouted from their crow's nest, panic in his voice. "I– IT'S BLACK CAGE HINA!"

Obviously recognizing the name, the okama screamed in terror.

"Black Cage?" Luffy repeated.

"Black Cage Hina! She's the fearsome Marine Captain who patrols this area!" He explained while twirling and tearing up at the same time. "This is not good! We have to hustle super quick~!"

"If you want to go, then go. We can't."

That matter-of-factly statement from the rubber teen stopped the ex-Baroque Works agent.

"What do you mean 'you can't'?"

"BON KUREI-SAMA! LET'S JUST ESCAPE ON OUR OWN!" His crew pleaded.

"We made a promise to be at the eastern harbor at noon." Nami spoke up, descending the stairs towards the rest of the crew. "We won't break it."

"That's just the _silliest_ thing I've heard~!" Bon Kurei stomped the deck with his foot like a child with a tantrum. "What kind of treasure could _possibly_ be worth your lives?!" He turned sharply and prepared to jump back to his ship. "Go ahead and die then!"

"The type of treasure that can't be measured like money." Koga calmly commented, morphing the scythe back into his katana and sheathing it with a soft _clink_.

"We're going to see our nakama!" Luffy answered with a trademark grin, a hand resting on his hat.

 _That_ made the okama pause, still giving them his back.

"F– for… a friend…?" He suddenly straightened. "Running away now… would defy the law of Bon Kurei! Friends who would risk their lives to merely see their nakama… knowing that you have abandoned them…!" He flung his jacket's tail out dramatically, flailing them out as he continued his speech. "WILL YOU ENJOY YOUR NEXT MEAL?!"

'What does that have to do with anything?' Koga sweatdropped as Bon Kurei's goons praised him loudly, tears cascading down his face.

"Listen up boys… And you as well, Straw Hat friends!"

* * *

The Straw Hat pirates waited, hidden in the deckhouse, as the swan-like ship led the Marines away from the Merry.

Nami was beside the door, calculating the time Bon Kurei had promised to give them in order to escape. Sanji and Zoro were poised at the ready to shoot forwards and unfurl the sail, while Koga clenched his fists, the others tense in a similar manner.

"NOW! FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

At their navigator's order, everyone shouted an 'AYE!' and rushed to their respective posts, bringing the small caravel back to life and bursting across the sea behind the Mariness, too busy pursuing Bon Kurei to notice the pirates escaping. That situation quickly changed, however, as when Chopper took the helm and directed them towards the shoreline, Koga suddenly noticed some Marine ships veering around and following after them.

"We've got Marines hot on our tail!"

"How many?!"

"Four!"

"Easy prey! Chopper, get us closer!"

"Usopp, keep an eye on the shore!"

It was then that a familiar soft voice, driven by the wind, brought their attention momentarily.

" _It began... as a journey across a dark sea, in search of despair. Away from this country, the ocean is vast... and the islands within it had power that was difficult to comprehend. Animals I've never seen before, sceneries I couldn't even dream of, the music played by the waves... It was almost peaceful. Flowing calmly, enveloping all of my troubles. But... There were times where they were violent, bellowing like thunder, ripping delicate feelings asunder._ "

Koga summoned his black scythe as he followed Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, unaware of the fleeting tendril of darkness running along his weapon's edge.

" _Amidst the shadowed storm, I came across a little ship. It gave me a gentle push, saying: 'Don't you see that light?' Never losing its way in the gloom, that mysterious little ship rode the mighty waves as if dancing to the ocean's tune. It never opposed the sea, and yet the bow continued to point forward, even when the greatest of gales blew against it._ "

The Monster Quartet took a vessel and wreaked havoc among the Marines on board. Fist, foot, sword and darkness torn them asunder, clashing together upon the poor Marines, decimating their numbers... and their ships. They silently celebrated, but the rest of the small flotilla had noticed the pirates and had ceased following Bon Kurei and were almost upon them; at the disadvantage, and the imminence of the hour of the reunion with Vivi, Luffy and the others had to withdraw back to the Merry. Breathing deeply, Koga turned his scythe back to its katana form and sheathed it once more, joining the rest of the crew at the bow as they quietly listened to Vivi's deeply sincere words.

" _It then drew a finger and pointed forward. 'Look! There's the light!' History will most likely regale this as an illusion... But, I will always remember it as the truth. And then..._ "

"Vivi..." Chopper muttered, his face downcast at the perspective of not having their princess friend along with them.

"She's not coming now. That's definitely Vivi's voice." Zoro stated with an arm comfortably resting on his swords at his hip.

"That speech is being broadcast from the ceremony in Alubarna. She's decided then." Sanji added, lighting another cigarette.

Luffy whirled around to confront his two nakama. "No, that only _sounds_ like Vivi! She's gonna be at the meeting point! Maybe we can't see her! We should dock and look for her!"

"That'll take too long! The Marines are already coming at us again!" Usopp bellowed from the rear of the ship.

"Usopp's right." Koga lifted his scarf up to his nose. "That's too dangerous, Luffy. We have to go before we get caught."

"She's from a different world, Luffy. There's no way she'll give it up to be with mere pirates." The cook nodded somewhat depressingly.

"Turn to starboard!" Nami ordered, albeit with gritted teeth at the perspective of leaving her friend behind. "We're getting out of here!"

Chopper took the helm and veered the Merry to starboard, towards the vast sea before them. But just as they gave their backs to Alabasta...

"EVERYONE!"

That was Vivi's voice! The crew turned as one and scrambled back to the stern. There, on the shore, they saw Vivi with a beautiful princess-like dress with her navy blue hair drawn back in a high ponytail. Beside her was Carue, tired of the travel but nonetheless happy to see them too; he had also been groomed for the special occasion, but the run had disheveled his perfectly-placed plumes a bit.

"VIVI!"

Even from afar, Koga could notice Vivi's slightly teary-eyes, and the chronicler dropped his smirk and frowned, somewhat feeling where all this was going to end.

"I'm here... to say goodbye!"

Luffy's trademark smile slowly changed into a confused frown. "What'd she just...?"

Vivi took the receiver off of a Den Den Mushi Carue was carrying and spoke into it. Her voice held so much gratefulness and sadness that Koga felt something gripping his heart tightly, and he couldn't help but to raise a hand and press it at his chest absentmindedly.

"I... I cannot go with you! Thank you for everything! I want to go on more adventures with you! I want to see more strange and beautiful sights! But..." She took a deep shuddering breath, silent tears beginning to stream down her face. "I LOVE MY COUNTRY!"

A tender smile crossed Koga's face, his whole being softening. Pride overwhelmed him as he saw the princess he saw as a little sister, the first person he had begun to see as such since Karen's death.

'She has made a difficult decision.' He thought, as the blue-haired girl tried to wipe her never-stopping tears. 'But that only strengthened her.'

"I WILL STAY HERE! But... If we ever meet again... WILL YOU STILL CALL ME YOUR NAKAMA?!"

'Silly, you already are.'

Luffy went to answer, but fortunately Nami clasped a hand over his mouth, hissing about the Marines and endangering Vivi and her family if they were to find out about her relationship with pirates.

So they opted for a more... silent confirmation, and a perfect farewell for their princess nakama.

Each of them turned their backs to the shore, confusing the navy blue-haired girl and her duck for a moment, before their left arms shot up, the cross symbolizing their friendship unveiled. To other people, like the Marines, this would be a simple black cross, not holding any special message; but only those who went through tough hardships as Vivi and her duck did would completly understand what that seemingly simple draw meant.

And so, her only response, along with Carue's, was only to raise their own arm/wing, showing their own markings. Smiling widely, tears cascading down her face and watching her friends, her _nakama_ depart among cannonballs narrowly missing them. She was sad because she wouldn't have her friends beside her, but at the same time she knew, deep down in her heart, that she would reunite with them again, and together would one day travel, to see all those marvelous sights once more.

Aboard the Merry, and after the shore was far enough, Luffy and the others sprung to action, intent on escaping the Marines. While Nami, Chopper and Usopp directed the small caravel away, the Monster Quartet took care of the Marine vessels quickly gaining ground on them. Luck for once smiled on them as Hina didn't follow after them, the other Marines having to shoot simple cannonballs -which were bounced off back to them mostly thanks to Luffy's handiwork.

Finally, after a few hours of frantic activity and Alabasta was long out of sight, the Marines receded in their persecution, leaving the Straw Hat pirates to redirect their route towards the next island.

Koga, however, first went to the men's quarters to retrieve a plume and the logbook; he had neglected his work for too long. With both things firmly held in his hand, the writer climbed up the stairs just in time to see the crew minus Zoro slumped down along the floor in the upper deck, brooding and longingly looking back towards Alabasta. The chronicler sat down and rested his back against the main mast, the logbook on his lap, already opening it and scribbling on it.

"Hey now... What's with all the sulking?" The green-haired swordsman asked in exasperation, looking at his nakama with a raised eyebrow.

"WE MISS VIVI!" They all answered as one in a saddened chorus, making Koga sigh and shake his head with a smile on his face.

"Quit whining about it! If you wanted her to come with us so badly, you should've taken her by force!"

"AHHH! You Neanderthal!"

"You suck!"

"Marimo."

"Three-swords."

Usopp blinked and turned to Luffy. "Wait Luffy, that isn't quite an insult..."

The raven-haired teen let out a few seconds of thought, then said: "Four-swords."

It was then that the door leading to the lower decks opened, and the person who Koga had been waiting to reveal herself got out.

"So we finally managed to evade the Marines? Well done."

At first no one reacted, but suddenly a loud "EEEEEEEEEH?!" filled the area, as well as some loud bonks when most of the crew smashed their heads against the railing when they hastily tried to incorporate. Perceiving the threat, Zoro unsheathed one of his katana and brandished it against Miss All-Sunday... while the blond-haired writer merely raised an eyebrow and closed the logbook with a thud.

"Here for revenge? Bring it on!" The swordsman growled at the black-haired woman, who merely stood there with her impassive smile on her face.

Her presence ensued some chaos among the crew, with most wielding their weapons at her... and Usopp yelling on a loudspeaker with Chopper running from side to side in panic. The only ones that managed to keep their cool were Luffy and Koga.

"Please don't point those dangerous things at me." The ex-Baroque Works officer coolly remarked, forming hands on Zoro's and Nami's bodies and knocking away their weapons. "I already told you once, didn't I?"

"How long have you been on this ship?" Their navigator seethed at her, even being disarmed, with absolute ire on her face.

"The entire time." She nonchalantly declared, shrugging and bringing out a folding chair to sit upon. "These clothes are yours, are they not? I'm borrowing them for now."

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BAROQUE WORKS?!"

The assassin merely ignored her though, as her gaze only focused on Luffy.

"Monkey D Luffy. You aren't forgetting what you did to me, are you?"

That prompted something on Sanji, who looked aghast for a second before going to shake the oblivious captain. "LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THIS LOVELY LADY?!"

"Oi, don't lie! I never did anything to you!" Luffy responded as best he could, considering the cook was still shaking him.

"Oh but you did. You put me through an excruciating treatment. Take responsibility."

Koga sighed as the ruckus grew tenfold thanks to that simple statement. Luffy repeated, between almost incomprehensible stutters, that he didn't know what she was talking about. And the chronicler felt that that simple question would remain unanswered... for now.

Such suspicion only became true when she leant forward in her chair, her chin resting on her hand.

"Allow me to join your nakama."

A few seconds ticked by. Then...

"HUH?!" Everyone, even Koga, cried out in unison, as Sanji swooned around Miss All-Sunday in agreement.

"You made me live when I wished to die... That is your crime, Captain-san."

Ice ran cold through Koga's veins when he heard that sentence. His bicolored eyes widened as he glanced at the woman; her stance, her gesture, everything in her screamed something at him. But, did that really mean something bad?

"Oh. I get it now. Okay then." Luffy replied casually, the same Miss All-Sunday used.

"LUFFY!" This time, the chronicler didn't join in the protest, too puzzled by the woman's intentions and reasons.

He turned to his crew with another of his trademark face-splitting grins. "It's alright guys! She's not a bad person. Shishishishi!"

'Is she?'

In the end, nothing could be done, and thus, another member was added to the Straw Hat crew... much to the annoyance and chagrin of most of the crewmembers. Nami, Zoro and Koga stood apart from everyone else, watching Usopp trying to interrogate the ex-Baroque Works member, while said woman used her Devil Fruit powers to entertain Luffy and Chopper. His effort proved useless when, too scared of her, the long-nosed teen scrambled away from her and towards the stern-looking trio.

"She's too dangerous to be here!" He managed to stutter.

Sighing, Koga demanded his notebook and eyed it. Apparently, her name was Nico Robin, and claimed to be an archaeologist and, in desperate times, an assassin. Not much information, but enough to grasp some of her personality.

Suddenly, he remembered something, and barely shot out an apology before flying towards the men's quarters, rummaging through his bag's contents in search of something. His hand then came out with a plain-looking, decently-sized wooden box whose contents rattled when he shook it; the writer smiled when he remembered Cobra giving him this present. He came out just in time to see Nami confronting Robin, and the older woman getting off the hook by nonchalantly bribing the navigator... whose attitude gave a 180 degree turn towards her.

The chronicler shook his head with a smile before dropping it and walking towards the table where Robin sat; Sanji was already there, swooning over her and eager to please the newcomer with his culinary creations.

"Would you care for a shogi game?" The blond offered the raven-haired woman, shaking the box.

Apparently taken aback for the offer and the seemingly nonchalant approach, Robin looked at the oldest boy in silence for a moment. The other members, also confused, turned and listened to their conversation.

Soon the smile was back in the woman's face. "Of course."

He nodded, taking the free chair in front of her and setting the box down, opening it and revealing it to be a Shogi board, with all the pieces inside. Robin decided to take the black pieces, and both set up the board as the rest piled up around them, interested in the game though not all of them understood what was going on.

"It's been a while since I played shogi." Koga commented nonchalantly, beginning the game with one of his pawns.

"It's the same with me." Robin answered, her back stiff as she moved another pawn, away from his. "I was too busy escaping from the Government to play. Still, it's an interesting game."

'Her moves doesn't suggest that though.' The writer's eyes narrowed as he moved one of his knights in an L motion. She counterattacked with another move of her own, imitating him but actually closing herself. 'She either practices a lot, or she's a natural strategist.'

"You told Usopp you were an assassin and an archaeologist. Am I right?" He then declared after a few turns of silence. One of his rooks took a pawn when she was distracted moving a silver general.

Her face scrunched in concentration and swiftly took his rook with one of her lances; she frowned when he took it with a single pawn.

"That is what I am." She took an unattended bishop, and Koga cursed mentally.

"You chose to be an archaeologist for a specific reason, or...? Dammit, that pawn." He cursed again, this time aloud, when her rook took a pawn.

She chuckled, seemingly having fun, and promptly quieting down as Koga took revenge by wiping that rook off the board with his silver general.

"It's more of a family thing actually. When I was seven I decided to be an archaeologist."

"That's good."

"And... My dream is actually related with archaeology."

"Hm... So, it kind of fits, right? I'm a writer thanks to my family too. Well, more like my adoptive family, but still."

"Adoptive?" That perked up Robin's attention, and Koga used her distraction to take another piece, the game about to end in Koga's favor. "What happened to your real family?"

A small smile crossed the blond youngster as he shrugged. "I never knew them. I was barely five when my actual family found me."

Robin's slender and smooth-looking hand hovered over one of her pieces before lowering it on her lap. Confused, Koga looked up to see her rather serious expression, a small glint of sadness in her azure eyes.

"... I'm sorry."

He blinked, but then shook his head and lifted his scarf up to his nose. "Don't be. I was happy with them. I still am. And actually, not remembering your real family... helps a bit." Uncomfortable, he cleared his throat. "It's your turn."

"... Oh."

Another few rounds of silence, in which both of them battled to get into the other's head, in the game and in the subtle interrogation held by Koga. This game was proving more interesting by the second. Instead of using the game to distract her and lower her guard enough to interrogate her, the chronicler had found a rather tough opponent in shogi, something he hadn't expected to find.

"So, you affirm that you would be a perfect asset to us." He finally declared, scowling at a particularly hard move; Robin had literally pinned him down, and getting out of this would be difficult without sacrificing someone. He decided for a pawn.

"Yes." She answered, taking the bait and frowning a bit when she saw her trap being dismantled. "I'm good at getting past obstacles to achieve my goal. I'm an expert assassin."

"I can see that. Your king is in check."

She blinked when she saw her king endangered, and quickly put one of her promoted pieces in the way of Koga's menacing gold general.

" _That_ is what I'm talking about." Koga took the promoted piece away with one of the rooks Robin hadn't seen. "It's true, you _do_ ignore every obstacle in your way _._ That's not bad in itself, but..."

Robin moved her king one square away from the rook... and into the lance's way.

"That doesn't work in a crew like ours. Checkmate, Nico Robin." He smirked as she viewed the board wide-eyed, as well as the rest of the crew. "I can see you're hiding something, and I can tell, by the way you're playing, that you're trying to protect something by any means necessary. That also includes your own crewmates."

"How can you tell that?" Robin stiffly asked, now looking at the chronicler, who simply waved at the board.

"Look at the board."

Everyone did. The difference was clear; although Robin's pieces were better situated than Koga's, his were simply more numerous and as well situated as hers, and had managed to corner the woman into an unsalvageable position.

"You used all of your pieces to protect your king. Same with mine. But, who has more pieces on board right now? I'm not saying that you throw your pieces away. I simply consider each piece to be equally important, unlike you." He eyed the older woman with an arched eyebrow before inquiring. "Tell me, what is your king? What does it symbolize to you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you fight for your dream? For yourself?"

She didn't know what to answer, taken aback.

"You know, for quite a while I began seeing this crew as pieces of a shogi board. Myself included, of course." He then collected some of the pieces, and raised the rook. "Luffy is often brazen and airheaded, but he's straightforward and usually manages to swipe away every obstacle in his way, much like the rook."

"Oh, so I'm a mystery piece?" Luffy pointed to himself, earning a slap.

Koga smiled at his captain before setting down the rook and lifting the two gold generals. "Always standing both sides of the king, and usually too hotheaded themselves to bear one another, I think Zoro and Sanji fit those places very well."

"WHAT?!" They exclaimed, rage in their faces.

"Though they'll never admit it, you'll never find two people that would work better with one another." He continued even as the two began fighting.

"... Are you sure of it, Koga?" Usopp sweatdropped at the spectacle. "I would say they would _never_ work well with one another."

"It's simply an intuition I have." He then lifted the two lances. "They stand at the sides of the board, not drawing attention to themselves. But when they finally reach their true potential, our two lances, Usopp and Chopper, will be as powerful as Zoro and Sanji themselves."

Both let out a surprised gasp. The chronicler patted the reindeer's pink hat with a smirk.

"Now that you joined us, Nico Robin, I think befitting that you have a role as well, along with Nami." He lifted the two knights. "They also stand aside, but they're very important to the good functioning of the table. And of course, your potential is also very high."

Though Nami certainly looked flattered at the thought of being an important asset, she didn't look like she liked being partnered with Robin. Or at least not yet.

"Hey Koga! What role are you?!" Luffy exclaimed excited, looking at the remaining pieces he hadn't still named.

"Yeah! And what about Merry? Does she have a role too?" Usopp asked.

"Well, I..." He raised the bishop with a smile, "am the bishop. I stand aside from everyone else, like the rook, but I move in long strides. I'm a bit more subtle than the rook anyways. And about Merry, of course she has a role. We need the board to play after all, right? She carries us everywhere, doesn't she?"

"Wow, Merry is very important then..." Chopper muttered admiringly, looking at the figurehead along with the rest of the crew, including Robin.

However, she was the first to break the silence. "And what about the king?"

"Hm?" Koga turned towards the older woman.

"If neither Captain-san nor anyone else in the crew is important enough to be the king, what is, for you? And if you're a piece alongside us, who is the player, the one directing our path?"

Koga smirked. "There is no player in our shogi game. We have enough autonomy to decide where to go and what to do. And about the king... Didn't you notice it already?"

Robin blinked, not catching it at first. He then raised a finger and pointed up.

At the top of the main mast, where the Straw Hat flag flew.

" _That_ is my king. Our entire crew, every single one of us, along with our dreams. _T_ _hat_ is what's important to me."

* * *

 **xXxMEANWHILE, ELSEWHERExXx**

Aboard a small vessel with huge white sails and a giant four-leaf clover painted on them, Seishiro had just gotten a new black armor from one of the acolytes. It was slightly better crafted than the one he wore before, but still he liked the other one better; he had been the one to forge it after all, when he became one of the leader's closest soldiers.

They had just departed from Alabasta after finishing their job, that was gathering information about the newfound Cursed that had been wandering about that place, and also cutting their ties definitely with Baroque Works and all signs ofhaving been doing so to avoid being discovered by the Marines. They still had Sengoku's favor, but better be safe than sorry.

One of the acolytes called at his door and informed him that Faith's leader, Master Granham, was looking for him. The green-haired knight thanked him and quickly went to the upper deck, where Master Granham usually went to meditate... and to talk privately with the other leaders of The Chapel.

Granham turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. "Oh, Black Knight. You've gotten a new armor. Good."

"You called for me, Master Granham?"

Said Master was a hulk of a man in his late fifties, dressed in a black-and-green military garment and with a body full of combat scars. His chopped grey hair denoted age, as well as his crinkled face, but nothing else in his posture gave away his age. His steely blue eyes often softened when he watched his underlings and peers, a feeling not found when dealing with Cursed and demons. Hanging at his neck, a golden amulet resembling a four-leaf clover shone in the sunlight. Among all the servers of The Chapel, Master Granham was proud of bearing the title of the most loyal to the order.

"Indeed I did, son. Come; I was giving my report to the other leaders of The Chapel about the Cursed that was in Alabasta." He pointed to the Den Den Mushi resting on the railing with a hand, the other holding the transceiver. "I want your opinion on the matter, seeing as you have fought against it already."

Seishiro's stomach tightened into a knot. Apart from being the first time he was going to directly talk with the other leaders -whose faces he had _never_ seen before- the almost unnoticeable remark his Master made of Koga not even being a human person but a thing made him extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps he had always been like this, and only now, when he had made acquaintance -for a lack of a better word- with a Cursed, he had started to realize it.

He didn't like it one bit.

But nonetheless, the knight nodded. Rejecting a direct or indirect order from your superiors was often punished severely.

"Of course, Master Granham. Masters." He addressed the Den Den Mushi as well.

"Black Knight." An airy voice called out from the transceiver. "I am Mistress Rose, Leader of the Order of Love. I wager you have realiable information about this... Demon-Prince Cursed?" Her voice slightly showed skepticism.

"Yes, milady." He promptly answered. "This Cursed had never appeared in any of our grimoires as a Demon Prince like the others, but his powers easily reach their-"

"Its." A rough voice suddenly interrupted. "Cursed are not people. They're monsters. Don't call it 'he', even if it looks human."

A shiver went through Seishiro's spine and cold sweat appeared on his forehead at the sheer power this new person let out.

Unfazed, Granham let out a booming laugh. "C'mon, Master Milovic, don't scare the boy. He knows what he's doing." Then he turned to his underling, murmuring. "That's Master Milovic, Luck's Leader. One wonders how he got that title."

Rose cleared her throat. "It _is_ true that this Cursed's demon had never been registered before in our grimoires, unlike the Demon Princes. And if, as you affirm, this demon has that level of power... That is a problem that needs to be solved. Tell us about your battle against it."

And so he did, dismissing the little reunion he had later with Koga in the Palace and the conversation they had after the battle. He pointed out his inability of performing a full exorcism on the demon due to its power level especially, at the same time apologizing mentally to the blond pirate.

After his narration, Granham's face showed a mortal seriousness. "I have already put a bounty on its host's head, but this sounds like something that only us as Leaders can face. Benthos, Leader of Hope, what do you propose?"

A young-sounding voice, undoubtedly male's, answered promptly. "The only Demon Princes we have registered are the Seven Elemental Demons that call themselves the Representatives of the Seven Deadly Sins. Not one of them talked about an Eighth one. The fact that the Demon Princes had withheld information is entirely possible, but I think that we have to make sure. A demon whose power level easily reaches a Demon Prince's is worrying."

"Do we have still that old demon we trapped not so long ago in our quarters' jails?" Rose spoke next, a meditative tone in her voice. "I'm in Pulm Bricks near the Calm Belt, to the South Blue."

"I have just set sail from Alabasta Kingdom." Granham reported.

"And I'm about to have a conference with Admiral Sengoku about this newfound threat." Benthos added.

A moment of silence, then a groan. "... Looks like it's up to me then. What a bother." Milovic murmured.

"Show some discipline, Master Milovic." Rose icily remarked. "Make sure to interrogate it about this Eighth Demon Prince."

"Yeah, yeah, get off my ass, woman..." He then hung up.

The woman didn't bother to acknowledge his insults. "And Master Benthos..."

"Yes?"

"Make sure to point out to Admiral Sengoku the importance of this new Cursed's powers."

Seishiro raised an eyebrow, not knowing what she implied, but apparently Benthos did.

"... Understood. I'll do it." And then he ended the call, leaving only Rose on the line.

Granham sighed. "Seems like that Cursed had gotten itself into a hell of problems, didn't it?"

"The facts that we don't know the extent of its powers or the importance it has among the demon society makes it even more dangerous." Rose coolly responded, swift and direct. "Thus, the importance of exorcising it may be even superior to all the other Demon Princes themselves."

"Until Master Milovic returns with more answers, we will still be in the dark." The grey-haired man remarked. "The priority should still be exorcising the Demon Princes."

"And it still is." Rose sighed. "I have to hang up, we are having problems with some pirates in this area. We'll get in contact soon, Master Granham."

"Alright. Goodbye, Mistress Rose."

And both hung up.

Seishiro breathed deeply, suddenly feeling dizzy. Maybe he had just signed Koga's death warrant with this simple call.

Demon Princes, as powerful as they were, had only faced one of the Leaders at a time, two in the rarest occasions. But Koga's demon, unclassified in their grimoires and undoubtedly showing the same or even more power than any of those Demon Princes, had suddenly become the main priority to be exorcised.

That meant, in the best case scenario, Koga would have to face _with the Four Leaders at the same time_.

Suddenly, the Black Knight inwardly wished he had just said nothing to his leaders.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! So, according to the Four Leaders and, indirectly, the Seven Princes, Koga's demon is NOT a Demon Prince, but its powers does reach a Demon Prince's. What would that mean? What is Sankaoken hiding?**

 **K: Dammit, Author, you're putting too much secretive stuff in here...**

 **L: Shut it, Koga-kun. All is needed. Nothing is there by chance.**

 **K: O... kay... I have a feeling I won't like whatever you have in store for me.**

 **L: I know you won't~!**

 **K: *groans***

 **L: So guys, one last time: there are not one but TWO one-shots I'll be writing next! Chap 49 maybe will be dedicated to the 200th reviewer and chap 50 to the One-Year-Anniversary of this fic, but maybe I'm wrong! Maybe it's the other way around!**

 **K: So, it's up to you guys. To the 200th reviewer, Author will send a PM requesting for the theme of the one-shot. Except romance and all its related categories (such as lemons and all the like), the theme is free.**

 **L: It can even be based on everyday-life! Though it'll be as difficult as heck... But I'll try~!**

 **K: And about the One-Year-Anniversary chapter, it'll be non-cannon, but all the people recruited until now will be present. Yes, including Robin. That means, any posterior crewmembers WON'T be present. So sorry guys.**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya next time.**


	49. Just a breather

**49\. Just a breather**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hi guys! Sorry for the awful delay, my pc suddenly crashed and I lost all my progress in this new chapter, so basically I had to write it on my phone. This sucks.**

 **But well! As promised, and though it's awfully short, here's my one-shot, dedicated to Nemforellik, my 200th reviewer of this fic! *throws confetti***

 **K: Congratulations, Nemforellik! We know it's short, but we also hope you like it.**

 **L: And wow guys! I sure get a lot of reviews lately, that's awesome ^^! You guys rock!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi King!**

 **K: Hey King. I'm glad you liked it. Shogi is a good game to strategies and also to find out more things about your rival without the other knowing it. The same happens with chess, for example.**

 **L: I have to admit I've been planning this from a very long LONG time xD I had to make sure everything was accurate, so I began making sketches of it since Apis' Arc.**

 **K: I really hope so too. Those guys are awfully powerful.**

 **L: Yeah, they are... But don't worry, I won't make Koga-kun fight them alone. Who knows? Not even I know what will happen in the New World.**

 **K: ... Liar. I'm sure you planned something already.**

 **L: On to the next one please~!**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Yeah, he joined the Monster Trio. But maybe that was a bold move from my part. He's powerful, yeah, but... I dunno.**

 **-Boopadoop: Hehe. Those two will get along just fine I think. They're pretty similar after all.**

 **K: Are we? Never noticed that.**

 **L: You've just begun to know her. Give her time.**

 **K: A teddy bear? Oh, thanks. *blushes as he accepts it* I'll make sure to share with Robin, though I'm not sure as to why exactly...**

 **L: Eh, you were actually pretty close. And many things you said were actually true. Hahaha tropicàle they are, yeah, but personally I prefer colder places. So much heat in summer... uhh. Oh, I heard about that. About Trump and all that. Well, good luck over there! *forcefully puts the headphones on Koga's ears, and smiles widely* Okay, if you insist... I have planned in the New World to give him Armor Haki. 100% sure and confirmed. Oh, and maybe I'll give him one of the Rokushiki abilities, though I'm not sure about that. Huh, a question: would it be risky or bold for me to make Koga be one of the Supernovas? Instead of being eleven, there would be twelve.**

 **-InuKamahira: Thank you so much! Yeah, I always get depressed with that scene too. Damnit. Though Vivi was safer there. Oh, I'm sure they will! Just give them time! *throws hands in the air like Usopp* Ahh, don't shoot me! Though I'm guilty as charged... Hehehehee, that's right my little slaves...**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hm, they're inspired in BlackStar's powers, but they're not exactly the same. And that is a good idea, but because of the demon's "awakening" for a lack of a better word, Sankaoken had limited his transformation to only the scythe and the brass knuckles, with the addition of the powers of darkness. I MIGHT add more forms after the Time-Skip though. So thanks for the suggestion ^^!**

 **-WaterStar45: Thank you! I've always loved to give suspense to my fic. Please keep supporting me!**

 **-Nemforellik: Wow, thank you so much! Have to admit, at first I read un-pleasantly, but then I read better and it brought a wide smile on my face! Thank you again! Well, as you're the 200th reviewer, this is your one-shot dedicated chapter, enjoy it! And thanks again!**

 **-zerom1v: Thank you so much! The Foxy Pirates huh... Well, why not? I enjoyed that saga too xD**

 **-Guest-san: Oh thank you so much to you too! At this point I will run out of "thank you" before I end this fic xD Hope you continue liking it ^^!**

 **-Lauri3n: Thank you! Please keep giving me that awesome support!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Koga yawned as he stretched his arms above his head, the bones of his back popping. He then looked around and smiled as he saw Luffy, Chopper and Usopp jumping to the indoor pool with joyous cries. Man did they behave as children most of the time. Zoro, as always, spent his time training, and Sanji swooned over a relaxing Robin, who simply smiled at the black-clad chef as she took the lemonade from the plate he was holding. Nami was nowhere to be seen, but judging the screams from a nearby room just across from where he was, the chronicler knew she must be filling their decks with Berri.

It had been only a few hours since they arrived to Prisca Island, also known as Little Paradise. An island full of little scenarios, dedicated solely to please every traveler that arrived there.

Prisca, according to Robin''s knowledge, was a very special type of island. It was considered a Spring Island, but was divided into four great parts interconnected with long stone bridges. In each part, there was a great building whose sole purpose is to portray life in each of the four seasons. A building for Summer, another for Fall and another for Winter (inside each of them, awaited an artificial beach, a small brown, red and yellow forest full of secrets and a small snowed mountain for skiing). Prisca's inhabitants were uncharacteristically friendly and easy-going, giving the same treatment to pirates and marines alike; rumors especulated a secret magic they had, some kind of... sentimental manipulation that protected them and their island from aggressive situations.

The Straw Hat crew had spent the majority of the day in the Spring building, but personally Koga preferred the cool air of the Fall building, where he had spent most of his time. Wherever they went, people of all conditions (from couples to families, from rookie pirates to some high-ranked Marines) would enjoy their stay there as much as they could, knowing that Prisca Island represented a small unspoken truce.

"Hey, Koga!" Chopper exclaimed, seeing the blond young man just standing at the pool's edge with a smirk. "Come here with us!"

"Oh, no thanks, Chopper." He smiled as he waved off the offer. "I have to go to a bookstore and see if they have any logbook. The one I have is almost full..."

"BOOOOOOO!"The three idiots booed at him, earning a chuckle from Robin and a sigh from Sanji, who were watching the whole scene.

"I think the logbook can wait, Chronicler-san." Robin smiled at him, amused by his jokingly exasperated expression at the others' childishness.

Koga doubted, but then sighed and shrugged. "Okay then, you win."

"YAY!"

"But let me put on my swimsuit first. I'll be out in a jiffy. Be good, okay children?"

"Okay~!"

Koga shook his head simulating exasperation as he turned back around and entered the small shanty reserved for the male members of the crew (Nami almost chopped their heads off when she heard about the price), and went to his luggage to retrieve his blue swimsuit.

When he got out dressed in a blue swimsuit and a black towel on his shoulder, the chronicler felt relief when he saw everything relatively normal; meaning, Lufdy had managed to drag Sanji _and_ Zoro in the pool... fully dressed. Robin still was seated with a hand under her chin, smirking at the crew's antics; Nami stood beside her, her expression a strange mixture between happiness and exasperation.

"Had luck in the casino, Nami?" The chronicler asked as he approached the women, lying the towel on a spare chair.

"Yes, but I fear all I gained will be lost with the disaster these idiots are making with the pool." The redhead groaned, facepalming as Luffy let out an especially loud yell.

"I wager Captain-san wouldn't be himself if he didn't create some chaos wherever he goes." The raven-haired archaeologist smirked knowingly, raising her almost empty glass of lemonade.

"Heh. Yeah. But I would like some calm after all that happened in Alabasta..." Koga sighed, brushing a hand over his blond locks and realizing it got uncomfortably longer since he got his last haircut.

"Around this crew?" The navigator snorted, waving a hand at the hooligans causing chaos in the pool and molesting the other customers.

"Okay, as much calm as I can then. After all we..."

"KOGA!"

Whatever he was going to say was suddenly cut off when Luffy's rubbery arms snatched the chronicler from the women's side and dragged him underwater. Driven by panic for a few seconds, he gurgled and flailed underwater until he found his footing and shot out of the water. He heard Luffy, Usopp and Chopper laughing, and Zoro and Sanji too occupied to notice him.

"Luffy..." Startled and confused by the eerie voice, Luffy stopped laughing and watched Koga with his soaking blond hair hiding his eyes. "I'm gonna _murder you_. So, _run_."

"EGYYYYYYAAAAAA!"

* * *

All in all, when they retired to bed later at night, it had been a fun day. Though unfortunately, the islanders had enough from them and "kindly asked" for them to leave tomorrow morning without delay. Robin then later assured them with a smirk that the Straw Hat crew probably would become the first visitants to become _persona non grata_ in Prisca... which didn't exactly alleviate Nami's beating.

Even more, all the money Nami won from the casino had to be spent to repair the pool and its surrounding because of Zoro and Sanji's fight; that, of course, didn't exactly improve the redhead's mood.

"I'm _bored_!" Luffy whined from his slouched position atop his bed, his face a bit swollen but overall healed from Nami's beating earlier.

"We should rest for a bit before getting provisions for tomorrow." Sanji ignored his captain as he put on his pajamas.

"It's a shame we can't stay longer. I wanted to visit the Winter building tomorrow." Chopper murmured with a downcast face, hugging his pillow longingly.

Seeing his small buddy's expression and pretty tired already of Luffy's persistent annoyance, Koga decided to lift their mood a bit the only way he knew how.

"How about I tell you a story?"

As expected, the three youngest members of the crew agreed enthusiastically, with nami sighing but overall accepting it, Zoro and Sanji humming in interest and Robin chuckling. Everyone gathered around the chronicler's bed, and for a moment he remembered a similar situation in the orphanage, where the younger kids surrounded him eager to know about his tales.

Koga cleared his throat, and began his narration...

"Long ago, there was once a poor in a prosperous and wealthy city. He had no family, and hardly anything to go to his name. His job as a porter allowed him to see how well the nobles lived, and he envied them. His name was simply known as Sinbad."

In one of his jobs, he stopped to rest on a bench outside the gate of a rich merchant's house, where he complained to the gods about the injustice of a world which allowed the rich to live in ease while he must toil and yet remain poor. The owner of the house heared him and sent for the porter, finding that they were both named Sinbad. The rich Sinbad told the poor Sinbad that he became wealthy "by Fortune and Fate" in the course of seven wondrous voyages, which he then proceeded to relate.

The story was long, and Koga managed to enrapture everyone with it. The seven voyages Sinbad the Sailor threw himself into, the places he visited, the monsters he found, the incredibly good friends he met.

"As time passed on, the poor porter found himself eager to go the rich merchant's house and listen enthralled to his narration, forgetting his misfortunes and imagining himself being the protagonist of those marvellous stories..."

As he told Sinbad's story, the chronicler suddenly thought of Karen and how much she enjoyed this tale. He remembered how many nights he had spent with her, Yuuto and the younger kids, out of the orphanage, under the starlight.

He smiled inwardly, seeing in his crewmates that same scenery. It was in moments like this that he really enjoyed doing his job. Seeing Luffy, Usopp and Chopper with starry eyes, clinging to his every word, reminded him so much of Yuuto, Karen and the others; they were so alike that his throat closed.

Koga knew without a doubt that Karen would've loved everyone in the crew.

"... The evil bird-men were then defeated, and Sinbad the sailor narrated how he decided to go back to his city along with his wife, to finally rest from all his adventures." Koga told with a smile, inwardly rejoicing in the story and the effect it had on his friends.

"So Sinbad the Sailor just decided to... go back?" Usopp asked, somewhat skeptical and somewhat displeased to the end of all of Sinbad's adventures. "And that's it?"

The blond smirked. "Sinbad the porter had that exact reaction. Having lived a life trapped inside the walls of the city, he couldn't understand why a person as free and adventurous as Sinbad the sailor would simply put an end to everything that gave him his wings and fly out of the city, to see the world."

"And what did the sailor say?" Chopper insisted.

Koga simply widened his smile, shaking his head and looking at the hour. "It's late, we should go to bed."

"What?! You just can't leave it at that!"

And he _chuckled_ ; their reactions were so similar to Karen and Yuuto's that he couldn't help it. The others looked at him, surprised.

"I'll save the ending for later. Now to bed, kids." He stood up from the bed and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" Nami asked in confusion.

"Just to take a small breather."

Though begrudgingly, the three boys got under their sheets, with Sanji and Zoro taking their beds in opposite corners of the room. Nami and Robin got out of the hut and got into theirs after bidding goodnight to everyone.

Now alone, the writer breathed deeply under the stars, looking up at the full moon with a soft smile on his face.

'Karen... It's been a long time since I thought about you like this.' He breathed again. 'Did you meet my crew? There's Luffy, my captain. He's... like Yuuto back then. Do you remember?'

He smiled.

'There's Usopp, and Chopper. Those three are like the twins. Remember?'

The youngest kids of the orphanage, Ikol, Ibot and Igor. How nice they were.

'There's also Zoro and Sanji. They're just like Yuuto and I.' His smile disappeared as he thought of him, but shook his head to vanish those depressing feelings. 'And Nami and Robin. I'm sure you would've liked them all. They're nice and good. They're... they're my best friends. My nakama...'

He let out a shuddering breath as a hand wiped down his face. After looking up at the stars once more, he flashed another going back inside the hut.

* * *

"WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET IN PROBLEMS WHEREVER WE GO?!"

"Hey, it's not our fault the Marines _always_ manage to catch us!"

" _YOU!_ Stop screaming and start _shooting_!"

" _WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING_?!"

And of course, Luffy laughed at the top of his lungs while bouncing cannonballs back to their owners, alongside the other members of the Monster Quartet.

The Straw Hat crew had already departed from Prisca Island the next day at first light after replenishijg their ladder with plenty of food and paying the broken things (much to Nami's chagrin of course). But when they raised the anchor and got away from the island, suddenly the Marines started following them!

But none of this mattered.

"Let's go guys! TO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!"

"AYE!"

"First we have to get out of this _alive_ you damn moron!"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Okay, so this is as far as I can go! Sorry again for the delay and how short it is. I'll definitely make the next one longer (chap 50, the Anniversary dedicated chap!).**

 **K: *hums while listening to Uncontainable by Set It Off, distracted***

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: *waves a hand in farewell***


	50. A happy birthday

**50\. A happy birthday**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hi! I can't believe I've covered half-a-hundred chapters already in this fic. Though... Damn, another awfully short chap. These one-shot chapters are being the death of me, I swear.**

 **K: Hey, you're doing everything you can. Just keep it up.**

 **L: You're right! And next chap we will begin with another arc! I'm so excited!**

 **K: ... I don't know if I should feel scared of that joyful expression on your face...**

 **-anquan: Hi! Thanks so much, here's the update!**

 **K: Wow, thanks. Though I'm just a normal person. I'm not that awesome.**

 **-Blue VanLocke: Really? I didn't know! I always thought it was in the original Arab tale. I've always loved Sinbad's story, and the other day I thought it was a very adequate story for my fic.**

 **-Boopadoop: Hey Boop! Don't worry, you're right on time! Probably you'll hate me for uploading before time xD Oh, you're in Europe! Awesome! You took a cruise then? I always wanted to do one! My father hates boats though, a shame... Which places did you visit already?**

 **K: *blushes behind his scarf* Yeah, I liked it. It was really nice of you. And are we really that similar?**

 **L: Yes, you are! Though I insist, you'll find out why later on. *watches Koga drop unconscious to the floor* Huh, he sure will feel it later. *turns to Boop* The Eleven Supernovas are only a fan title? I never knew! Well, that's good then! I ask because Zoro is a Supernova too, and having three Straw Hat members being Supernovas... I don't know, I found it excessive. You do? Nice! You're right, I'll do that. After all, Sankaoken could profit a lot with those powers... Now You See Me, huh. I'll watch it then! And I'll take your idea in mind, thanks so much!**

 **K: *groans as he awakes* My head...**

 **L: Uh, Boop, better get going...**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi King! Yeah, it's nice getting away from the plot for a while, it rests my mind a little.**

 **K: Isn't it harder for you, to come with new situations than to stick to the plot?**

 **L: Actually, yeah, but also resting from time to time and giving the readers something new to read is also nice.**

 **K: Huh, I guess so.**

 **L: From Soul Eater? Well I did the disclaimer already when Sankaoken's demon form appeared, so I could use that to my advantage... I'll take that in mind, thanks!**

 **K: *blushes madly behind his scarf*A- A romantic interest?**

 **L: Not likely. Not because I don't want to (personally I ship Koga with Nami or even Robin), but because I SERIOUSLY suck at them. My only romance-oriented fic I have on my channel is on hiatus partly because of lack of romantic inspiration, so... I don't want to happen here. Seishiro will be a neutral character here, but he's more oriented towards alliance in relation with Koga, yeah. He won't actively fight at Koga's side, but will have some... undercover missions.**

 **K: Undercover missions? What?**

 **L: Never mind that. And about the weapons... Koga, get out of the room.**

 **K: Huh? Why?**

 **L: Get. Out.**

 **K: *grumbles while he gets out of the room***

 **L: Okay... Koga hadn't noticed it yet, but since Sankaoken's 'true powers' had awoken (his ability to manipulate darkness) his secondary ability, which is transformation, had been diminished. That means, Sankaoken now can only adopt the scythe and brass knuckles forms. As Koga trains, maybe, just MAYBE, he'll get more forms. Not only the naginata and the broadsword, but maybe more weapons.**

 **K: *pokes his head inside* Can I come in now?**

 **L: Yeah, we've finished! And now, on with the one-shot! Enjoy~!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxFLASHBACKxXx**

 _ **"Hey, Koga, what are you going to do for your birthday?"**_

 _ **"Huh...? Well, I'll probably go to the cliff."**_

 _ **"You always do that! Don't you have anything planned?"**_

 _ **"... I hate birthdays. Why would I want to celebrate something I hate?"**_

 _ **"Oh come on! Karen-chan's planning someth- MMHPH!?"**_

 _ **"IKOL! SHUT UP!"**_

 _ **"... Karen's planning something you say?"**_

 _ **"Not only her, bu- OW!"**_

 _ **"You shut up too! Karen-chan made us promise we wouldn't tell anything!"**_

 _ **"Well she didn't choose well. And man, your kicks hurt."**_

 _ **"They're supposed to hurt dumbass!"**_

 _ **"STOP SCREAMING YOU LOT, AND GET BACK TO CLASS!"**_

 _ **"Y- YES SIR!"**_

 _ **"... Karen's planning something, huh."**_

* * *

"I win, Chronicler-san."

"Huh?" Koga snapped awake from his thoughts. "What...?"

"I said 'I win, Chronicler-san'." Robin repeated while waving at the board in the table between them. Sure enough, the archaeologist had won. "You seemed distracted."

"Did I?"

Speaking truthfully, he _had_ been distracted. Last night he had had a dream about his last birthday with Karen, Yuuto and the three twins, and had been distracted ever since. The other Straw Hats had noticed, of course, but no one had asked him about whatever was eating his mind, already knowing he wouldn't tell unless forced to or feeling willing to.

Only Robin had shown so much interest as to ask him directly while playing shogi, a common activity both felt comfortable to share. At first they played only to search each other's minds, but as they played more and more, the pair actually warmed up to each other and would share some idle talks about this or that thing happening in the world.

Much to his surprise, Koga found in the older woman an extremely analytical and perceptive. Her calm demeanor and her always present -though fake- smile brought the same serenity to all around them. But under that seemingly serene facade, the intuitive blond young man felt something lurking underneath.

Whatever the raven-haired woman was hiding, it left heavy psychological scarring. And Koga knew the scars more than anyone.

"Sorry about that." The blond apologized with a soft smirk. "Want another game?"

But the woman shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, I told Doctor-san that I would help him with a medicine. A new recipe he's been working on."

Taken aback, his smirk dropped. "Is that so? Okay then, I'll be at the crow's nest if someone needs me."

She nodded with a smile and drifted off towards the infirmary, most likely to talk to Chopper. Somewhat feeling down because of the rejection of a new play, the chronicler climbed up the rope ladder and settled down on his personal den, a bit crumpled but _his_ nonetheless. He brought up the logbook and looked at it with a tender look on his face, a smile crossing his features.

It saddened him that the logbook had very few blank pages left. In a way, he felt that ending the logbook would mean the ending of beautiful stories and adventures. He always bought incredibly large books because of that.

He remembered the promise he made to Karen one night, shortly before her death...

' _I'll write a story that will never end. And it will be true, from the very beginning.'_

His face sobered when he remembered her weak response...

 _'Every story has to end some time._ '

That... was one of the few occasions in which Koga had a fight with her. And it left a sour taste in his mouth when he remembered that he hadn't apologized to her after that.

And then she died.

Pain flashed sharply through his face as memories punished him, and the book fell from his suddenly slack hand, landing with a loud thud on the crow's nest's floor. Fortunately, no one heard, despite having made a loud noise. However, the blond young man only sighed as he bent forwards from his seated position to pick up the large leather book with care. He had learned from his grandfather that every book held a unique story that had to be treated with as much care as a gold treasure.

'I should've bought a new logbook in Prisca...' He thought, annoyed at himself for having forgotten something so important to him. 'I guess I'll just get another one at the next island. Though I'll have to be careful; this book only has ten pages left.'

He brought the thick logbook to his bent legs and opened it, flipping through the pages with a nostalgic smile on his face.

'We sure went through a lot, huh. Meeting Zoro and Luffy in Shellstown, then Nami (and also Buggy the Clown) at Orange Town... We helped Usopp in Syrudp Village, and saved Kaya and his friends from Kuro... We then met Sanji at the Baratie, Zoro had his first encounter with Mihawk... and suffered defeat at his hands...' The chronicler sighed. 'We then learnt about Nami's 'betrayal', and went after her while Luffy tried to convince Sanji to join us. We then heard her real past, her relationship with Arlong... And Luffy beat him good when he heard about how bad her life has been for eight long years.'

A page turned once more.

'Our next stop was... Loguetown.'

A conflicting place, where past and present mixed. Luffy almost died there, like Roger twenty-two years ago. His hand closed into a fist, face scrunched in mild desperation; he hadn't felt that way since...

... Since Karen and the others' deaths.

Trying to get rid of the memories, he flipped the page after shaking his blond head. A smile grazed his lips as he read about Apis and Ryu, all the annotations the legendary dragon gave him... And their entering into the Grand Line for the first time, that exhilarating moment that symbolized a return home and a completely new sensation.

The feeling of witnessing a completely new place with friends at his side.

Koga felt his eyes get a bit watery, but blinked back the small tears as he turned another page.

'The Twin Capes, Laboon and the old man Crocus... The promise Luffy made to the Island Whale, its story... And, though I didn't remember at that time, my re-encounter with Vivi.'

Next was Whiskey Peak, and the learning of the terrible situation Alabasta was living.

For a moment, the chronicler stopped reading, his bicolored eyes closing and letting out a shuddering breath. He had the impression that, the more he read in the logbook, the harder their challenges were becoming.

The Straw Hat crew found Chopper, but first Nami had to fall ill. At that moment, Koga felt as helpless as he had felt when he watched Karen die slowly, without a cure to heal her. He had feared he would have to watch another loved one die in front of his eyes once more, and the realization almost drove him mad.

And when they finally reached Alabasta... All hell broke loose. Crocodile proved to be a dangerously smart enemy, that managed to outclass them in many ways. They all fought hard, very hard.

Luffy fought up to _three times_ against Crocodile, almost dying in the attempt.

Each of the other Straw Hat crewmembers also had their own hard fights.

And Vivi... She was the one that suffered the most. Seeing her people being torn apart...

Koga let out another sigh, closing the logbook once more and caressing its cover. Fortunately, all those hardships were over. Crocodile was jailed, Vivi and her father had their beloved kingdom back, and the Straw Hat crew gained another new member, Nico Robin, an enigmatic woman that still managed to catch Luffy's keen eye.

If he had to be truthful, Koga _still_ didn't know what to think about the older woman. He normally had a natural ability to gauge people, how they stood. But Robin's eyes and soul were closed, not only to himself, but to the rest of the world.

"Guys, everyone in the kitchen NOW!" Nami's voice suddenly roared in anger, almost making Koga jump.

He peeked his head over the edge of the crow's nest as he heard Zoro asking what was going on.

"Just get in here NOW!"

"Alright, alright, I get it... Damn woman." Zoro groaned as Koga jumped to the deck and walked inside...

... Only to find a dark room. Luffy, Zoro, and Koga stopped on their tracks, unable to see anything.

"Hey, what the hell is this?" He heard the swordsman from in front of the chronicler.

"I can't see anything! Though it smells good~!" Luffy whined before sniffing the air at Koga's side, who sweatdropped.

 **BAM BAM BAM!**

"SURPRISE!"

Blinded because of the sudden light, the three men blinked and watched everything around them, jaws slackened.

The kitchen had suffered a complete remodeling, with a huge banner hanging from the ceiling with the words 'HAPPY ANNIVERSARY' written in fancy words -Usopp's doing no doubt. The main table was filled up to the brim with all sorts of foods, which of course made Luffy's mouth water. Balloons of every color covered the floor -Chopper's idea- and everyone had on party hats and party blowers. Nami excitedly threw some confetti in the air, followed by Usopp and Chopper who screamed in joy.

"What is this?" Koga couldn't help to ask, his mismatched eyes wide like Zoro's. Luffy had starry eyes from the first moment that he laid his eyes in the enormous cake that presided the table.

"Don't you know? It's been a year since we met and became the Straw Hat pirates!" Nami exclaimed, putting a hat on Koga's head -and ignoring his indignant protests. "And you three are the founders, so we decided to throw a small celebration party for you guys!"

"We even got presents for you!" Chopper waved a packed present. "Though this is more for Koga..."

"Huh? For me?"

"Well, Luffy and the marimo will be happy with the food and booze, but you're not like them." Sanji shrugged. "So we had to look for a suitable present for you."

"WHAT WAS THAT SHITTY COOK!"

"THE _TRUTH_ BROKEN COMPASS!"

 **Bonk bonk!**

"Settle down already!"

Koga smiled at the familiar sight, as Luffy launched himself to devour all the food -earning an angered kick from the furious cook.

Of course, the present for their captain was food, and a cord Nami sewed to his straw hat so that he wouldn't lose it from then on. Luffy's childish but enthusiastic smile brought another in all of the people present. Even Robin, Koga noticed, presented a more genuine smile, and he wondered if the Straw Hat crew spirit would reach her hidden soul and bring her out to the light.

Zoro got an extremely expensive but really good booze and a new kit for cleaning his precious katana, a small gift that either way brought a pleasantly surprised smile to the swordsman's face. He didn't dare to ask how much they had spent in the alcohol and the kit, however, seeing Nami's small twitch in her eye.

And Koga received a basket full of his favorite fruits -Robin had managed to pry that information from him during one of his shogi games- and a new logbook. His eyes grew incredibly wide at that last gift, and he looked up to his friends in amazement.

"How...?"

Usopp chuckled while brushing his finger under his nose with a confident smile. "You said in Prisca that you needed a new logbook. Chopper and Robin went to a bookstore and bought one for you. All of us collaborated with the presents of course!"

The chronicler's face softened and looked down at his new logbook. It had a black leather cover with a big smiley golden face right on its center. Somehow, seeing that face brought a chuckle out from the blond young man as he caressed it.

"You know, this is actually the third time I heard you laugh." Nami commented suddenly. "Well, more like 'chuckle', but... Well, more than seeing you only smile, I mean."

His smile widened, still eyeing the logbook as the others looked up at him and the navigator. His face held a serenity and happiness that seemed to soften his harsh features. A happiness he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"I may have remembered how to actually laugh. Thanks to you." A blush covered his cheeks when he admitted that and he lifted his blue scarf to his nose as the others brought up their own smiles at that little confession.

"Alright then, let's eat!" Luffy exclaimed, throwing his hands up to the air.

"Wait, Luffy." Sanji halted him, though this time he did it with words instead with the heel of his boot.

"Huh?"

"First you have to eat the cake, Captain-san." Robin chuckled. "Cook-san made it especially for this occasion. Then we toast."

Koga paled a bit. "Toast?"

"Don't worry, I know you can't tolerate alcohol. Here is your orange juice." The one-eyed cook gave him a mug filled with orange juice.

"So, you have zero tolerance to alcohol, Chronicler-san?"

... Was that teasing? Since when Robin had warmed up so much to them that she actually took the liberty to tease them?

But, for some reason, the scarred man didn't bother to say anything, only blush under his scarf again. Maybe that meant that the raven-haired woman would find what she was looking for with this crew.

He had found his dream with them after all.

After blowing the candles -and convincing Zoro to do it too- the entire crew ate a small portion of their cakes -a delicious strawberry cheesecake. They all congratulated Sanji for his new achievement, though they all knew that he didn't need their praise in what he did best; his swoons over Nami and Robin's praises made them think otherwise for a brief moment however.

Then they all gathered in a circle with their mugs filled with alcohol -Chopper's and Koga's with orange juice.

"Okay, so who wants to do the honors?" Zoro asked, a hand on his hip as he swirled the alcohol in his mug, impatient to taste it already.

"Me, me!" Luffy exclaimed. "For an awesome crew... KANPAI!"

"KANPAI!"

They all took a sip.

"For our adventures... KANPAI!" Usopp toasted next.

"KANPAI!"

Another sip.

 **Thud!**

... And down went Koga, drunkenly sleeping.

"AAAAAAAH! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!... Oh, hey, _I'm_ the doctor." The reindeer knelt beside the unconscious man. "He's... sleeping?"

"He has an incredibly low alcohol tolerance, though..." Nami turned to Sanji, who seemed as confused as the others. "I thought you gave him the mug with orange juice."

"And I did, Nami-san! Maybe he took another mug when we were eating the cake."

"So, who has Chronicler-san's drink?" Robin wondered with a hand on her cheek.

Zoro hummed as he looked down at his mug. "And here I thought this sake was too soft. Now I get it."

"IT WAS YOU?!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!"

As he slept, Koga had a beatific smile on his face, the first genuinely joyful he had on since his sister's and friends' deaths. And also, that day, it served to create a new bond between their newly recruited crewmate and the rest of them, as her clouded heart began to glimpse the light beyond.

Who knows how long will it be since she begins calling her crewmates by their names and call them their nakama?

And who knows since they find out about her dark past and help her overcome it?

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: So, here it is! I couldn't help the last part xD**

 **K: *snores a bit***

 **L: Huh, I thought he didn't snore. Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast! AND HAPPY ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!**

 **K: *snores a bit again***


	51. Skies falling down

**51\. Skies falling down**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hi guys! New chapter, beginning the Jaya Arc! Wow, I'm pretty excited~!**

 **K: I can see that.**

 **L: But I have some kinda bad news. Next week I'll be on vacation to Ireland, so uploading a new chap will be a pain (most likely, it will be shorter and with major errors of most kinds). Sorry for that, but I also want my vacations, dammit!**

 **K: C'mon, I'm sure they understand.**

 **L: Well, I hope so. Oh! In this new chapter, there will be a little bit of an AU scene, and we introduce a new character! But it's not an OC... I already made the disclaimer so... This character's pretty important later on, that's why I introduced him.**

 **K: Huh. I wonder who it is...**

 **L: You'll see soon. And man, all those reviews from Redery-san! Sorry for not answering them, BTW, but I considered you would find out more as you continued to read the fic. Well, now on with the review answers~!**

 **-SHSL Student: Stu! Yeah, I got inspired as I wrote down the chap xD Well yeah xD And I omitted the movies, that's all I say xD**

 **K: *sighs in relief* Thank God...**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Aw, thank you~!**

 **K: *gets incredibly red* Hey, no hugs! ... Well, you can hug me, but only for a while... *gets even redder***

 **L: You're so nice, Koga-kun~**

 **K: S-shut up!**

 **-14fox: Hi! Thank you so much~!**

 **K: *grumbles* Leave me alone, I can't help it. And you act like a kid. Are you sure you're mentally 39?**

 **L: *bonks Koga in the head* That was NOT nice! Sorry, Ryo-kun, Koga-kun is a loudmouth sometimes... Oh, and thank you again, hope I can see you in later chapters~!**

 **-Boopadoop: Hi! Wow, that long review, NICE! Oh, don't fall asleep!**

 **K: Boop's tired, what did you expect? Let him/her rest.**

 **L: Bu-bu-but I wanna know! I'm glad you're not angry at me *beams happily, ignoring Koga falling unconscious once more* Well, that is actually true, Oda likes to make One Piece excessive in all his ways. But I love it because of that; it's so excessive that it's actually fun! Oh, that's right, while Zoro and Mihawk were watching, Luffy was hopeless to help... Yeah, he needs, more manpower!**

 **K: *groans as he wakes up* Dammir, Boop, stop knocking me out already! And you! *turns to an impassive-looking Author* You could help me some time, you know!**

 **L: No can do, Koga-kun, spoilers are a very dangerous weapon. At least you have that IOU Boop gave you.**

 **K: ... *sighs* Okay then.**

 **L: Oh, ans thank you again! I hope you continue reading and (hopefully) reach two years with us!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi King! Aw thanks!**

 **K: I almost forgot it too... A shame Author didn't...**

 **L: Use the Devil Fruit...?**

 **K: ... *looks at Author* Could I?**

 **L: Erm... Actually, no! All his Devil Fruit would do is give him the sensation that he's not drunk, but he would be. His low alcohol tolerance will still be there!**

 **K: ... That makes absolutely no sense.**

 **L: ... Shut it, you.**

 **K: Who are Free and Mosquito?**

 **L: No one you should care about~! I'll think about it, promise. Oh, and thanks! Hope I continue knowing from you in the chapters to come!**

 **-Guest-san: Hi! Yeah, and not only the Monsters. Everyone has their own weakness, and personally I love that of every character. Knowing they're not flawless, add authenticity to the story. Well, not only by betrayal, there's another way that not even Koga knows about...**

 **K: Hm? What about me?**

 **L: Nothing, discussing about your Contract.**

 **K: *reads what's written down* ... Oh. Well, technically there is a thing that no one knows about, and it's the Cursed's most guarded secret... Maybe you'll know about it later on** **.**

 **L: Magic, huh. You know, before I began with this fic, I had another fic in which my female OC was a mage, a water manipulator. Sadly, it didn't work because she was too OP. So, I'm sorry but it's highly unlikely, though I won't discard it just yet. Don't worry about being morbid! Oh, I don't have a bio, sorry. I'll upload Koga's image when I get some time, promise. Though the fic's cover image is Koga...**

 **-Lauri3n: Thank you, glad you liked it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Apart from the occasional storm about to capsize their little vessel and the pop-up Marines that caught up on their trail, the past two weeks since they departed from Alabasta had passed rather smoothly, something that everyone in the Straw Hat crew thanked.

Of course, 'rather smoothly' didn't mean 'lacking some hectic moments'. Having Monkey D Luffy as their captain ensured that a normal day could turn into an adventure of some kind, of _any_ kind. Something that clearly didn't bode well when dealing with Nami and her rage attacks.

Robin's introduction to the crew, albeit a bit rattled at the beginning, had finally settled down when she gave no signs of going to betray them any time soon. Although that didn't indulge her of having a few escorts -meaning Zoro and Koga, and even Nami herself- that would watch her subtly in-case something arose. Up to that point, that measure seemed pointless as the raven-haired woman didn't do anything to raise their suspicion, but still they kept their guard up. Just in case, the three agreed.

Evidently, their naïve behavior allowed Usopp, Chopper and Luffy accept the older woman wholeheartedly, even with the initial fear.

And talking about the innocent trio...

"I want snow!" Luffy moaned, stretching his arms over his head. That attracted Koga's attention as he looked up from his brand-new logbook and smirked at his captain. "Nami! Will the next island we're going to have snow?"

"You want snow again?" Nami replied arching an eyebrow at the straw hat boy after she checked the course on her Log Pose.

"The records in Alubarna said it was an autumn island." Robin interceded from her relaxed seat while reading a book Koga had lent her.

"I like autumn too! Koga said his island was an autumn one!" Luffy chirped.

Koga chuckled as he stood up. "Well my homeland is still a long way from here, Luffy, sorry."

That still didn't discourage his captain's spirits though. So animated he was, that he didn't even mind being booted by Sanji when he began 'molesting Robin-chan'. Honestly, Koga didn't understand why Nami, being younger, had the suffix -san instead of Robin.

"Hmm?" Zoro, slumped on the deck back against the railing, suddenly raised his head to the sky with a small frown. "Is it raining?"

 _ **Pat**_

The chronicler looked down at his feet, seeing an innocent pebble. His intuition then began awakening, and that sent a shiver down his spine.

"... No. This isn't rain." Sanji breathed.

 _Hey, bud, you better look up._

Fearful about what he would find, the blond boy _sloooooowly_ raised his head...

... And paled.

"... Oh _shit._ " He barely managed to breathe out.

The others glanced at him, and promptly followed his gaze.

Casting a large shadow over them, a giant ship was falling over them! Nami, Chopper and Usopp didn't waste any time in scream just as the vessel fell into the ocean with an earsplitting splash, creating huge waves that rocked the Merry dangerously.

"Grab hold onto something!" Zoro yelled over the noise, as yet another ship, and _another_ , continued falling from the skies.

Koga got a vicious grip on his precious logbook as the other held onto the railing, gritting his teeth.

"Why are there ships falling from the skies?!" Nami shrieked from behind him.

"I know! This is all just a bad dream!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Great, I love dreams!" Chopper said next, bumping into Koga's leg when he accidentally let go of his hold on the railing; fearing he would fall overboard, the reindeer then wrapped his arms tightly around the chronicler's leg.

"This certainly _doesn't_ feel like a dream!" Koga argued, flinching as a chunk of wood fell on his head.

"We have to turn around!" Their navigator yelled.

"How?! With these waves we'll capsize!"

"Luffy, protect the ship!" Sanji ordered at the rubber captain.

"Roger! Uh, Usopp?"

Somehow feeling a deadpan expression creeping on his face, the writer turned his head again to see a kneeling Usopp with hands clasped together as in prayer.

"Don't worry! Just pray like me, close your eyes and then slowly raise your head and open them. See, it's just a peaceful morniIIIAAAAAAAAH IT'S A SKELETON!"

"IDIOT! DON'T THROW IT OVER HERE!" Nami shrieked as the skeleton was thrown in her direction, jumping out of the way just in time.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the waves calmed down and the ship stopped moving. Warily, the Straw Hat crew let go of their hold on things and looked around in case something else fell on top of them.

The deck was a mess. Chunks of wood and debris, apart from the skeleton that scared Usopp to death, tattered the wooden planks of the Merry, though at first sight, it didn't seem like their ship had received any damage, and Koga sighed in relief.

"Why did a ship fall from the sky?" Luffy asked as he looked up.

"Too weird..." Sanji commented, lighting a new cigarette.

"Ah-!"

"What's wrong Nami-san?"

Nami was looking down at her Log Pose, a hand on her cheek in dismay. "What do we do now? The Log Pose... It's broken! It's pointing up and not moving around!"

"That's not right." Robin interrupted. "There's another magnetic field that's changing the direction of the Pose. If it's pointing up, then that means it must have locked onto..."

"... A Sky Island, right?" Koga scratched his stubble while trying to suppress a grin. The raven-haired woman looked at him, apparently surprised, but then nodded.

"What is that?" Usopp asked in worry and a bit of fear.

"Can an island really float?" Luffy's voice had however excitement evident as he grinned widely.

"You should ask someone more versed than us, but of course it's possible." The chronicler crossed his arms over his chest. "I mean, I've never been on a Sky Island or seen one before, but once you've spent your share of years living in the Grand Line you learn that _everything_ is possible. Even the craziest things happen here."

"Like falling ships from the skies?" Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at him.

" _That_ is actually explained. Nami's Log Pose is not broken, it's simply locked to a Sky Island, we're telling you."

"But how can an island float up there?" Nami pointed up, still not getting it.

"See all of this?" He waved a hand at the sea around them. "Imagine a sea like this, only in the sky, high over our heads."

"Is there really an island floating on top of a floating sea?" Luffy asked at the older man with stars in his eyes, and at the affirmative nod, he grew even more excited. "Alright, let's go!"

"Everyone, upwards we go! Full speed ahead!" Usopp joined in, for once not feeling fearful.

 **Bonk smack!**

However, both Robin and Koga calmed them down... rather forcefully. The chronicler's knuckles smacked Usopp's skull while the woman grew arms out of Luffy's chest to slap his mouth and silence him.

"Calm your horses guys. It's not that easy." The blond scarf-wearing writer said.

"It's impossible for a ship to go up." Sanji quickly caught on what he meant.

"To tell you the truth, I've never seen a Sky Island either. I don't know much about them." Robin pointed out, freeing the overexcited captain.

"All the information that had been recorded of Sky Islands were either lost or transformed into legends because of how hard it is to actually go up there. Nothing has been confirmed unfortunately." Koga shrugged helplessly.

"That's right!" The redhead exclaimed as if having found the solution of her problems. "It's impossible for there to be floating islands and seas! The Log Pose is just broken, that's it!"

Koga let out a sigh.

"No, Navigator-san. What you should worry about right now is not the Log Pose, but how to get up there."

Taken aback, the navigator closed her mouth, but still looked unconvinced about it all.

As the others went to see what they could salvage from the slowly sinking vessel, Koga went to the men's quarters and left the logbook safely on his chest, sparing a glance at _Sankaoken_ after he had done so. Uneasiness and a sick feeling he couldn't identify settled in his stomach as he warily eyed the weapon before shaking his blond head and taking the katana, strapping it to his waist. He then got out, just in time to see the crew (except Luffy and Usopp) gathered around Robin who was examining the broken skull of the skeleton that scared Usopp half to death.

From the small holes on the skull, Robin deducted that its owner suffered some kind of tumor before it was removed shortly before he died. She then noticed his teeth were healthy using methods from the South Blue. Finally, from a book she gathered, the raven-haired archaeologist found out that the ship that almost squashed them was in reality an exploratory vessel that departed from the South Blue over 200 years ago.

Koga let out a low whistle at how knowledgeable she was. Sure, she _was_ supposed to have this knowledge with her career as archaeologist, but he had underestimated how much she really knew.

Just then, the vessel Luffy and Usopp finally sunk underwater, and the rest of the crew had to fish out the two reckless boys before they drowned along with the ship. Only, when they set afoot on the vessel, Luffy's grin reminded Koga of that of a child's when he gets a present or a sweet.

"I found the best thing ever!" He exclaimed, lifting a roll of paper and unfolding it, revealing an old-looking map.

"A MAP OF THE SKY ISLAND?!" Everyone exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Nami quickly snatched the map out of the raven-haired teen and examined it with eagerness and a familiar excitement.

"It's called... Skypiea?"

"If there's a map, there's an island." Koga smirked, looking over her shoulder. "The problem is, first we have to find out how to get up there."

"Koga's right." Nami agreed just as Luffy, Usopp and Chopper began dancing and cheering about the mythic Sky Island. "I think we can salvage something from the sunken ship."

* * *

And said and done. A while later, their sniper that also worked as inventor created three underwater suits out of barrels connected to air hoses on the ship. Though Nami had asked Koga to go with them, he had refused to do so, putting as excuse that he would defend them in case something happened. And so, dressed with the weird underwater suits, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were lowered into the ocean by Chopper and Koga.

Soon however, the crew that remained in the Merry began hearing something... weird, approaching them. It sounded like some sort of... chanting? Accompanied by cymbals and whistles. Then they finally noticed the origin of all that noise; a giant ship that had a strange shape -a mixture between a monkey and a banana, sort of- that stopped right beside them.

"Prepare to raise the ship!" A giant monkey that looked like the captain bellowed from the ship. "What lies on the bottom now belongs to the King of Salvagers, Masira of the Masira pirates!"

A roar of agreement rose.

"Great, a boat of unstable men led by an unstable monkey..." Nami muttered under her breath.

"Hmm?" Finally, the monkey noticed them. "Hey, what are you guys doing there? This is my territory!"

"Territory?" The navigator repeated with an arched eyebrow.

"That's right! Every sunken ship around here is mine!" The monkey then put on an extremely serious expression. "You didn't mess with my stuff, right? So...?"

Koga frowned, silently handing his rope to Chopper and casually strolling in front of the two women, his hand close to his weapon but not drawing it yet. He didn't know why, but the Masira guy didn't seem bad; he didn't want to risk it however.

"Looks like he wants to salvage it too." Robin pointed out from behind him.

"Hm, that's what he said." Usopp agreed, slowly ducking behind the railing to hide.

"So what? This is our chance."Nami stated, seemingly unfazed.

"Stop blabbering! Answer my question now! Oke-oook-okeee!"

"Can I ask you a question?" The redhead suddenly inquired, stepping from behind Koga and standing at his side.

"Huh? Alright, go ahead."

"Where did you come from? Are you going scrape a ship up here?"

" _Scrape_! Hey, so I look like a complete monkey?"

"Like a monkey?"

"Like a real man? Do you really think so?" Masira drew a smile on his monkey-like face, seemingly appraised.

"Huh? But I didn't-"

"Hahaha! Thanks for noticing!"

Koga sighed, ruffling his blond head. 'This guy has even less neurons than Luffy himself.'

"So?" Usopp interrupted, impatient. "Are you guys here to salvage?"

"Of course I'm here to salvage it! I'm a man who will salvage every single ship that sinks! I don't care how wide or long the ship is, there isn't a single ship we can't salvage!"

"So, can we watch you do it?" Nami asked trying to appear as innocent as possible.

"Huh? Ah, I see!" Masira exclaimed in realization. "You guys have never seen it done before, have you? Alright, just watch how we do it!"

The chronicler put a hand over Nami's shoulder and murmured in her ear, trying to be subtle: "Are you sure of this?"

"Be quiet. Follow my lead for now." She hissed in response, and she saw his dubious nod before his hand was at his side once more.

Just then, one of Masira's crew appeared and called out to his captain in panic. He reported that the team they sent underwater with the hook seemed to have been attacked, but not by a Sea King, but they were punched by someone, a human person.

Masira, face contorted in rage, muttered something under his breath before abruptly turning to the Straw Hat pirates.

"HEY YOU!"

Although not sensing any danger, Koga closed a hand around the hilt of his katana, ready to battle.

"ACK!" Usopp, of course, yelped as he hid behind the taller older man.

"Er, this is-!" Nami attempted to explain with her hands raised.

"It looks like someone's down there! Be careful!"

...

 _Sweet Dark Lord he's stupid._

"SECURE THE HOOK! BEGIN SALVAGING!" Masira ordered his crew, no longer paying attention to the gaping pirates.

"Aye-aye Sir!"

While they watched, Masira barked orders here and there, sending more people in suits underwater. Although Usopp and Nami mostly managed to keep suspicion off them, Luffy almost blew up their cover when he started to speak about the intruders he and the other two were beating. Koga blanched as he ran to say the others to leave them alone, but wasn't sure if his captain listened at all.

With the help of the rest of the crew, the monkey held up a giant air hose, and the figurehead of the ship lifted out and lowered underwater, just where the ship laid. Taking in a huge intake of air, Masira then blew into the hose, a giant bubble of air travelling down the hose into the ocean. The rest of the salvagers collaborate in adding their own hoses and breathing in, and Masira ran to the communicators when the salvagers underwater began to scream.

"Talk to me!" He demanded. "What's going on down there?! Is it the intruders?!"

"Yes sir, they're in the ship!" They all faintly heard the weak and panicked response, before the yells quietened abruptly.

Koga picked up again the transceiver, hissing angrily. "Guys, stop it! You're getting us into problems up here!"

"And you think we're not having problems here?" Sanji snorted.

"You're fighting against guys that don't even have _air hoses_ , and you're practically monsters! I'd say _they're_ the ones in danger!"

Masira roared, making Koga flinch and turn towards the monkey captain.

"How dare you intruders lay a hand on my hard-working men!"

He then jumped into the ocean!

In tense silence, everyone waited for anything to happen, when suddenly Koga's intuition began to tingle. Softly at first, but increasingly raising its volume. Frowning and taking out his rusty katana -thus alerting the other Straw Hat crewmembers- the writer stepped towards the railing when suddenly the area started to rumble and a giant shadow loomed under both boats. Waves started to raise, and with it came out the head of the biggest sea turtle _ever seen_ , soon followed by the rest of its gigantic body.

As Nami, Chopper, Usopp and the ape's salvagers began to scream and shriek at that creature's enormous form, Koga suddenly noticed a ship on its jaws; the same ship Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, along with Masira and his men, were salvaging!

Robin commented something about the guys being eaten, and Usopp snapped at her with tears running down his face not to say those ominous things.

Clicking his tongue with annoyance, Koga called out to _Sankaoken_ 's power and transformed the rusty katana into the giant scythe. Darkness flickered up his arms to his shoulders before setting on his forearms.

"What are you going to do, Koga?!" Chopper screamed, seeing his furious expression and the darkness covering him.

"Getting those guys out there. Wait here!"

"Wait, Koga-!"

Nami's scream went unregistered in his ears as he gave a mighty jump -enforced by his Devil Fruit powers- and swung the scythe behind him, ready to behead the turtle if necessary if it didn't spit out his friends. The giant turtle lazily saw his attempt to attack it, and didn't make a move.

The chronicler gritted his teeth, and darkness covered the edge of the dangerous weapon.

"Dark...!"

And then, day turned to night in the blink of an eye.

Caught off-guard, the blond blinked repeatedly, still floating mid-air and his scythe posed to attack. The sudden darkness didn't let him see a figure jumping in front of him, but his intuition detected him, and he acted on instinct; he swirled around adding impulse to the swing of the scythe, but found a katana in the way and a kick to the stomach that sent him back to the Merry... and on top of a collapsed Luffy, who was drenched.

"Ow... Dammit, what was that?" He groaned as he stood, noticing just then Zoro and Sanji standing there, raising confused eyebrows at him. "Oh, you were okay. I attacked for nothing."

"Wahhh!" Luffy then yawned, waking up after being squashed by Koga. "Huh? Is it nighttime already?"

"Luffy, Koga, help us move the ship!" Usopp ordered from the rudder, the others also moving to help.

Intuition warning! The writer clicked his tongue again as he scrambled back to his feet and brandished his menacing black scythe as the monkey burst out of the water.

"YOU CANNOT LEAVE!" He landed on the side of the Merry near Koga and threw his hands out to the air as he yelled again. "You think you can just come into my territory, steal my treasure and just run away from me?!"

"Okay, bud, this is _not_ your territory! The sea doesn't belong to anybody!" The blond growled, scowling and gripping the scythe's handle tighter. But then his eyes raised up to the sky behind Masira... and remained there, big as plates, not hearing the others.

In the mist, three huge shadows of bodies, many times bigger than the giant turtle -that also looked shocked, were floating in the mist, brandishing what looked spears. They looked human, but they seemed to have wings on their backs, and their pose seemed unfriendly. The middle one lifted his weapon, soon imitated by the others.

" _MONSTERS_!"

In less than a few seconds, the crew had taken out the oars and were powering the boat away from the shapes at an insane speed. The salvagers' boat followed after them, also panicked by the figures, and the turtle submerged underwater swiftly, creating huge waves that helped them get away even faster.

Once the day came back and the shapes were off into the distance, the Straw Hat crew slumped to the floor of their respective decks, trying to catch their breaths. Masira's boat had already disappeared into the distance.

"Today has been really weird." Sanji pointed out once they got their breaths back and reunited in a circle.

"A galleon fell from the sky." Zoro looked up.

"The Log Pose keeps pointing up." Nami raised her Log Pose.

"A strange monkey appeared to recover the sunken ship." Usopp said.

"A giant sea turtle ate the ship." Chopper sighed.

"Someone protected the turtle when I went to attack." Koga murmured almost to himself.

"The sky turned black." Robin pointed out.

"And giant monsters a hundred times bigger than the regular giants showed up!" Luffy finished, seemingly excited.

"Yeah, that really scared me!"

'Huh? That voice...'

Startled, everyone turned to see Masira still with them. With the scare of the giant shapes, everyone had forgotten that the ape-man was still there.

Well, not anymore, because Luffy, Koga, Zoro and Sanji kicked him out of their ship and he disappeared into the distance with a yell.

"What the hell?" The blond shook his head as he stared in the distance, still thinking of the giant shadows. That was... dangerous.

'And felt dangerous too.'

"Didn't notice the monkey was still here." Zoro groaned.

"Interesting display of power you have there."

That unknown voice set everyone on edge, again. The entire crew looked for the source in a panic, and finally Usopp pointed out at someone sitting on top of the railing.

It was a young man, probably on his late-twenties, with long, straight, light brown hair, brown narrowed eyes and a rather muscular build. He wore an overcoat draped over his shoulders as if it were a cape, fluttering behind him with the wind, that had visible cuts on its end. He also wore white shirt and olive green dress pants; these pairs of pants contained cuts in their fabric at their hems, like the overcoat. Finally, he wore a pair of twine sandals. He had a straw in his tight-lipped mouth and his eyes were calmly assessing the group. Behind him, the pirate crew could see a large box with yellow stripes that seemed to contain... katanas?

"Before you kick me out of the ship like you did with Masira, could you please hear me out?" The guy called out with his hands slightly raised before Luffy or the rest could say anything.

"Who are you? And how did you get in our ship?" Sanji drawled, teeth gnashing on his cigarette and readying himself to fight.

Koga blinked, assessing the man. That aura he exuded...

'I know him.' But that couldn't be. He hadn't seen that man in his life.

"I'm just a mercenary trying to make a living. I was hired by Masira -whom you just kicked out- to help scavenging the ship. And as to how I got into your ship... Well, it was more an accident than anything else." He nonchalantly pointed at Koga, who unconsciously tensed. "I protected the turtle from this guy, and when I landed I was on your ship."

"Why did you protect the turtle?" Nami asked, though warily, still hovering her hand over her weapon.

He shrugged. "I'm an animal lover."

"IS THAT ALL?!"

"But that's besides the point." The mercenary assessed Luffy, who blinked at his scrutiny. "I know you're pirates, Straw Hat Luffy, but I'm not worried about that. Could you pick me up and get me to Jaya, the next island? It's the island where Masira resides, and I have... issues to attend to there."

"Luffy, you can't accept." Usopp muttered, his legs shaking at the sheer power the mercenary exuded. "What if he's a bad guy?"

Koga narrowed his bicolored eyes. His intuition was now silent, meaning the mercenary didn't have any intention of becoming their enemy; plus, if he was telling the truth, then he could've killed the chronicler when he defended the turtle, but he didn't. Instead, he simply blocked the attack and let him land back on the Merry. As much as he irked him how familiar his aura felt, the writer just knew they could trust him.

For now.

And that was what he told Luffy silently, with his eyes, when they interlocked gazes.

"... Okay, you can come along!" The raven-haired nodded.

"LUFFY!" Chopper, Nami and Usopp seethed at him.

"It's okay! Koga doesn't feel anything weird! Right, Koga?"

Feeling the mercenary's scrutinizing gaze on him, the blond writer nodded stiffly; he had preferred to maintain his intuition a secret, but that wasn't possible any longer.

"Alright then." The mercenary then showed an Eternal Pose and threw it at Luffy, who caught it with one hand. "That's an Eternal Pose to Jaya. Thanks for taking me."

"Wait a moment!" Nami exclaimed when he was going to jump from the railing to the deck. "If you're going to accompany us, then we have to address you in some way. What's your name?"

"For what purpose?" The man replied, rolling his straw to the other side of his mouth. "You're not going to see me again most likely."

"So we have to call you 'mercenary' every time we talk to you?" Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze flickered to the box of katanas, curiosity evident in his dark orbs before coming back to the long-haired man.

He seemed to mull over it with an inexpressive face. He looked at each one of the pirates, who returned his gaze steadily -well, most of them anyway. He seemed to like what he saw, because his stance suddenly became lighter, not as tense as before, and then sighed.

"... Mifune."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Dun dun DUUUN! Did someone expect Mifune from Soul Eater appearing here? He's most likely being OOC here (sorry about that), but he's really, really important for my plot.**

 **K: Is he gonna be an enemy?**

 **L: Sorry, I can't tell yet~!**

 **K: ... Dammit. Thought it would work.**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	52. Town of Mockery

**52\. Island of Mockery**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hello~! I'm finally back from Ireland bitches! Man how I hate planes!**

 **K: Well you got to see some pretty nice scenery and practice your English, no?**

 **L: Yeah! But next time I'll be travelling on boat...**

 **K: *sweatdrops* If you want to spend several days travelling before reaching your actual destination, be my guest...**

 **L: Anyways! As per RougeSpirit's request, from now on I'll be posting the review answers AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER! They're right in the sense that my answers are becoming kilo-metric (that word actually exists in Spanish, I don't get why it doesn't work in English... Meh), and I don't want to bore you before the actual chapter. So, here it is.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

When they finally arrived to Mock Town, thanks to Mifune's Eternal Pose, most of the crew didn't expect to see what looked like a rather touristic place with several pirate ships docked in port.

Well, not much the first fact but the second, which worried Koga. After all, what kind of place lets pirates roam freely through their towns?

That question got its answer when they heard an anguished scream coming from the seemingly peaceful town begging for help. That same yell sent shivers through each of their spines, though the majority knew how to hide it pretty well.

When the chronicler looked at their guest, he saw a pretty impassive face nonchalantly picking up his weapons, as if he had already heard that same despair many times before.

That thought unnerved him even more.

"What the heck is going on with this crazy town?!" Nami shrieked furiously, turning around to the mercenary, who merely regarded her with an unimpressed gaze.

"It's just what it looks like, Redhead." He answered with all the calmness in the world, glancing at Mock Town. "A place where 'law', 'order' and 'peace' are just pretty words. From what I've heard, the Marines don't bother coming up to this place."

"And why did we have to bring you here?" Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes at him.

"I have an appointment here, and my bosses live here."

"You have to protect your bosses from the people of this town?" Sanji raised his swirly eyebrow.

At this, his expression grew even harder, and Koga noticed his grip tighten around the handle of the box containing the katanas.

"... I'm protecting them from themselves."

That barely-heard whisper got them all confused, but the long-haired merc didn't bother to elaborate further.

Finally the Straw Hat crew plus one finally reached the docks. Up close, the citizens seemed even wilder, with people throwing insults at each other, punching and fighting, or even merely dozing off in the streets surrounded by several bottles of sake.

'Not a place I'd pick up to rest on vacation for sure.' The writer thought. 'Though I can't deny it's the typical pirate town I'd expect to find.'

Two loud thuds alerted Koga just as Luffy and Zoro got off the ship with familiar grins on their faces.

"Now _this_ is my kind of town!" The rubberman grinned excitedly as he glanced around.

"We'll have no problem fitting in here." Zoro agreed with a nod.

As Usopp and Nami bet on how much time it would pass before those two got into trouble, Koga noticed from the corner of his eye Robin silently slipping out of the Merry without being noticed.

His eyes narrowed. Past experiences with her told him she was a good person and could trust her, but... Could he really let her wander on her own...?

"Hey, Blondie."

That earned an angered tick, but he quickly swallowed his fury and turned to an unimpressed Mifune.

"What?" He grunted out.

The mercenary thumbed at Mock Town. "Follow me. I have to show you something."

"Only Koga?" Nami raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

"... It's a business that affects him directly. None of you would understand."

And with that, he jumped off the ship too.

For a moment, the navigator only blinked, but then she went on an outrage, having to be restrained by Usopp to avoid her from destroying the blatant mercenary.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Mifune called out from over his shoulder.

Unsure of what to do, the blond looked at Sanji, Nami and Usopp, who looked back in silence. In that glance, he then knew they trusted him to make the right choice.

Grasping _Sankaoken_ tightly in his hand, he jumped over the railing and landed beside Mifune. The mercenary simply nodded and began walking into Mock Town, leaving Zoro and Luffy behind -who were still standing beside the Merry to listen for their conversation. At the swordsman's intensive glare, the chronicler merely raised his sword, receiving a nod in response before following after the long-haired man.

As they waved their way through the drunken poor bastards that tattered the ground, Koga examined Mifune's stance as he walked ahead, guiding him somewhere. His stance was completely guarded though his grip on his katana box was so lax it looked he was about to drag it behind him. His steps were lazy and slow, as if he had all the time in the world, but Koga knew he was able to move faster. _Much_ faster.

Mifune looked up at a rather poor-looking pub.

"This should do." He said, almost to himself; then he looked over his shoulder at the silent chronicler and nodded to the door. "We're going inside."

'Just what is this guy up to?' Koga thought, narrowing his bicolored eyes as Mifune entered the pub, not looking for an answer.

The chronicler glanced around and shortly followed after.

The place was practically empty, except for the old barman lazily wiping a glass and a scrubby-looking guy playing some kind of tune in an old acoustic guitar. Neither of them raised their heads at the newcomers, as if they hadn't heard them enter.

Mifune stopped in the middle of the pub, resting the box of katanas at his side, and turned around to face Koga.

"Why am I here with you?" The writer narrowed his eyes at the mercenary.

The sandy-haired man returned the gesture as his senbon (the straw in his mouth) changed to the other side.

"Let me be blunt." He tilted his torso forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and glaring at the younger man. "I know you're a Cursed."

The chronicler's body tensed, but immediately relaxed; he hadn't detected any murderous attempt coming from him, meaning he wasn't a member of The Chapel.

"... My Wanted poster kinda lets that out, yeah. What of it?"

"You know why your demon manipulates darkness?"

"What?"

"As you probably know, your demon is not a Demon Prince, or at least is not considered one according to The Chapel's standards. The truth is..." He doubted, looking at the barman and the guitarist before beckoning the chronicler to come closer, murmuring in his ear. "There aren't _seven_ Demon Princes."

 _!_

Time seemed to freeze.

"Wh- what do you mean?"

"Lust, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Envy. Those are the Seven _known_ Demon Princes. But..." He breathed heavily. "But there's another one, the Eighth Demon Prince, one that only appears once every few centuries. And it controls darkness. The same power you have now."

Koga's throat closed, panic beginning to raise as he looked wide eyes with Mifune's serious ones. The chronicler tried to lower the lump on his throat by swallowing thickly.

"And... What does it represent?"

Just then, he knew that he wouldn't like the answer in the slightest. Still, he _had_ to know.

" _Death._ "

 ** _!_**

Even having somehow expected it, the revelation still felt like a blow. His knees trembled, forcing him to sit down on a chair to avoid crumpling pathetically to the ground. Above him, Mifune watched him with an inexpressive face but with conflicted eyes, as if he knew what the younger man was going through.

"The Eighth Prince Demon had the ability to rob lives." He continued in a low voice. "It is its lifeline. It _needs_ to kill. Animals, people, other demons... The more it kills, the more powerful it becomes." He grimaced, noticing what he was so blatantly saying. "I know it's not pretty, but... It's just what it is."

"How-?" Koga's incredibly low voice came out almost like a choke, and had to clear his throat before continuing. "How... do you know about this? Not even The Chapel could give me answers about what my demon is..." He raised his surprisingly clear eyes to lock with Mifune's. "How is it that you know?"

But Mifune only tightened his lips around his senbon and refused to answer.

Just then, Koga's intuition began to tingle. Softly, but still raised his attention. He closed his eyes for a moment to pinpoint the location, and then snapped them open when Luffy and Zoro's faces popped in his mind.

The chronicler jumped to his feet and rushed to the door, while the mercenary simply stood there. Before the blond got out though, he stopped at the door and looked back.

"You're not going to ask me why I'm suddenly leaving like this?"

But the sandy-haired man only shrugged uninterested. "I already told you what I wanted you to know. Plus, it's possible we'll meet again."

Koga furrowed his brow, but worry overcame his curiosity and he merely nodded, getting out of the almost desert pub without taking another glance back. Mifune sighed once he left and scratched his hair, sitting in one of the chairs. His head tilted back until he saw the wooden ceiling, and then glanced at the barman still cleaning the same vase.

"You're lucky you damn sprites. You don't have a worry in the world..." He murmured.

And the barman didn't raise his head.

Back with Koga, he hurried down the street, jumping over dozing off bodies and finally stopping in front of a rather crowded bar. He heard someone exclaiming something inside, and the closer he got, the clearer the message became:

"... always have an explanation!" A male voice was saying in an annoyingly loud tone. "I was going to let you join my crew if you passed the test of the New Era, but it seems that you're a lost cause!"

'New Era?' Koga frowned, trying to get closer to a window to peep inside.

"The time of pirates' dreams are over! The City of Gold, the Sky Island, even the great _One Piece_! Pirates chase these fictional treasures and fail to notice the real treasures around them!"

Finally Koga could reach the window, and saw inside a crowd surrounding three familiar figures. Luffy looked a little battered but otherwise seemed okay, although that last sentence discrediting One Piece's existence would surely have touched a rather sensitive nerve; Zoro had one of his katana in his hand, but was already returning it to its sheath; Nami's whole body was trembling, but somehow the writer could tell that it was from outrage and not from fear.

The loudmouth that had been yelling all that bullshit was comfortably seating on a stool, was a tall man with tan skin and short, unkempt blond hair; he wore white pants, a green sash with markings, and a pink sleeveless shirt with a navy blue pirate captain's coat over it. He had a scar above his right eye similar to Luffy's and tattoos of eye-like designs on his arms. He had a grin on his face and was sticking out his tongue in a taunting manner.

"In this era of the sea, the ones who lack real strength... are the ones who are killed by their own imaginations!"

The guy then jumped to his feet and punched Luffy's face, sending him to the ground. At that, Koga's face flashed in anger as his katana let out a small tendril of darkness.

The whole bar then began laughing at the three friends, throwing their glasses and drinks at them. However, that didn't serve to deter Luffy, who stood up with his eyes shadowed by the brim of his trademark strawhat.

"Zoro..." He said softly amidst the chaos around them. "Whatever happens... Don't fight back."

Koga blinked.

As Zoro and Luffy got beaten -luckily they left Nami aside- the writer narrowed his mismatched eyes. He knew Luffy; violence was often used to solve things, but his captain didn't believe empty words could be fought like this. Still, the knowledge that Luffy and Zoro's wills were far stronger than some loudmouth's bullshit didn't placate his growing outrage as his friends got barraged by everything in hand, be it bottles, chairs and even tables. The darkness surrounding his katana became even more visible as _Sankaoken_ began murmuring dark thoughts in his ear, beckoning him to kill each and every soul inside the bar.

It felt like forever, but finally the two fell to the ground completely beaten, the beating over at last. Unable to keep himself from doing anything as the guy who began everything in the first place approached Nami and said something about him buying her _like a mere object_ , the writer put his hands on his pockets and raised a foot in front of the doors of the bar.

 _ **BAM!**_

The sudden entrance got everyone on edge as they swirled towards the newcomer, the doors banging against the walls with a thundering noise. Eyes hidden beneath the blond strands of hair, Koga walked slowly inside, his combat boots booming at every step. He heard the crowd whisper his own nickname, Cursed Reaper, and how they compared his own bounty with one of a guy named Bellamy; he supposed it was the idiot blabbering guy that initiated all of this.

When he got near Nami, Luffy and Zoro, he stopped and glanced down at her.

"You okay?" He said.

She blinked. The question brought a sense of deja-vu, like she had heard those words before.

"Y-yeah."

"Alright." The blond then knelt down in the middle of his friends' bodies and passed each of their arms around his own shoulders. "Let's get out of here and have Chopper take a look at them."

Though the redhead's expression darkened, she didn't discuss and tried to help him raise them. In the end, Koga carried Zoro while Nami carried Luffy, who was lighter than the swordsman.

"Wait a second!" Bellamy exclaimed just as the quartet began making their way towards the door. Koga stopped, and Nami had no choice but to imitate him. "You're Cursed Reaper Koga, right? I heard you're a pretty powerful guy. Why are you with those losers? Heck, your bounty is even higher than that Straw Hat dreamer!"

At first he didn't react, but then he turned his head slightly so that his silver right eye glared at the guy.

"I propose you something: I could use someone like you in my crew. Why don't you join me? I promise, everything you wish for, I can grant it to you. Power, money, women..." He snickered sickly. Only Nami noticed the growing darkness in his katana, and she sent a worried glance at her taller companion. "Come on, what say you? It's a pretty nice deal."

A guy standing at his side wearing a fur coat snickered too.

"Bellamy is right. Your talent is wasted with delusional dreamers like them." He pointed at Luffy and Zoro with a dismissive wave. "It'd be a shame if you become infected with their idiotic 'dreams'."

"Dreamers have no place in this era! The strong are the ones in control!"

The Straw Hats' navigator watched dumbfounded as Koga turned almost completely, dragging behind a weakened, but very much awake, Zoro. Was he really going to accept thei offer by any chance? Was that easy to sway his loyalty to their crew and nakama?

But then she saw his face.

"... You know, now I get why Luffy asked Zoro not to fight back against you." His hoarse voice held an utterly uninterested tone. "Bellamy, wasn't it?"

"That's right! Bellamy the Hyena, that's me! Remember well my name rookie!" Bellamy then laughed like a hyena.

It didn't take a genius to guess how he got his nickname.

"Sarquiss! Get the new blood a contract!" He ordered the fur-coat guy. However, before he got inside to fetch it, Koga's cold voice stopped him.

"Who said I was going to join you?"

"... What?" Bellamy lost his wide grin, replacing it with confusion quickly mixing with anger.

"I'd say you're the ones delusional. Monkey D Luffy was, is, and will be the only captain I'll willingly follow. If that makes me a delusional dreamer, then that I'll become."

The crowd around them was quickly getting angrier and angrier at each word.

"And despite you're strong, _we_ are even stronger than you. Know why? Because, along with our own strength, we have our dreams to achieve. And about One Piece not existing, so what? Just the dream is attractive enough that sent a huge wave of pirates off to the seas to find it and become the Pirate King." A predator-like grin then crossed Koga's face, making most of the ones who saw it retaliate. "You said the Age of the Dreamers had ended? Well I say, as long as the words 'One Piece' and 'Gol D Roger's Legacy' continue spreading worldwide, _the Era of Dreamers will never end._ "

And with that, among the stunned silence and petrified witnesses, Koga turned again towards the door and got out of the bar, gently nudging Nami as he passed her.

Once they got well away from the pub, a thunderous laugh made them pause and look up at a huge man eating pie.

"Sky Island _does_ exist! Zehahahahahahaha!"

As Koga looked up after depositing Zoro on the ground to let him rest, he watched at a middle-aged looking man with a massive build (his body was round with relatively thin limbs), a big mouth with several broken or missing teeth, a pronounced crooked nose and a very large and hairy chest and torso. Long, thick, woolly black hair fell down the back of his neck, underneath a black bandana, and a small scruffy black beard grew around his jawline. He wore an open buttoned white shirt with rolled up sleeves, green trousers with black line patterns, a yellow sash around his waist and classic black swashbuckler boots complete with large bronze buckles. Although he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, Koga had the impression he was incredibly tall.

But, as he watched that man, something tingled at the back of his head. An inner alarm that made him narrow his bicolored eyes in suspicion.

Just a few words, and his intuition warned him that _that guy was incredibly dangerous for them_.

"You're the man from before." Nami said from behind him, after dropping Luffy much more unceremoniously than he had done with Zoro.

"You know him?" Koga turned his head towards her but still keeping his eyes on the large man. Just in case.

"Someone Luffy was about to brawl with back at the hellhole."

Her tone held helplessness, guiltiness and humiliation. He risked a glance at her and watched sadness and anger in her face, her teeth punishing her lower lip.

"Why the long face, Nee-chan? Those three won that fight!" The large man laughed before throwing an appreciative look at the chronicler, maybe not noticing his tense stance at his scrutiny. "Big words you gave back there, kid. I have to say, I'm impressed."

Something told Koga that he absolutely _didn't_ want to impress that man. Not now, not ever.

"Zoro! Luffy!" Nami exclaimed just then, and the writer turned his head again to see a slowly rising captain and first mate.

They were shaken and covered in blood, grime and small injuries, but the fire inside their gazes still shone brilliantly, making Koga grin.

"This 'New Era' they talk about is _shit_!" The large black-haired man exclaimed, dramatically raising his hands in the air with one holding a bottle of sake. "The Age where pirates' dreams is over?"

 _ **THUD!**_

The Pie-Man slammed the bottle on the wooden pathway they all stood on, attracting bypassing people.

"PEOPLE'S DREAMS NEVER END! AM I RIGHT?!"

If his intuition hadn't been blaring around in his mind, Koga would've said a word of agreement to that statement.

"It ain't easy to surpass a person!" He continued, ignoring the shower of insults the people threw at him. "Let them laugh. If you seek the Summit, you'll find fights your fists alone could never take you to! Follow it! Zehahahahahahaha!"

Finally, Koga got enough. "Let's go."

"Okay..." Nami sighed in relief. "Luffy, Zoro."

The navigator, the swordsman and the chronicler turned around, but Luffy still stood there, listening to the man with an unreadable look on his face.

"Oh, looks like I've hold you up." The man stood up and gathered his belongings with sloppy movements. "I see you're in a hurry. I hope you make it up there. To Sky Island! Zehahahahahahaha!"

And with that, he turned and staggered into town, in the opposite direction they were going to take.

Nami suddenly blinked and walked towards Luffy, who still watched the enormous figure losing himself among the multitude.

"Hey, we might have known something about Sky Island. Who was that guy?"

Their captain shrugged.

"Dunno. And it wasn't 'that guy'."

"Huh?" She blinked. "Wasn't 'that guy'? Then... what?"

"It was 'those guys'." Zoro explained to their confused navigator.

Koga sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's just get going. Chopper might want to check on those wounds of yours."

As the three male members began making their way back to the Merry, Nami followed in a hurry, trying to find out what they meant by 'those guys'... without much success.

* * *

Our treck back towards the Merry was uneventful and mostly silent. The guys that had been staying guarding the ship were surprised to see how battered Luffy and Zoro looked, like they had faced a horde of monsters all on their own.

"So?" Usopp inquired while they got their injuries attended by Chopper in the main deck. "How many monsters did you end up fighting?"

"None, just a pirate. Don't worry, it's all finished." Luffy laughed in his normal, cheerful voice.

"You guys may think it's finished, but I don't!" Nami was back on her furious stance. "What the hell! You men are supposed to take on whoever wants to fight you and beat 'em up!"

"Hold on, you said at the beginning that we couldn't fight!" Zoro protested.

"That's on the past now! Quit bringing up the crap I said before or else I'm gonna punch you!"

Koga sighed. "Nami, we don't care about what they said. If we were to get riled up with every single thing loudmouths like Bellamy shot out at us, then we wouldn't be here. People like him will always exist."

"Argh! Even so, they deserved a beating!"

"Did they? All I heard were empty words."Everyone looked at the chronicler in confusion. "Even when they talked about the end of the Era of Dreamers, I thought that it looked like a forced idea imposed by someone else, not their own words. They're only parrots repeating what they heard before. They're not worth our attention, or our efforts."

There was a small gap of silence before Chopper popped out with the cursed question:

"Oh yeah! Did you guys find anything about Sky Island?"

Nami's body froze, and then turned her head _agonizingly_ slowly to send a death glare at the poor reindeer.

"Sky Island?" Chopper let out a scared screech along with Usopp. "Who cares about that crap?! Just because I mentioned it the whole bar laughed at me! WAS IT THAT GODDAMN FUNNY?!"

That promptly enacted in Chopper transforming into his Guard Point and Usopp to play dead with his Ketchup Shots. It _would_ have been funny, weren't it for the fact that Nami actually looked quite scary, so their reactions were perfectly understandable.

"This got quite lively, isn't it?" Robin's relaxed voice attracted their attention as she got aboard carrying some bags and dressed in a cowgirl outfit all in purple.

At her apparition, though, the navigator's rage only fuelled and she began ranting her about being her fault of mentioning the whole thing about Skypiea and being the victim of mockery in the whole town. Intelligently enough, the older woman simply let her continue with her rant until she finished, moment the raven-haired woman used to give Luffy a map of Jaya.

"The city in the left is Mock Town, where we are." She explained as everyone gathered around the captain to catch a glimpse at the map. "In the right side you see an X, right? Looks like an outcast of Jaya lives there."

"An outcast?"

"Yes. His name is Montblanc Cricket, a man who got thrown out of the city for talking about dreams. Makes sense, don't you think?"

'Man, exiling someone just because he dreams? That's complete bullshit. But hey, Montblanc kinda rings a bell...'

It didn't take long before they raised the anchor and set their course towards the outcast's house. In the way, though, Usopp got tasked with patching up the ship a little, with a human-sized Chopper giving him the correspondent wooden planks. However, at the umpteenth time the poor sniper smashed his own fingers with the hammer, Koga closed his logbook with a deep sigh and went over to help them.

"Hey, don't you think it's time for us to get a new ship?" Sanji asked as he approached them and inspected Usopp's handiwork.

"WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" The long-nosed teen immediately jumped indignantly. "Don't you know the pain we had to go through to get-!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, a beautiful lady back at your hometown gave it to you, right? I lost track on how many times you told me that." The cook groaned. "That said, it still doesn't change the fact that, if we keep sailing with the ship like this, it'll be no surprise if we end up drowned."

"That's _exactly_ why I'm repairing it!"

"Repair? Looks more like patchwork..."

Koga silently agreed.

 _"_ Oh yeah, Koga, what did Mifune want?" Chopper asked as he passed another plank to the two of them.

The chronicler went deadly serious as Usopp and Sanji looked over, interested in the answer.

"Nothing. Just... give me some warnings." He grunted out as he hammered the plank.

"Warnings? About what?"

"... It's better if you don't know."

'Yes.' He thought, as his three nakama glanced at each other. 'It is better if they don't know. These are my problems to solve. No one else's.'

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Phew! Hope you liked it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-SHSL Student: Yeah, Mifune's been one of my favorite Soul Eater characters ever! Nope, sorry, he won't.**

 **K: Hm, shame.**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Hugs for you too Star ^^!**

 **K: *blushes again madly* Oh come on, why's everyone obsessed with giving me hugs and teddy bears?**

 **L: You look cute, Koga-kun.**

 **K: *his face becomes like a tomato* W-what the hell does that even mean?!**

 **-Boopadoop: Absolutely! At least pre-timeskip it is one of the best.**

 **K: *scratches his stubble in thought* Mifune... Yeah, sounds powerful.**

 **L: Oh, how I understand you. In home like in no other place, right? I loved Ireland, but planes... Man, I feel absolute hatred towards them. Yummy! I didn't get a chance to take one, more like beer and the like, but it still sounds rather good.**

 **K: *groans* I get that it's for my own good, but you can simply kick me out of the room if you don't want me to know something... But thanks anyway *accepts painkillers and the football helmet***

 **L: *returns highfive* See ya Boop! Peace!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King! Thanks, I enjoyed them very much ^^!**

 **K: That was absolutely not funny, let me assure you. At least from my side.**

 **L: Oh come on, Koga-kun, admit that the scene was funny. And I'm glad you like my introduction of Mifune ^^! I wanted to test out your proposal of getting more Soul Eater characters in my fic, though you'll notice that, apart from being a bit OOC, they'll be a little... different.**

 **K: An enemy? I really hope he's not.**

 **L: Oh, no, he won't, don't worry. Unless he's specifically hired to hunt down the Straw Hats, then he won't. Oh, Free! That sounds really good! I'll keep it in mind, thanks for the tip!**

 **-Guest-san: Hey Guest-san! Well The Chapel characters are already set out, sorry, but maybe Blair will come out in the future.**

 **K: Huh. So many people.**

 **L: Hey, the more the merrier.**

 **-WaterStar45: And more you'll find, with the mountain of ideas the other reviewers keep giving me! ;) Hope I can continue surprising you.**

 **-RougeSpirit: Glad you liked it, and sorry about that. Hope this is more of your liking! I'm glad you helped me out with this ^^!**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	53. The branded liar

**53\. The branded liar**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

It didn't take long for the Straw Hat pirates to find company before reaching the place Robin indicated them. Unfortunately, it came in the form of a strangely familiar-looking ship.

A giant galleon, with a monkey as a figurehead stopped right in front of the Merry. A fat man, with the face of a monkey -really- walked to the figurehead and stared down at Luffy.

"Hey, your face's funny!" The idiot laughed, pointing at his face. "What kind of animal are you?"

"I'M A HUMAN YOU DIMWIT!" The unknown captain roared with a tick mark on his forehead.

"Sho-sho, let me up, I wanna see!" A childish voice suddenly exclaimed.

"Stay down there, An-chan! AND DON'T CALL ME SHO-SHO, DAMMIT!"

Most of the Straw Hat crew snorted at the name, trying to stifle their laughter. Of course, the other crew heard them and began to curse them and demand respect for their captain Shojo, 'King of Underwater Exploration'. The child wailed, wanting to be hefted up and see, but someone of Shojo's crew managed to calm her down.

"Hey, you're pirates, aren't you? Did you know? One of the Shichibukai, Crocodile, has been defeated." Of course they knew, Luffy had been the one in defeating him after all. "Speaking in terms of merit, modesty aside, I guess I'm the next on his 'succession'. I'm all about waiting for my turn!"

'I highly doubt that.' Koga raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Eh? Really? You want to join the Shichibukai?" The straw-hat captain tilted his head to the side in askance.

"Do you want to know the most fantastic thing about me? Is it the fact I _never_ cut my hair even once in the twenty-five years of my life?"

"That's nonsense."

"Ah, what a surprise. I'm all about that comment of yours... I'll say this just once: if you cross the tunnel made up of my rage, a sea of blood awaits you."

"Sho-sho!" The child insisted once more. Shojo grew once more irritated, and merely ignored her.

"I don't really care about that. We have other places to go. Can you let us through please?" Luffy asked.

"IDIOT! THIS IS _MY_ TERRITORY! IF YOU WANNA GET IN, WHIP OUT THE MONEY!"

At that, Usopp's face lit up in recognition. "Hold on, Masira said almost the said thing about the territory thing."

Shojo piped up. "Masira? What do you have to do with him?"

"Ah, if it's about that guy, we had to kick his ass, but-"

It was almost hilarious, the way Shojo's face turned furious in a flash with that stupid ape-face he had. Nami and Usopp, of course, punched their oblivious captain because of the conflict he had managed to create once more out of thin air.

"I will take revenge for my brother!" Out of nowhere, the monkey man brought a microphone and raised it to his mouth. He then took a great breath in. "Sound wave..."

But before he could unleash his power to the defenseless Straw Hat pirates, who had poised into a defensive stance, a familiar voice cut out whatever the captain was going to do.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Ah! Mifu-chan!"

A familiar long-haired man then stood beside Shojo, yawning and scratching his sand-colored hair.

"Mifune!" Most of the Straw Hat crew exclaimed in surprise.

At the sound of his name, Mifune opened one eye and looked at them. "Oh. It's you guys."

"Mifune! What they said about Masira, is that true?" Shojo roared.

Mifune yawned once more, picking an ear in slight irritation. "It is, but what were you going to do? Don't you remember what that technique of yours is able to do? You'd destroy your own ship along with theirs."

"I DON'T CARE! Masira is dead because of them! I'm gonna blast them!"

"Idiot, he's okay. He's being rescued by his team not long ago." Ignoring the deflating orangutan at his side, Mifune then looked at the pirate crew, the danger passed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were looking for information about Sky Island at Mock Town."

"We did!" Luffy grinned widely. "Now we have to find a guy... Hm... What was his name again?"

"Montblanc Cricket." Robin provided. At that name Shojo and Mifune grew serious, something that the attentive members of the pirate crew noticed immediately. "We were told that we could find more information from him."

"You want to see Boss?" Shojo asked, as warily as he could with that orangutan face.

"Boss?"

"Old man Cricket is Shojo and Masira's Boss, and the three of them are my own bosses."

"A-HEM!"

Mifune rolled his eyes. "Okay, _our_ bosses."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Our? Who's with you?"

As answer, he merely disappeared from their sights for a moment before coming back with a new passenger on his shoulder, her tiny hand grasping the side of his head. It was a little girl, dressed in a black-and-white garb, a pointy black hat and a ribbon tied to one of her wrists. She had big violet eyes and her brown hair cut like a bowl. She was barefoot, and was dangling her legs on Mifune's chest, who didn't seem to mind.

"Her name's Angela. My... co-worker, so to speak." Mifune explained, ignoring the wide eyes of the pirates.

"Hi!" Angela exclaimed, waving her free hand merrily. The one that had the ribbon tied, actually.

"A girl?" Nami blinked in surprise, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"You'd better not underestimate Angela just because she's a girl." Mifune recommended as Angela giggled with a hand over her mouth. "Just the voice of experience."

"Angela's powerful!" The girl cheered, throwing her hands to the air. "Angela protected Sho-sho's ship from bad people!"

"Yeah, you were..." Mifune rolled his eyes once more in fond exasperation.

"Hey, wanna see Cricket-ossan?" Angela suddenly exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Angela..." The mercenary hissed as warning as the pirates looked at each other.

"What? It's okay!" She giggled once more. "C'mon, let's meet Cricket-ossan!"

Mifune looked at her skeptically, before shrugging and looking down at the pirate crew.

"Well, you coming?"

"You too?!" Shojo looked incredulous at the long-haired man, who waved a hand not holding Angela.

"They're good people, Shojo. They actually helped me get here without any problem."

Shojo pursed his lips and scratched his head, looking unsure. At that, Angela rolled her big brown eyes and reached forwards to pull on his enormous ear.

"Ow! An-chan, leave my ear alone!"

"I wanna go see Cricket-ossan! C'mon, Sho-sho!"

"OW!" He screamed louder as she tugged on his ear even more. "Alright, let's go!"

"Good!" The kid let go with a huge innocent smile on her face.

Shojo rubbed on his ear while giving her a stink eye. "But I have to go back to scavenging, so I'll leave you two here with them."

"Okay!"

Thus, Mifune got aboard again the Merry, with his little companion Angela on his shoulder and the box of katanas on his other hand. Shojo didn't lose any time and, as soon as the two left his boat, ordered his crew to depart, bidding farewell to the pirates and the mercenary pair.

Soon, as they reset their course to the direction Mifune was pointing at, Angela was running up and down the decks, following after Chopper, Luffy and Usopp in a 'Tag, you're it' game. The older members of the crew plus Mifune simply watched them, amazed at how quickly the four of them had become friends.

Koga had decided to take out his logbook while Sanji was, as always, fawning over Robin and Nami, Zoro was zoning off against the railing, and Mifune stood near the girls, his eyes never leaving Angela as she swept under Luffy's stretchy arm and laughed loudly.

"I've... never seen her this happy before." The mercenary suddenly confessed, making the women, Sanji and Koga look at him in surprise. "Because of my- _our_ job, we are always on the move, and she doesn't have time to make friends. Sometimes I wonder if I should let her stay with a family that would care for her instead of carrying her with me to constant danger."

Nami's brow furrowed. "Why leaving to a bunch of unknown people? Where's her family?"

But Koga already had a feeling before Mifune even opened his mouth to grimly answer.

"... She doesn't have anyone. They're all dead." Gasps from the red-haired navigator, a sympathetic hum from Robin and frowns from Koga and Sanji as they looked down at the giggling girl who had hidden behind a barrel with Chopper. "Demons outrunned her village, almost killing her in the process. I found her in the woods, covered in blood and almost dead. When she..." He grimaced and interrupted himself, and then he shook his head. "When she woke up, she was so scared she wouldn't leave my side. I didn't have a choice but to take her with me."

"You're cheating, Long-Nose!" Angela suddenly protested, before bursting into laughter when Luffy barreled the cheater.

Mifune's face turned somewhat softer at the scene.

"I'm not a father, or a brother. I only know the Way of the Sword, and my path and past are covered in blood." His face turned grim and his hand gripped the box of katanas tighter. "But I'll use that to protect her if necessary."

Koga stopped scribbling for a moment. Something about that phrase...

"Protect her from what?" Sanji asked, seemingly also catching that little detail.

Mifune cringed.

"More like _from whom_." He then glanced at the chronicler, who tensed. "From the same people going after you, Blondie."

For a moment, the words went unregistered in his mind, not comprehending.

Then, it clicked on him. His mismatched eyes went wide as he grew paler.

Apart from the Marines, there was only _one_ group after him; The Chapel. And it was because of a very specific reason, one deadly and dangerous for everyone.

"D- Don't tell me she's..." Koga stuttered, watching wide-eyed at the stern mercenary.

Not meeting his golden-and-silver eyes, the long-haired man only nodded. Misinterpreting his apparent carelessness, Koga sprung from his seated position against the wall and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, fuming in rage.

"She has a Goddamn _demon inside her_?!" He hissed, trying not to grab the four down there playing. He certainly surprised Sanji, Nami and Robin, but they didn't move a finger to stop him.

Mifune looked down at him, his brown eyes a turmoil of unknown feelings.

"Not any demon." He reluctantly admitted. "She has a Prince Demon."

The rage suddenly left him, leaving only emptiness and shock behind.

'A Prince Demon. Like Yuuto.'

The chronicler didn't even notice when his hands slipped from his tight grip on Mifune's shirt, too stupefied by the revelations. Giving them all his back, he ran shaky hands through his light blond hair and breathed deeply.

"... Who is it? What demon?"

A shuffle behind him.

"... Envy."

Koga cursed under his breath. From what he remembered of Seishiro's 'lessons', Envy was one of the Prince Demons already confirmed of having been confronted, so that meant that The Chapel already knew that Envy's vessel was a little girl. But... were they so heartless as to hunt down an innocent child like that?

"Uh, could _anyone_ explain what's going on?" Nami decided to pipe up, confused at the outcome of that strange conversation between them.

The blond chronicler turned his head sharply and _glared_ at Mifune, silently ordering him to keep his mouth shut. The mercenary saw and shrugged, once more looking at the girl playing downstairs with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper.

"In short, that girl is a Cursed like me, with a powerful demon." The writer said between gritted teeth, thumbing at Angela.

Cue slack jaws and horrified looks. Well, except Robin, but she had slightly wider eyes.

"Wh- that girl- but-?!" Sanji stuttered.

But before anyone could say anything else, Luffy's scream of awe made them jump and turn.

Apparently, they had reached Montblanc Cricket's house, or that was what they supposed the castle at the edge of the island was. It certainly looked majestic, and as the Merry approached the apparent mansion, Koga used the extra time to reorder his swirling thoughts and sentiments about Angela and her companion Mifune.

The girl seemed completely at ease with the tall mercenary, not at all minding his often brusque and cold demeanor as she tugged on his pants to carry her. She didn't behave like a Cursed; just like any hyperactive child demanding attention from her elders, something understandable judging her age.

And as he had said before, Mifune didn't act like family to the girl, rather like a stern bodyguard who consents his employer's selfish wishes from time to time.

But... Had she really had to go through the Ritual to...? Horrified by that thought, Koga shook his head.

"You have much to explain." Sanji's voice came from his side, the only one left beside him as the others had gone to see the palace.

The chronicler glanced at the black-clad cook. "... I know."

However, the things concerning himself would remain unbeknownst to everyone but himself, as he always did.

"Hey." Sanji's glare seemed even more serious than before. "No holding back information from us, okay?"

The older man pursed his lips, but nodded stiffly anyways.

"Fools. Look into it again." Zoro said loudly, calling both their attention away from the conversation at hand.

As they got nearer the majestic house, it revealed to be just a cardboard with the drawing of a palace hiding a much more normal and smaller house.

Which seemed... cut in two? For a moment, Koga wondered if Mihawk had passed through here and sliced the house just for fun.

"Great, looks like we're gonna talk with a cheapskate." Sanji grumbled, shaking his head in disappointment.

"But why's he here anyways? Robin, do you know?" Usopp turned to the raven-haired woman.

"I don't know the details, but he claimed there was a mountain of gold hidden somewhere on this island." She replied.

"Gold? Can it... could it be a pirate's hidden treasure?!" Nami quickly perked up.

Angela looked up at Mifune, who hoisted her up to his shoulder again. "Whatever those rumors were, some of them are true. We saw Cricket with some gold in his house anyway. He had to get them from somewhere."

"GOLD~!" G-O-L-D! Chopper, come on!"

Much to everyone's amusement, Nami was one of the first ones (apart from Luffy of course) in getting off the ship once it got near the coast, somehow dragging poor Chopper behind. She ordered him to dig non-stop until he found gold or something worth her attention from underground.

Once with his feet on the ground, Koga walked a bit away from the others and examined the place. It was a rather big house for a single person to live in. On the outside, a grass field, a forest standing somewhere around two-hundred steps from the house. Also, there was a small warehouse storing jars and wooden boxes. Near the entrance, there was a table and three seats made of tree stubs.

"Does he really live all by himself here?" Sanji said, calmly strolling through the green fields.

"Those are for Sho-sho, Masi-chan and Cricket-ossan!" Angela explained happily. "Cricket-ossan doesn't like living alone! Ah-!"

"Hello~? Is anybody home?" Luffy went right into the house, barging in unnanounced. Of course.

"Hey, Straw Hat!" Mifune piped in, following after him. "Cricket doesn't like people rummaging through his things."

"Nah, it's fine~! I'm not gonna touch anything-!"

 **CRASH!**

"... Oops."

Koga heard a sigh from Mifune as he got near the table. He then noticed a colorful book on a table and picked it up. It was one of those old illustrated books.

"What's that, Koga?" Nami got near him. "A fairytale book?"

"It's 'Norland the Liar'." Koga read the title.

"Huh, 'Norland the Liar' you said?" Sanji piped up.

"Wait, Sanji-kun, you know about it?" The navigator asked him. "It says it's been published in the North Blue."

"Yes, I know. That's because I'm from the North Blue." Sanji blinked at the oblivious looks from his companions. "Wait, did I tell you before?"

"No, you didn't." Usopp answered. "I could've sworn you were from the East Blue just like us, though."

"No, that's where I was raised and grew up. My birthplace's the North Blue."

... Was it Koga's imagination, or did the cook's voice show some kind of restrained pain? The chronicler's eyes narrowed a bit, but decided to let it slide.

Everyone had their secrets, after all.

"This is a really famous story around there. Now it might be just a fairytale, but I heard somewhere that the Norland guy _did_ exist."

"If my experiences had taught me anything, it's that every story had some slice of truth behind." Koga remarked, sitting on one of the tree stubs and opening the book to the first page. "Gather around kids, it's story time." He chuckled at that familiar phrase he used to say back home.

"K-kids?" Usopp stuttered, seemingly indignant for a moment.

But Luffy, Angela and Chopper were already sitting on the ground cross-legged in front of Koga, with the others standing around them. The long-nosed teen sighed before going to sit down beside his captain and best friend.

The blond chronicler smirked before cleaning his throat and glancing down at the first page of the story. " _This is a story from a long, long time ago. So long, it is believed to be from four centuries ago..._ "

With his rough but tender voice whenever he read a story to his friends, Koga's reading brought them to a certain country from the Northern Sea, where a man named Montblanc Norland lived. He proclaimed to be an explorer who told stories of adventures so grand and fantastic, they sounded like lies. But the people from his village could never tell if they were true or not.

One time, Norland came back from an expedition and reported to the King.

'I saw a mountain of gold on an island across the Great Sea!' He proclaimed.

The brave King, wishing to see Norland's exploits with his own eyes, took off to the Great Sea in a galleon, together with two thousand of his loyal soldiers. THey fought unspeakable torments, powerful storms and ferocious sea monsters.

At last, the King, Norland and only a hundred of the soldiers arrived at the destination the explorer promised the gold was at... Only to find nothing like a city of gold.

Just an endless jungle.

Needless to say, the King was furious with this outcome. Because of what the explorer had said, most of his precious soldiers had lost their lives, and now they were far away from their lands. For his lies, the King sentenced Norland to death.

Before his death, Norland only had to say a single phrase, the phrase many after him would remember him by:

'That's it! The mountain of gold must've sunk into the ocean!'

The King and the soldiers were shocked. At the time, nobody believed what he said anymore; however, Norland never stopped lying until the time of his execution.

" _This is another tale of the North Blue: 'Norland the Liar'._ The end." Koga sighed as he closed the book.

Angela sniffed, big teary eyes looking at the book in the chronicler's hand. "Poor Nor-chan..."

Sanji smiled softly as he crouched behind her to put a hand on her hat.

"This story was told to the kids to teach them not to lie to their parents and elders." He explained kindly. "I used to hear the adults saying: 'If you keep lying, you're going to end yo executed like Norland was!' and things like that."

"Actually, the story sounds a lot like you, Usopp." Koga piped up with a smirk to the long-nosed teen.

Said sniper blinked at the bicolor-eyed boy before hearing a sinister laugh from behind him. Turning, he saw Nami approaching him her eyes shadowed by her hair.

"Ah~ Turns out he's just a liar who ended up dead for telling lies... He died alone, without ever becoming a brave warrior of the seas..." She 'mourned'.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME! What are you doing, throwing a curse at me?!" He screeched, catching up on what she was implying.

The writer chuckled...

Intuition warning! His head snapped up to the side to see Luffy crouched to the tip of land, looking intensely at the ocean. Suddenly, as he stood up to sprint towards his captain, the water shot up and...

"Oh no, Luffy fell underwater!" Chopper yelled, having seen the same as he.

From the same place where the idiot disappeared, the water shot up again, to reveal a fairly muscular man with blonde hair, eyebrows and sideburns. He was barefoot, bare-chested and wearing only purple-and-white striped training pants.

"Who are you?" The man asked with a weary look at the pirates. "You've got some balls, huh? Resting and doing as you please in my home! This piece of the sea is my territory! Get out _now_!"

Koga, Sanji and Zoro all got prepared to fight, but a small blur of black suddenly stepped from behind them to launch itself at the unknown man, who staggered back in surprise.

"Angela!" Mifune called out, rather irritated instead of worried.

"Usopp, get Luffy, quick!" Koga called out to the sniper, who gulped and dived underwater.

"What the...?" Sanji blinked in surprise.

Angela was clinging on the man's waist giggling and grinning widely. The man was looking down at her in irritation, but did no move to attack her or snatch her off him.

"Cricket-ossan, I missed you~!" She sang in glee.

"Angela, you shouldn't hug your employee like that." Mifune scratched his head, sighing as he stepped from behind the pirates.

The man blinked. "Angela... Mifune? What are you two doing here? And who are these- Uuuuunghh..."

All of a sudden, Cricket -or so the others supposed the man was- started to grunt in pain, kneeling down and fainting. Startled, Angela tried to support him with her meager strength, being promptly aided by Mifune. The mercenary supported the large man and eased him off her, ignoring his writhes of pain.

"Hey, raccoon-kid, can you take a look at him?" He asked Chopper serenely, as if that had happened many times before.

"I'M A REINDEER, DAMMIT!" Their doctor roared, before blinking and snapping into doctor mode. "Ah, right! Koga, Zoro, take the man and get him inside!Cool down some towels and open up all windows!"

The swordsman and the chronicler nodded and took each one of Cricket's arms, lifting him and carrying him to his bed, laying him down carefully. Meanwhile, Sanji got cool water from the sea and Nami fetched some towels. Chopper immediately began to diagnose him and figure out the man's illness.

In their hastiness, no one noticed Usopp and Luffy coming out of the sea.

* * *

"So, it was pressure?" Zoro asked Chopper from his position standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Everyone had gathered inside the house, with Luffy, Angela and Chopper near the bed, Usopp and Nami at the center of the house, Koga sitting on one of the spare beds with Robin beside him and Sanji and Mifune 'guarding' the door.

"Yeah." The reindeer sighed. "It's a disease common among divers. Usually it doesn't last too long. The sudden drop in pressure when one's coming from the bottom of the ocean to the surface makes the nitrogen in the body to leave its dissolved state, forming bubbles in the bloodstream. They press against the nearby tissue and veins, clog up the stream and severely damage muscles and joints. In other words, it's decompression sickness."

"Okay, nice. Mysterious side effects." Luffy deduced simplistically.

Used to his simpleness, no one listened to him, though Mifune sweatdropped at the captain.

"I can only infer that he kept diving day in, day out, not letting his body recover from the effects of depressurization and take the bubbles back in." Chopper analyzed expertly, turning to the others and patting Angela's hat, who was deppresively watching Cricket sleep.

"Why would he do that?" Nami asked. "What he's doing is pretty dangerous. He can die!"

Mifune was the one who answered that, but rather cryptically.

"You read the story of 'Norland the Liar' and you haven't figured it out?" He said.

"OYA-SAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"

Alarmed by the sudden voices, Usopp and Chopper screeched and ran around the house just as two familiar monkey heads barge in shouting for the sick old man.

"You!" Masira roared, obviously recognizing them and not seeing Mifune's sweatdropping behind him and Shojo. "What are you doing here?"

"What did you do to our Boss?" Shojo asked, threatening them with a fist up.

Luffy glanced at them uninterestedly. "What are you talking about? We're taking care of him now. Go away."

Usopp and Chopper scrambled up to him and roared in his face: "YOU IDIOT! Do you think they're gonna believe you? They're ferocious, wild monkeys! Let's run while we can- huh?"

Instead of going on a rampage and demanding them to get out of their house, the stupefied crew found the two men-monkeys kneeling on the ground.

Weeping.

"It's so kind of you..." They managed to blurt out in unison.

 **BAM BAM!**

"They actually _listened_..." The sniper and the doctor moaned with their faces on the floor.

"Sho-sho, Masi-chan!"

At their nicknames, both wiped their tears to see Angela coming at them. "Oh, An-chan! You were here too?"

"Yup!" She nodded, still with her face worried, but at least smiling a bit.

"We should get out and let the man rest." Chopper proposed, shooing everyone out of the house.

* * *

Once outside (minus Chopper and Angela who decided to check up on Cricket), Shojo and Masira decided to give explanations at last. They explained that they belonged to an organized group of ship-rescuing pirates named the Saruyama Alliance, which had its HQ at Cricket's house, a common friend of theirs. They also said that the house was big, but not enough for them; reason why they slept at their own ships instead.

At that precise moment, Usopp, Koga and Zoro were watching between amused and stupefied at how Luffy, Shojo and Masira were getting along very nicely.

It wasn't long before Chopper got out of Cricket's house to alert them of the man's awakening, which prompted on the rubber-brained teen in springing to his feet and rushing into the house.

"The ossan with a chestnut in the head! I have something to ask you!"

The man, as the reindeer had said, was sitting on the bed, with his back turned to the captain, smoking a cigar and patting Angela's hat with his other hand. He breathed out a puff and turned to Luffy as the others watched from the door.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. I thought you were just another bunch of idiots trying to get my gold."

"Do you really have gold, sir?" Nami sang as she stared at Cricket with her 'Berri-eyes'.

"Hey, cut it out..." Usopp sweatdropped at the greedy navigator.

But Cricket ignored her, and the issue of the gold too. "Hey kid, what were you going to ask?"

Luffy smiled widely with his signature grin. "We want to go to the Sky Island! You know how to get there, don't you? Tell us, please!"

"Sky Island?" Cricket blinked. "You believe in that stuff?"

The excited nod from their captain only was met with condescending laughter, much like Bellamy the Hyena and his goons back at Mock Town. Usopp had to physically restrain Nami and not let her jump on the still sick man, who continued laughing for a few more minutes before going quieter until stopping completely.

"Just so you know, I know a certain guy who believes it too. And he was labelled as a liar because of it. And his family was always the world's laughing stock." He finished that sentence in a whisper, looking down at Angela as he continued patting her hat.

'His family...' Koga narrowed his eyes. "Montblanc... Of course."

"Hold on, you're Norland's descendant?" Nami caught on what the chronicler was thinking too... though Luffy seemed convinced that the liar was Usopp, judging by his looks at the long-nosed sniper. "And the story's set _here_?"

"He's the grandpa, of the grandpa, of my grandpa. He's a far-away ancestor. Not even the flies will find a single drop of his blood in me. The Montblanc family was exiled from the country and forced to live in disgrace... and the persecution we have suffered continues to this day. However, no one in my family hates him."

"Why?" Copper asked in curiosity.

"Because Norland had a quality rarely found nowadays. He was honest."

"Honest?" The red-haired navigator blinked in confusion. "But... The picture book said..."

"His last words were: 'That's it! The mountain of gold must've sunk into the ocean!' In the drawing, he smiled like a dumbass... But, in truth, he died with an enormous regret, and crying. The island they got to is undoubtedly Jaya, the place where they discovered the City of Gold. I can't live with the thought it might've been just an illusion."

Everyone listened in silence as Cricket theorized that changes in earth's crust may have sent the city to the bottom of the sea; but, to the rest of the people, he was just a sore loser trying to find an excuse, executed before a laughing crowd... and whose legacy was his label as a liar.

"I get it!" Suddenly Usopp piped up. "You're trying to find the City of Gold to clear your family's name!"

 **BANG!**

It was a good thing that Cricket's aim was at the wall and not directly at the sharpshooter, because that had been unnecessary in Koga's eyes.

"If my distant ancestor was an honest man or not, if he was a great explorer or not, I don't give a rat's ass about that! Sorry about my vocabulary, Angela." He looked down at a shrugging Angela. "Can you imagine how it is to be a child rejected by everyone just because he has the blood of a complete moron running through his veins? That's how I grew up!"

The chronicler pursed his lips. He knew of someone whose past was more similar to Montblanc Norland's than his own ancestor, but bringing up someone else's past wasn't his doing.

Cricket sighed after his furious outburst and explained in a calmer tone that many of the Montblanc family got to that part of the ocean to recover the family's dignity only to die trying. He had refused to do that, and resented his own name by abandoning his home and becoming a pirate instead. For ten years, he and his crew had many adventures around the Grand Line, until by sheer chance their ship docked here, the same city that condemned his family to ridicule.

Resigned to his fate, Cricket decided to stay here, and the crew left him behind. He didn't want to prove to the world that his ancestor was right, but simply to set a score with the same man that ruined his life before he had been even born.

"What about the monkeys?" Luffy asked, pointing at the two hooligans in the patch of grass outside playing around.

Usopp seemed to have understood, weeping profusely. "It must've been thanks to... Another harrowing story of deep-sea explorers, writing their-"

"They're fans of that story."

...

"FANS?!"

"Is it _that_ simple?" Nami sweatdropped.

"It happened five or six years ago. They heard rumors about me and approached me saying: 'We believe Norland's gold is real!'" He didn't smile, but his voice and face grew softer as they heard the two monkeys laughing outside. "The sea around here is endless, and my loneliness just gets worse when I'm down there, in the cold darkness. I used to dive by myself everyday... But these two simply sneaked their way into my life, declared themselves my followers and from then on, it was crazy. But frankly, I think meeting two innocent idiots like them was the thing that saved me. Get it?"

Koga smirked, hiding it behind his scarf that he raised up to his nose. In several way, what he felt towards the Straw Hat crew was pretty similar at how Cricket felt towards Shojo and Masira. The chronicler had tried to keep his distance from them, but in the end he had surrendered to their natural stubbornness and their insistent desire in being his nakama.

If he hadn't met them...

"Okay, change of subject!" Luffy exclaimed. "Ossan, we want to go to Sky Island!"

Cricket smiled, closing his eyes. "So impatient... Didn't you hear me? The only one who knows abut Sky Island was Norland the Liar. If you cling to him too much, they're gonna just laugh at you."

"He was up there!" The captain insisted.

"Unfortunately, he never wrote anything about _being_ there..." After thinking about it, Cricket grabbed one of the books in the shelf right next to his bed and browsed through it. "Read this part."

He then threw the book at Koga, who caught it with a scowl on his face.

"You should treat books nicer, specially if they're bits of history..." His fingers grazed the rusty cover in awe. "A logbook from four hundred years ago... ' _Maritime Year 1120, June 21st. The weather is nice. We left off from the lively town of Villa. Following the Log Pose, we left the docks and headed northeast. This afternoon, we got a curious artifact from a merchant. It's called 'Waver' and it's a small, one-person boat that functions like a ski.'_ "

Interested by what he was reading, Usopp, Luffy, Nami and Chopper got closer to him.

"' _It's powered by its own wind, even if no current's blowing in the sea. It's difficult to drive, I can't do it yet. Taming it turned on the crew's favorite pastime._ '"

"Wow, unreal! I totally want one of those!" Nami exclaimed, awed at what she was hearing.

"' _They told me the only place it's made is Sky Island. There are lots of unconventional ships up there, it seems. Speaking about Sky Island, explorers showed me a celestial fish, still alive. I didn't have the words to express how surprised I was._ '"

"Celestial fish?" Of course, that caught Sanji's attention.

"' _It's a place never explored by our ship, but as a sailor, I wish I could get to this sea in the sky... Someday... Montblanc Norland._ '"

When he closed the book with a feeling of awe and wonder blossoming in his chest, Koga raised his head to see the three troublemakers and Nami with broad grins on their faces and wide eyes.

"Just like Robin told us!" Luffy exclaimed.

"From the way he's talking, it's like everyone knew about Sky Island then!"

"So it's real then!"

And they didn't waste time in jumping in joy, excited at that new adventure they were going into.

Koga thought about calling their attention and telling them that even if those objects from Sky Island were recorded in surprisingly great detail, nothing confirmed their authenticity; but his own excitement told him otherwise. After all, he himself had also dreamed once or twice about discovering a whole new place others considered a mere myth. Also, one of his jobs as chronicler is confirming or denying myths. He had already done so with the existence of the Millenial Dragons, that so many people thought were extinct. What was one more myth?

'I wonder, what things will we discover up there?' He asked himself as he looked at the ceiling with a smirk.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Phew, long chap to make up some shorter ones! Hope you liked it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Hm, I wonder... It'll be bumpy, that much I know xD**

 **K: An island in the skies... That I want to see... Oh, thanks *blushes a bit***

 **L: You know, I'm amazed how much blood you can put in your cheeks to be that red.**

 **K: Shut up.**

 **-Lauri3n: Thanks! Hope you liked this chap too ^^!**

 **-Guest: Thanks so much! Here's the continuation!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King, glad to be back ^^!**

 **K: Hey. Well, I'd say that summarizes everything pretty well. What does Author have in store for us?**

 **L: Many things, dear Koga-kun... *snickers***

 **K: ... Help.**

 **-Boopadoop: Sorry, got you on hold long enough hahahahahaha. Ikr, I prefer zero too. Mostly because I'm the one driving my friends home xD Damn that hurts!**

 **K: That's really a shame, but don't worry. You'll have lots of time.**

 **L: I still have a couple weeks before I begin college again, but I'll manage to upload a few chaps before then. I hope...**

 **K: Yeah, 'cause you also have that collab fic with Ultimate Student to tend to. And the Kuroko no Basket fic, and the Lord of the Rings fic...**

 **L: *sighs* Damn. Forgot how many things I have on hold...**

 **K: Hm, an Olympic one-shot? Well, that actually sounds fun. Why not?**

 **L: Unfortunately, it won't be anytime soon...**

 **-zerom1v: Yay finally! I always loved that Arc, it's one of my favorites!**

 **K: Thanks. They were getting on my nerves. What bullcrap was that?**

 **-Guest-san: Thanks, it's good to be back! Yeah, I can hardly believe that either! Who knows? It'll surely be a beast of work here if I can do that!**

 **K: Thank you for being with us *bows politely* And yeah, I also think that these people will be interesting to interact with.**

 **-Guest: Hm, interesting name... Though what does it mean? I've never learned Latin, sorry...**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	54. Searching the bird

**54\. Searching the bird**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Ugh, now I have doubts. Should I do Koga's Arc after or before Brook's? I don't want Zoro and Luffy to be like crap in Koga's storyline Arc, they'll need all the help they can get. What to do, what to do... Any thoughts out there?**

 **K: Just focus on finishing this arc first.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

After their enthusiastic outburst, Cricket reunited all of them outside his house. Luffy, Nami, Chopper and Usopp sat at the stumps acting as chairs, while Zoro sat behind all of them already snoring asleep. Koga and Mifune stood at either side of the entrance of the house, resting their backs against it. Angela, along with Masira and Shojo, played a bit apart from the adults, and Sanji was inside the house, probably making some food, and Robin was off somewhere.

"In this part of the ocean," Cricket pointed at the sea with a finger, "sometimes the day suddenly turns to night."

"Oh, that happened to us!" Luffy exclaimed, interrupting him, raising a hand as if he were a student. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Usopp nodded, eyes wide as plates. "It turned night, and then suddenly a whole bunch of monsters appeared!"

Cricket blinked, apparently surprised of having confirmation of his story. Maybe this was the first time he had heard about other travellers having had that experience and confirming it to him.

"You even encountered the giants... Well, the reason of why the sky becomes dark all of a sudden..." He stopped to take a drag before blowing it out, "is because of the shadow of an extremely dense cloud."

That got everyone's attention.

"Wait, are you talking about a Cumulonimbus?" Nami immediately piped up, her knowledge of the weather picking up on what Cricket was insinuating. "But that's impossible, it was way darker back then than it usually happens to be because of such a cloud."

"That's because it wasn't a Cumulonimbus, but a Cumuloregalis." The man explained. "It forms high up in the sky, there are no air currents inside it and it almost never becomes a raincloud. Whenever one of these pops up in the sky, not even sunlight can pierce through it, so night quickly sets in. It's also said they never vanish, and keep floating in the sky for hundreds, even _thousands_ of years. Think about them as petrified clouds."

Nami tilted her head, skepticism plain as day in her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Clouds formed without air currents? I can't possibly believe that."

"Considering the fact that we're in the _Grand Line_ , Nami, I think you should believe that." Koga commented nonchalantly, shrugging when she turned to look at him. "I mean, I know of a place that is _always_ daylight, and a place where sun never gets through thick clouds. The existence of the cumuloregalis are pretty much verified, let me assure you."

"So it's a mysterious huge cloud..." Luffy mused, summarizing in a dumb phrase the whole conflicting thing.

"Wooh, that's awesome!" Chopper jumped, admiration in his starry eyes.

"Get it? If Sky Island really _does_ exist, then there's only one place where it will be!" Cricket finished.

"Let's go then! Let's climb up to this cloud! Zoro, c'mon, wake up!"

Koga smiled at the overexcited trio, who began chanting about going up at the sky as Zoro woke up at his captain's order and stood. The chronicler then shook his head as Nami got pretty tired of their stupidity and beat both Usopp and Luffy to silence. She then asked the question of the year: how _exactly_ would they climb up there?

He never listened to Cricket's answer though, as someone tugged on his pants and found Angela with a timid look on her face. Smirking softly, he crouched before her.

"Hey there." He simply said.

To his side, he heard something about the Knock-Up Stream, but didn't pay any attention.

"Hi." She breathed deeply before smiling broadly at him. "Wanna play?"

When the chronicler looked up, he sweatdropped when he saw both Shojo and Masira in a heap, collapsed in sheer and utter exhaustion.

"Angela, you shouldn't molest people like this..." Mifune sighed at his little partner's childishness, who merely puffed out her cheeks at him before beaming at the writer.

He shrugged with a smirk before following after the girl; she giggled as she grabbed his large hand and tugged it to get away from the others. The pirate crew didn't notice them leave, but Cricket did, and Mifune even followed after them, intent on not taking Angela out of his sight.

"Mifu-chan told me you have a friend with you too, like me!" Angela almost trotted as she held his hand, making him bend his torso to keep following her. She stopped at the edge of the water and sat down, taking out her boots and dipping her feet in the water.

Koga looked over his shoulder at the impassive mercenary, who merely shrugged and avoided his sharp gaze. The blond sighed quietly before sitting cross-legged beside the little girl, who hummed a tune to herself.

"... Yeah, I have one."

The kid at first didn't say anything else, both watching the sun slowly setting in the horizon.

"Did it hurt?" She suddenly asked, her child-like tone suddenly gone.

"Huh?" He blinked, turning towards Angela, whose gaze was fixed in the horizon. Her face was an impassive mask, all traces of the joy she had felt vanished, her eyes showing a seriousness and hollowness no kid should ever show.

The young adult felt a shiver creep up his spine at that look.

"I don't even remember what happened." She lowly said, her feet splashing the water. "I only remember the pain. And the darkness. If it weren't for Mifu-chan, I would..."

Koga's hand over her hat interrupted her, and she looked up at him as he glanced up at the sky. He didn't need her to tell anymore.

"It is better if you don't remember." He smirked down at her. "Sometimes, the painful memories are better buried beneath our darkness. What's important is that you have someone to share your burden."

Angela blinked cutely, then glanced back at Mifune, who merely tilted his head to the side. She smiled broadly, nodding firmly at Koga. And her hand shot up to touch Koga's scar in the face.

Too stunned by the sudden movement, he froze as her soft fingers traced the uneven scar. No one had ever touched it, but then again, he had never let anyone near him as she was being right then. Like a flash, Angela's hand went back to her lap as she looked over at the sea once more, as if nothing had happened.

'What was that?' He thought, blinking a few times to recover from the momentary shock. It hadn't hurt, but the fact that out of the blue she had caressed the healed cut without a word had been absolutely strange.

"Where do you have your mark? I have it right here!" She exclaimed, tugging at her lace to show her Cursed mark on her wrist, barely hiding a knife injury. Koga's lips pursed at the sight and she quickly hid it at his expression.

"In my chest." He merely answered, his hand going to that place.

"How did you die?"

Koga winced.

"Angela..." Mifune warned with a stern voice.

"... I was shot in the back. Someone I cared about a lot betrayed me." The chronicler answered anyways. "My granddad saved me though. And here I am."

Angela hummed.

"You remember then. Unlike me."

"It's not a memory I like to have." He unintentionally snapped.

A short silence followed after his harsh remark, and the little girl looked down at the ground between them, her face blank once more. The blond young man fidgeted uncomfortably, even more when he noticed Mifune's seething glare at how he treated his little protege.

"I'm sorry, Angela." He murmured, his hand resting once more on her black hat. "But I really don't-"

"YOU'RE LYING!"

Usopp's sudden scream interrupted him, and the three turned to see the sniper standing with the others where they had left them. He seemed rather angry, and was pointing a finger at a rather impassive Cricket, who had his arms crossed over his broad chest. Nami and Chopper looked uneasy between the two of them, Zoro watched blankly from the side, and even Sanji and Robin were standing and witnessing the scene.

"Oi, Usopp!" Luffy protested, but the sharpshooter brushed him aside.

Worried about an incoming fight, Koga quickly stood up and strode towards the group, stopping beside Zoro.

"This Knock-Up Stream, our best chance of getting to a legendary island we don't even know the location of, is _tomorrow?_! And to help us get there, _you're_ gonna refit and strengthen our ship?! That's just too good to be true! Just what the hell are you plotting?! You're the descendant of Liar Norland, right?! We can't tru-!"

 **BONK!**

"OW!"

"Stop with your nonsense already."

Nursing an impressive-looking bump on the back of his head, the long-nosed teen turned watery eyes to his older companion, whose bicolored eyes watched him with a hint of anger and exasperation in them.

"You quickly forgot how the villagers back in your hometown treated you huh." The chronicler continued, ignoring Usopp's large eyes. "You told us no one believed you because of your constant lies, something _you_ brought on yourself. And now look at you." He waved at Cricket, who watched the pair unmoving, still not saying anything or reacting at all. "Blaming someone for their ancestor's doings is _wrong_ , Usopp. Cricket didn't choose to be descendant of an infamous liar. Norland's faults, whether true or not, are _not_ his."

And after that, he turned again and went back to Zoro, his hands on his pants pockets. Usopp, the pain of his lump long gone, watched his friend walk away before gritting his teeth and glaring at the ground instead. The rest watched in silence, eyes set on either the sniper, or the writer, or even Cricket.

The silence didn't settle long, though.

"You know, Masira... He says when night sets in his territory, he can see a Cumuloregalis coming south the day after. Then, based on the five-strikes-a-month cycle, i's highly likely the stream will hit tomorrow, south from here. I'm not one-hundred-percent sure, but I know it won't be the first time if these two events come to happen simultaneously."

Cricket walked past a petrified Usopp, who still had his gaze downcast, his teeth clenching forcefully.

"I'm glad I found an insane bunch just like you. Now cool your head and let's get something to eat. I want you all well and happy as long as you're here, comrades."

Koga smirked at this. He really liked the old man. Deciding to follow his counsel, he and the rest of the crew entered the house to eat something prepared by Sanji. Not soon after, Usopp barreled his way inside, hugging the poor Cricket around the waist and sniffing, apologies raining through his mouth in an almost incomprehensible mess. At the sight, the blond chuckled, and even winked at the sniper once he glanced at him; the younger teen sent an insecure smile in return, and Koga felt glad that the situation had been cleared out.

It wasn't long before dinner-time came, and with it, a delicious meal held outside the house as per Mifune's request, who earlier protested that the house was too small to keep so many people inside. Of course, both lunch and supper turned to be absolutely chaotic, adding Shojo and Masira's wildness to the usual trio's craziness. Cricket enjoyed his sake and tried to hit on Nami, being in turn kicked by a 'slightly' jealous Sanji. Zoro also enjoyed the rum, surprisingly along Mifune, and Angela tried to read Robin's book from over her shoulder without being caught.

"'In the skull's right eye... I saw gold!'"

Koga watched Cricket stop beside Robin and spoke to her, a little tipsy from the alcohol but sounding much too coherent.

"In the middle of his tears, these were Norland's last written words: 'I saw gold in the skull's right eye.' When he said that, he was executed. Even long after I got here, I still didn't figure out what's that supposed to mean. The skull's right eye... Maybe it's the name of a city nearby, or a metaphor relating to his inevitable death... His diary ends here, then it's just some blank pages."

The chronicler smiled, remember an old quote his grandfather used to tell him...

' _Even blank pages tell stories._ '

" _'_ _Marytime Year 1120, May 21st. Today we arrived at Jaya. Just as I stepped out of the ship, I heard the strange cry of a bird coming from the forest and the ring of a giant, giant bell. The sound of that gigantic bell echoed through great distances like it was the sign of prosperity of a great city from the past. It's a passing sound from a prosperous civilization blossoming above the sea. For us, who lived only for a few decades, there were not enough words to describe it! We were charmed by that bell's sound!'_ " Cricket read after asking silently for the book from Robin.

"How beautiful... A golden bell!" Nami's eyes turned into Berri signs at the sound of 'gold'.

"Cricket-ossan, show them the bells!" Angela suddenly exclaimed, waving her arms in excitement.

Cricket actually roared in laughter before standing and getting inside the house, rummaging through his things before coming out with three small golden, shining, ornamented bells. As he barely took them from their place, their greedy navigator crawled over to grab and caress one of them, her eyes suspiciously still having their Berri-shaped eyes...

"These are ingots shaped like bells." The ex-pirate proclaimed proudly. "I found them at the bottom of the sea."

"You found them? So, the City of Gold exists after all!" Luffy theorized.

"Not necessarily, Luffy." Koga interrupted. "Gold like that, you can find it in any old ruin."

"They do, at least, prove there was a civilization around here." Robin caressed one of the bells Cricket was holding. "Ingots were created to split the gold in equal weights. That means commerce exchanges were done here."

"You're right." Cricket nodded at the archaeologist. "And about that bird's cry... Oi, Masira! Show them!"

Everyone turned their eyes to the ape-man as he proudly unwrapped an object resting in the floor beside him, revealing a shiny sculpture of a bird made entirely of gold.

"That's all we have."

" _All_ you have? I'd live like a king with this gold." Mifune snorted, watching the gold with slightly wider eyes. "It's a wonder how those greedy bastards from Mock Town hadn't heard a word about all this. You're really lucky, Cricket."

The wide man shrugged his broad shoulders, watching with a small sweatdrop as Nami hugged the bird sculpture with tears running down her cheeks.

"The fact that they don't get near us helps. They underestimate us."

"Golden bells and birds... Are they the symbols of old Jaya?" Sanji wondered aloud as he watched his dear Nami-san squeezing the statue in happiness.

"I don't know exactly, but I assume they're examples of old decorations." The diver answered. "This one here is a South Bird, a species from here. It's got a weird cry."

Koga watched with a small smirk hidden behind his scarf how Cricket held the statue close to him. No wonder, though; he had almost drowned to get that thing out of the sea, a feat in itself.

"So this is the Mystery Bird who sounds weird when it calls?" Luffy looked at the thing in amazement, as if the sculpture would begin crying out of the blue.

"Yeah, just like it says in the logbook."

"South Birds have been used on ships since ancient times to-!" Masira explained, but stopped short in there and looked at Shojo with sweat running down their faces.

"Sho-sho, Masi-chan?" Angela waved her small hand in front of their faces.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

The simultaneous scream of the three scavengers made them all jump in fright, and even Mifune got his hand closer to his box of katanas searching for enemies.

"What?! What's wrong?!"

"This is bad! You guys have to get to the forest to the south!" Cricket exclaimed, pushing the ones seated upright.

"What? Why? Have you gone nuts?" Usopp retorted.

Cricket sighed, obviously trying not to smash his head. "Listen you all. Tomorrow, you'll face the Knock-Up Stream. It will hit _exactly_ south from here. How do you think you'll get there?"

Koga frowned. That was easy, they'd just have to- Oh. _Oh._

"Easy, we just turn south and head straight." The raven-haired teen picked his nose.

"In the _Grand Line_?" Mifune snorted. "Veer off-course but a little and you'll be lost forever. And you can't trust in your Log Pose; it indicates where an _island_ is, not if it's south or north from anywhere."

"I get it!" Nami gasped. "We're heading south, but it's to the middle of the sea! Without any reference, we won't know where we're going to! What now, how do we found out we're doing it right?!"

Cricket explained that the South Bird had a special ability that embodied the extreme example of a sharpened sense of direction. That bird would point out _exactly_ the way they'd have to follow, so capturing one had become their number one priority.

"Long story short: without that bird, you can't leave, and you'll waste the only chance you have of going to the Sky Island!" The man summed up everything, almost desperate at the blank looks he was receiving from the straw hat-wearing captain.

"WHAAAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY IT BEFOREHAND!"

"Oh, oh, I wanna help too! Mifu-chan, can we go, please~?" Angela pleaded to the stoic long-haired man.

Mifune doubted as he watched the pirates getting armed with _butterfly_ capture nests; then he looked at his employer.

"Mind if we go, Cricket?" He asked. He _had_ been hired as his bodyguard after all.

The chestnut-haired man took a drag of his cigarette. "Yeah, you can go. Angela will enjoy this."

"YAY!" Jumping in excitement, the kid ran over to Koga and hugged one of his legs with a huge grin. "I'm coming with you!"

The blond man chuckled and hoisted her over his shoulders, both her legs hanging at either side of his neck. Her little hands dug into his blond locks without hurting, which was a relief. Mifune chose to walk beside him, carrying his box of katanas, though the chronicler observed he glanced over his shoulder at the trio of divers that had decided to work on the Merry for their journey. As the pirates (along with Angela and Mifune) ventured inside the dark-as-pit forest, Chopper protested about him having eaten too much, Nami wondered about why they had to look for the damn bird _now_ of all times, and Usopp stayed glued to Sanji's side in fright. The scene proved funny, when Luffy, ahead of all of them, began chanting some kind of weird song.

But still, Koga felt tense for some reason. He also had to look back at Cricket and the others to ensure they were still there before following after his crew.

"The problem is, how are we gonna find a bird of which we only know the sound of?" Usopp suddenly remarked as he looked around in fear, waiting for a monster to appear.

And that even rhymed.

"Cricket said we would understand when we actually hear the bird." Mifune commented, shrugging. Angela was skipping beside him, having grown tired of being on Koga's shoulders.

"By the way, why are you coming with us?" Zoro glanced back at the mercenary with curiosity.

He thumbed at the grinning girl, looking at everywhere with large eyes. "The damsel insisted."

And the swordsman merely chuckled in response.

"JYOH~!"

 _That_ stopped everyone in their tracks.

"THAT'S A WEIRD SOUND!"

But being the forest so big, they had absolutely _no_ idea of where the hell that damn bird was. So, seeing as they only had four nets, they divided into four teams: Luffy and Chopper would be one; Zoro, Robin and Usopp, the second; Sanji and Nami the third; and Koga, Mifune and Angela would form the last group.

The trip was mostly silent, if the duo of men ignored Angela calling out to the 'birdie'. Both of them agreed that they were too similar, in the way that they didn't like to fill empty silence with idle (and sometimes unnecessary) chatter.

"I have to apologize in Angela's behavior." Mifune suddenly commented, one of his katanas slashing through a great centipede crawling towards them.

"Regarding what exactly?" The chronicler looked up at the higher branches.

"I know how painful a Ritual performance is for a Cursed. It's remarkable how you can remember anything at all."

Koga pursed his lips and sent a blank look at the mercenary. Angela still walked ahead, blissfully unaware of their conversation topic. For the moment.

"... You know an awful lot of Cursed stuff. For someone that isn't even a Cursed."

And Mifune glanced at him in return. But didn't answer at his obviously indirect question.

"Jyoh~!"

The three stopped in their tracks, looking around, slightly jumpy at the sudden weird sound.

"BIRDIE!" Angela cried, throwing her arms into the air in excitement.

"That doesn't sound near here." Glaring around, the mercenary commented this, the writer agreeing.

"Yeah. It actually comes from back there. Maybe we should regroup with the others, see if they had more luck than us."

Coincidentally, when the ten of them reunited once more, none of them managed to even catch a look of the South Bird. However, what they did catch were trouble, judging by the amount of bug bites and the frantic breaths most of them let out. Mifune and Koga shared a look and agreed on being lucky of having found slim to none problems in their search, unfruitful as it proved to be. Angela poked Chopper and giggled.

"We caught nothing..." Zoro was the first to talk, looking pretty winded himself.

"We saw one, but there were so much stuff coming at us we didn't catch it!" Luffy whimpered. "It was like running left and right!"

"Goddammit guys, we're ten and still can't catch a single bird? Get a grip people!" Usopp complained, earning a small hit on the head by Zoro.

"Ah~! I'm so tired, I can't run anymore!" Nami's legs didn't support her any longer as she knelt on the ground.

Angela noticed and ran to her, trying to cheer her up. "C'mon Nami-chan! You can do it!"

The navigator offered a weak smile at the girl. "Thanks Angela, but I'm pretty much beat right now..."

Just then...

"JYOH~!"

... Everyone froze.

Their heads turned to the origin of the sound, finding a big bird that resembled the statue Cricket showed them earlier. It had a pretty colorful and looked a lot like a simple toucan, except its head was almost forced to always point south.

Still, the damn bird began getting on their nerves; with a condescending attitude, it laughed at their helplessness to catch it, jumping left and right and taunting the group in his language.

"'I'm never gonna let you catch me, suckers!' He said." Chopper translated.

"Birdie is mean..." Angela whimpered, her eyes watering and one of her hands gripping Mifune's pants, who merely sighed in response.

"You came here to brag you bastard?" Usopp's hand went to his slingshot and ammunition, a tick forming on his head at the insult. "Ah you little... I'm going to take you down with one shot!"

"No need for that, Long Nose." Robin smiled, bringing her arms up to her chest. "Cuatro Fleur!"

Two arms sprouted behind the bird to hold it in place making it squeal in surprise and shock, and another two lifted it to throw it to the ground. Mifune, the one nearest to it, managed to catch it before it broke its neck.

There. Mission accomplished in five seconds. Everyone sent baffled or surprised looks at the archaeologist; she dropped her stance and smiled in return at everyone.

"I just needed to see the bird. That's it."

Angela smiled widely, small stars forming in her awe-filled eyes. "She's so cool..."

Zoro took the struggling bird from the mercenary, and the crew decided to go back to Cricket's. The mood was pretty light, with what they needed firmly secured (despite the bird threatening them to throw them all bugs) and most of them joked about how ridiculous the bird looked with its head always pointing south or celebrated about how they were going to go up to the skies.

But Koga's expression showed otherwise.

As they walked their way back, his intuition had begun, slowly but surely, to send him alarms. It began as a simple discomfort at the base of his stomach, but it steadily expanded and hurt even more the closer they got to Cricket's house. He didn't even notice when his pace quickened, surpassing everyone else (who looked at him strangely and even asked him what was wrong) and breaking into a full run when he saw the end of the forest just ahead of them.

Used to his spontaneous gut feelings, the pirate crew looked at each other and followed after him, Mifune and Angela close behind.

"Koga! What's wrong?" Nami exclaimed, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

But he didn't answer, his bicolored gaze dead ahead... and a small tendril of darkness coating his katana at his side. Unbeknownst to everyone, Mifune glared at the katana and then at the writer's back.

Once they got closer to the edge of the forest, Koga was the first one to get outside...

... And stopped in his tracks, eyes wide at the scene.

Someone had just torn apart the entire place. Cricket's house had a gaping hole in the front, as if a cannon had been shot at it, going all the way to the cardboard cutout. Inside was all turn over and messy, meaning someone broke in to search for something. Their beloved ship, the Going Merry, had its prow broken off and resting in the ground and a completely bent mast. The reinforcement Cricket, Masira and Shojo wanted to give to their ship laid snapped in two beside the clearly beaten up caravel, leaving it in an even poorer state than it had been when the crew got to Jaya in the first place.

However, that wasn't the only things that made Koga's blood boil and his vision redden. As he looked around with his breath shaky with fury, he discovered Cricket, Masira and Shojo. The first two were lying on the ground, fainted and covered in blood, while Shojo floated in the water.

"W-what happened here?"

Nami's shocked voice went unregistered in Koga's ears as he looked around, with ragged breath and eyes fuming. As Luffy flashed to Cricket's side, Usopp and Sanji scrambled over to get Shojo out of the water.

 _Huhuhu._

Koga felt his eyes widen, unfocused, as he half-listened Cricket apologizing to Luffy because of not being able to reinforce their ship in time.

 _How does it feel, shitty host? How does it feel having ignored your intuition once more and return to see your friends beaten up?_

He saw Angela running to Cricket's side and cry, and Mifune coming up to him with gritted teeth. He saw Chopper applying some gauze and cleaning Masira's wounds. He saw Usopp getting Sanji to help with the mast and get it back in place. He saw Nami getting out of the destroyed house, exclaiming something about having the gold stolen.

But still, the cloud of rage filling his vision was thicker, and all those scenes went to a second plane in his mind. Right then, all he could think about was the absolute _fury_ running through his veins and clouding his rationality.

 _And you know who did it, right? You're seeing it right now._

And then, the writer saw a marking on the wall. As if moved by a puppeteer, he strolled past everyone and stood before the wall. Eyeing the round, crossed out smiley face painted there in black paint.

He remembered one of Bellamy's goons brandishing that same marking.

That was his last straw.

" _ **Scum**_."

The voice that came out of Koga's mouth (vicious, animal-like, purely _demonic_ ) reverberated through the entire place. The malice, the anger, the sheer _evilness_ it held, sent everyone a shiver through their spines.

They watched Koga step away from the wall, and then saw what got him so furious.

"That's Bellamy's mark!" Nami exclaimed.

Back turned to all of them, the chronicler didn't acknowledge anyone's voices as he began walking towards Mock Town. The darkness seeping out of _Sankaoken_ indicated the mood he was currently on; something everyone agreed.

But Mifune was the one that stood in his way. In a flash, the mercenary stepped away from the downed Cricket and blocked Koga's path. The long-haired man felt responsible for abandoning his charges (even if one of them specifically _ordered_ _him_ to go with the Straw Hats), but still he had enough clarity in his mind to detect the danger Koga represented right now.

And possibly, not only for Bellamy, but also his very _friends_.

Because of his hair, Mifune couldn't see Koga's eyes or expression; that worried him even more.

"... What are you doing?" The blond murmured, his hoarse voice flat.

Just in case, Mifune held his box closer.

"Calm down." He merely answered, assessing Koga's body and trying to detect a sneaking attack from him. "This is no good for you. Don't let your demon control you."

Sanji and Zoro frowned at this, while Luffy stood up from beside Cricket, and Nami and Usopp glanced warily at the duo. Though still concentrated in his patients, Chopper also listened to what was happening.

"... What do you know about my demon? What do you know about what's happening in my head?"

Mifune's lips tightened around his senbon, feeling the demon inside Koga stirring, urging him to _kill_.

He couldn't allow that.

"I already told you. Your fury is blinding you, and that lets your demon take control over your mind." His right hand _slowly_ crept to his box of katanas, at his lack of response. "Leave this to your captain."

Soft steps behind Koga made him turn his head slightly, eyes still hidden but at least seemingly more aware of his surroundings.

"... Luffy?"

The straw-hat wearing teen stopped beside him and clapped his shoulder, eyes hidden under the brim of his treasured hat.

"It's okay, Koga." His captain gripped his shoulder tighter before letting go. "I'll take care of this."

Just like that, the red fog covering Koga's vision vanished, and he raised serious but clear bicolored eyes to watch his younger captain walk past Mifune towards Mock Town. He still felt fury inside, but the demon's voice had been suddenly muffled; he could _barely_ hear him now, screaming profanities and trying to regain control over his host's mind.

But the spell was already broken, and so the darkness crept back inside Koga's mind's deepest part.

Mifune, though certainly relieved from not having to _forcefully_ calm him down, couldn't believe how quickly the previously dominated Cursed had calmed down. And he only needed _words from his captain_. Up until now, the mercenary had _never_ seen this before.

Luffy, despite his goofiness, was certainly something else.

"Wait... No, Luffy!" Nami exclaimed, suddenly aware of what her captain was about to do. "Don't even _think_ about it! We have only three more hours to go!"

The teen stopped, but didn't turn around or returned.

"Robin..." The black-haired woman hummed. "If I run through the shore, can I get to the town?"

Her head tilted. "Yes, you will."

He nodded, and resumed his walk. Nami looked around and saw that no one was up to the task of stopping him from getting revenge for Cricket. The old man had protested, but Zoro quickly made him change his mind. In fact, Koga had been more than eager to carry the beating himself. She sighed; why was always she the one trying to keep order in that misfit crew?

"Three hours, Luffy. If you're not here in three hours, you'll have to live with the fact we lost the chance to go the Sky Island because of _you_ and only _you_. Got it?"

And their captain cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Don't sweat it, Nami. I'll be back before that."

 **xXx3 HOURS LATERxXx**

"Why can't we go~?" Angela protested, about to cry out as the Straw Hat crew waited in front of their remodeled -and a bit more parched- Going Merry, Flying Model (with giant wings, a piece of armor in the front and the sheep head looking more like a chicken).

Thanks to Cricket, Masira, Shojo, Mifune and the girl, the crew had managed to get everything ready before dawn, though the sun had begun to show in the horizon. It was amazing how Chopper got them all on their feet in time; or maybe it was simply their desire to see their dream come true.

Right then, the entire crew was waiting for an awfully late captain to show up -of course. And Mifune had spent the last thirty minutes trying to convince his small 'colleague' that going to the Sky Island wasn't exactly a pacific enterprise. Still, the sound of 'adventure' had excited the girl a bit too much.

Mifune scratched his head, sighing heavily.

"We can't, Angela. And that's it. We still have to keep our promise to Cricket."

"But- but-"

Koga chuckled, crouching beside her and plopping his large hand on her hat. Since Luffy went to beat Bellamy and get Cricket's gold back, his mood had lightened considerably.

"Sorry Angela, this could be really dangerous." He said as she turned teary eyes to him.

"But all of you still go! That's not fair!"

"When you're older, you'll get to go someday, you'll see." Nami knelt down to her level and smiled sweetly at her.

"Yeah! I'll tell you the amazing stories of Usopp the Brave up there in the Sky Island!" Usopp boasted, trying to cheer up the little girl too.

Mifune sweatdropped, but mostly thanked for their attempt. He then looked over at the mismatch-eyed chronicler.

"... You should tell someone about your problems with your demon whenever you have them, Blondie." He told him, earning a blank look in return. "I can give you counsel about how to control it, but in the end, _you_ will be the one in control of it."

"Problems?" The navigator piped up, looking between both of them.

Seeing that Mifune's completely unnecessary comment had drawn the rest of the crew's attention, he sighed and raised his scarf to his nose, getting on his feet and walking up the plank to get onboard the Merry.

"It's nothing." He loudly said.

He felt Mifune narrowing his eyes at the back of his head. His elbows rested on the railing once he got onboard, looking at the shoreline in search of Luffy, but still, from the corner of his eye, the chronicler saw the long-haired man mutter something to the crew congregated around him, and the serious expressions they got once he finished.

A lowl growl came out, his hand sweeping through his blond hair. Most likely, the merc had asked the others to watch over him and keep him in control to avoid death.

'I don't need babysitters, dammit.' He thought.

He didn't dare think of the reasons why he wanted to keep the crew away from him.

Just then, his gaze caught a familiar red-vested figure running towards them, with what looked as a giant Hercules beetle as a mount. He couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

"Guys, Luffy's here!" He called out, and everyone turned.

"About damn time." Sanji growled, then raised his voice. "Luffy, come on, we're way past the time to go!"

And their idiot captain only laughed. "Hey guys, I caught a Hercules beetle! It took a hell of a time for me to catch this one!"

'Looks like things with Bellamy are already taken care of.' The blond smirked as he saw the sack behind him and the goofy expression on his captain's face. That always meant good news. Luffy's eyes went starry at the sight of the remodeled ship as Usopp proudly presented it.

After thanking Cricket, Mifune and Angela for their help, the pirate crew got onboard of Merry and followed Masira's and Shojo's to the sea, in search of the infamous Knock-Up-Stream. The old ex-pirate loudly thanked them for everything and made them promise they would return safely before watching them off with a smile. Angela was waving her arms over her head with tears running down her face, whereas Mifune simply watched with his stern expression still on.

Once the Merry got even further ahead, Cricket let out a puff of smoke and glanced at the merc from the corner of his eye.

"I thought you wanted him to realize who you were." He commented, his voice almost masked by Angela's yells of goodbye.

The long-haired man shrugged. "He's always been thickheaded. Still, it's been almost ten years, and we've both changed a lot since then."

"He's still the same as always though, you told me."

"Well, hard not to notice those weird eyes of his. Still, I am glad that he's okay, even if he doesn't remember me."

"Cheer up. Maybe you'll get to see him in the future."

Mifune let a wry smile appear on his face before turning his back to the sea. "Of that I'm sure."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Hope you liked it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Yeah, but Angela's really important, as you may know. Not everyone has a Demon Prince.**

 **K: And though I don't like them either, The Chapel manage to keep the world safe from demons. That has to count for something.**

 **L: Even though they're after you, Yuuto and Angela, among other people?**

 **K:** **...**

 **L: Okay, I'll shut up. Yeah, Sky Island's gonna be a blast! I still haven't figured out how Koga's gonna fit in this arc, but meh, I'll figure something up as I go.**

 **-Guest: Oh, now I get it! Wow you really want to overpower our dear Koga, huh. But sorry, though it's an awesome idea, Koga won't transform into any kind of semi-humanoid creature. Not because I don't like the idea, but because demons are more terrifying when they have human forms. After all, the greatest evil lies within humanity itself.**

 **K: Wow, way to be sinister.**

 **L: What? I'll be glum, but it's mostly true.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi King! I always love when you review, whether it's long or short!**

 **K: Hey. Well, having powers that connect me to death itself is a bit unsettling to say the least... But well, if it gives me power to help my friends, I'll use it.**

 **L: I even started making some drafts about how Free will be introduced! But sorry, I won't spoil anything~! And yeah, I totally agree with you! Goda will always be awesome, but sometimes changing some little things don't hurt anybody. And as I said, it's not AU, but it's inevitable that some things happen differently because of Koga's inclusion to the story.**

 **K: I didn't expect a kid in the story either, and even less being a Cursed. Author, you're cruel.**

 **L: Oh, I know. But it has to be done. And about Mifune... Don't worry, he'll protect her, but won't be OVERprotective. Or at least not so much.**

 **K: Stay tuned for chap 55, 'cause it'll have as many surprises as these three past chapters-**

 **L: What are you doing?**

 **K: ... Nothing.**

 **-Boopadoop: I'm finally back from exams! Man that was hard.**

 **K: Hey. It's been boring here in Author's mind.**

 **L: Oh shush. Well, not ALL Cursed will be Soul Eater characters, sorry, but they'll surely help me out. They're mostly OC.**

 **K: Keep it up, Boop. Nice and steady, as they say.**

 **L: Yeah, well, I've been a fan of LOTR since I was a little kid, but I didn't like Boromir dying, so I went to FF, searched for 'Boromir-is-alive' fics and voilà! There started my own wish to write my own LOTR fanfiction. Unsuccessful, considering I don't have a single clue about love lol. And Kuroko No Basuke... Well, in short, it's an anime about basketball xD I watched it waaaaaay back, but never finished it. Now I feel lazy and don't wanna finish it.**

 **K: You just don't enjoy writing it as much as this fic, right?**

 **L: Well, yeah.**

 **K: Though I agree. You ARE lazy.**

 **L: Could you at least be nice with me for once~?**

 **-zerom1v: Well, I hope this chapter answers your question. Cricket talks about both, though in different chapters. Sorry for the confusion anyway.**

 **K: Author tends to do that.**

 **L: ... You're being an ass with me on purpose, are you?**

 **-Guest-san: Hi! Yeah, well, glad I surprised you I guess xD I didn't want to make Angela suffer, I swear, but I want her to have a major role in the plot, along Mifune of course.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Hi, welcome! Wow, I'm so glad that you liked it so much ^^!**

 **K: Yeah, so far, those are the only uses my Devil Fruit has. Basically, my physical abilities and psychological traits can be improved or enhanced, but not making them disappear. Though regarding the physic, I can only do it to a certain extent before my muscles tear up. If I went beyond my limits, I would be unstoppable, but at a nasty price.**

 **L: Nice summary, Koga-kun! Well, Koga's Devil Fruit powers will lose its role since he discovered his demonic powers, but he WILL still use it to numb the pain and slightly improve his physical traits. Oh yeah, 'One Gorilla Two Gorilla' or something like that! You have good memory, I forgot about it xD**

 **-Kin0gp0wers (2): Not yet! I just had my exams and I'm literally DYING right now until they give me my marks.**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	55. To the skies!

**55\. To the skies!**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hi! Sorry for the small delay, coming back to college is a pain T.T!**

 **K: Just be grateful you have the opportunity to study what you want and like instead of what your brother had to.**

 **L: Hm... Well I don't have the brains to study Law. So good for my brother! He may not like it, but he'll succeed. I'm sure of it.**

 **K: Whatever you say.**

 **L: So, about the fic! I see everyone agrees on making Koga's Arc _after_ introducing Brook. Alrighty then! Who am I to deny my faithful readers' wishes~?**

 **K: ... No one likes an ass-kisser.**

 **L: *gasp* That language, Koga-kun! Oh, and I have the impression that some of you... _may or may not_ hate me in this chapter. PLEASE DON'T THROW ME THINGS! Especially pointy or potentially dangerous ones! I wanna live~!**

 **K: ... Could we get on with the story, please? Or else _I'm_ gonna throw dangerous things at you...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Excitement overflowed the Merry as everyone scrambled to follow Nami's instructions of following Masira and Shojo.

Well, at least for a while. The majority of the crew had been standing around a chained South Bird trying to get it to point its head in any other direction... without success so far, much to the amusement of the goofy trio. The others, mainly Zoro and Koga, had been only standing there watching because listening to Masira and Shojo telling them how to determine the Knock-Up Stream had become boring.

That, and watching the South Bird trying to turn its head another way was funny as hell.

"Hey you! You wanna piss off our boss?!" Masira shouted, tired at getting their attention.

"Relax you people!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning heartily. "We can't be nervous all the time, right? Let's just take it easy and get there!"

"Mind I remind you who's the one that delayed us at the shore almost forty-five minutes?" Sanji glared at his captain, who gulped at the intensity of the look.

Koga chuckled before adding his two cents to the matter. "If there is four more hours before the Knock-Up Stream, getting nervous now would do nothing good. Let's go full speed ahead, but nice and easy."

Shojo's crew grunted in agreement before getting to work again, this time more relaxed.

* * *

"Guys! Your destination is right there!" Shojo suddenly exclaimed, after three hours of navigating and following the South Bird's indications. "Just get to the whirlpool and don't turn around!"

...

"Wait, WHIRLPOOL?! WE HAVE TO GET INTO A DAMN _WHIRLPOOL?_!" Nami's screech made Luffy laugh. Or maybe it was the whole situation that amused him.

There was still no sign of said whirlpool, but that didn't matter yet. Above them, the menacing black cloud that covered a huge portion of the sky and didn't let sunlight get through. The ever increasing waves that threatened to capsize their little ship and finish their adventure before it even began. For the moment, instead of wondering the dangers of _entering a whirlpool_ , the Straw Hat crew was more worried about not being thrown overboard.

"Navigator-san!" Robin called out. "Where's the Log Pose pointing to?"

'I wonder how that woman manages to stay so calm at all times?' Koga gritted his teeth as he held Chopper with one arm and grabbed the railing with the other, knees slightly bent.

"Straight to that cloud!" Nami answered, pointing at the cloud directly above them.

"Oi!" Luffy, from his seat on Merry's head, looked everywhere. "You're talking about a whirlpool, but where's the thing?!"

"It's nearby you lot! Looks like we're next to the hot spot, bro!" Masira answered from his ship, trying to be heard about the roaring waves and the growing distance between their ships.

"Yeah, the blast's strength is no problem either!" Shojo nodded.

A grin appeared on their captain's face. "So, we're gonna do it?"

"You bet you are!"

"Wait, what do we do next?!" Nami screamed.

"Just leave it to luck and let the waters lead you to your destination! Get as close to the whirlpool as you can and don't look back!"

'So far our luck only gave us problems...'

Masira even gave them a hand and grappled the front of their ship to drag them to the whirlpool's stream and give them a chance to go to Sky Island.

To be completely honest, Koga didn't feel that eager to go to the skies. They'd be hundreds of thousands of meters above the sea after all; _that_ was absolutely terrifying for any conscious person.

Of course, being the moron he was, Luffy was completely oblivious at that dangerous fact.

His personal 'danger alarm' began tingling as the view of the whirlpool they had to get into appeared before their stupefied eyes. The sea seemed in a disagreement about what to do with their small vessel, the waves pulling and pushing and threatening to drown them while at the same time being sucked into the whirlpool. Nami barked orders of hanging on whatever they could get a hold onto; an order most felt more than happy to oblige. Slowly, but surely, and among the deafening sound of the roaring sea, the Merry got sucked by the whirlpool, and Masira's hooks let go to avoid getting in too.

Reactions varied around the crew, of course. Sanji vowed over and over to protect the female members of their crew (one curious about the whole ordeal and the other gritting her teeth at the huge responsibility resting on her shoulders), Zoro and Koga mainly tried to stay onboard and keep up with everyone else's craziness, Usopp prayed to whatever God to keep them safe and alive after all this, Chopper could only stare speechless at everything...

And Luffy...

"WE'RE GOING TO SKY ISLAND! AHAHAHAHAHA~!" That idiot was simply having the time of his damn life, excitedly jumping and laughing at the mess.

"Will you grab a hold onto something before you get flown off you idiot?!" Koga roared growing shark-teeth and grabbing him by the back of his t-shirt.

A golden-purple striped giant Sea King suddenly boomed from underwater and tried to make them its meal, but the stream's power was too much even for it; knocked out by the sheer force of nature, it simply let itself be dragged around and sink back to the whirlpool.

"Bye bye guys!" The Straw Hat crew then heard Masira's voice -surely amp by his megaphone. "Now it's all up to you!"

Though with some difficulty, they could see the strange ships in the safe part of the sea, out of the whirlpool's reach.

Luffy grinned widely and waved with both arms over his head. "NICE! THANKS FOR THE RIDE HERE-!"

"COME ON, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! I'M SCARED _SHITLESS_ HERE!"

Of course, Usopp interrupted his captain's goodbyes with a reasonable reaction.

The Merry then veered dangerously, and the crew managed to tighten their grips on the various things around the deck (mainly, the railings and the battered main mast) as they got even further inside the whirlpool. Even though Usopp, Chopper and Nami tried to change Luffy's mind, it went into deaf ears (almost literally). Koga's alarms went crazy as they all saw the incoming darknes waiting for them.

Several things happened at once.

One, the ship suddenly left contact with the sea and stayed mid-air for a few seconds before gravity acted, dragging them all between screams towards the hole.

Two, at the rather shocking and sharp contact with the water, the giant whirlpool suddenly disappeared, the once violent sea calming at once.

Confused, everyone lifted from their crouched positions, looking around with wide eyes.

"That giant hole..." Usopp breathed, his limbs and voice shaky as he partly let go of the main mast he had been hugging all along. "Wha... What the hell happened?"

"Did... Did it fail?" Chopper muttered, still being held by Koga, who looked at the seemingly calm sea before a shudder went down his spine.

"... I doubt it..." He looked over at Nami with wide bicolored eyes, her confusion matching his. "I still feel danger..."

"Hold on..." The red-haired navigator whispered.

Not even a few seconds after she said that, the ship floor began shaking, and a feeling of the ship being _pushed from underwater_ made them yelp and grab again their support. The shaking was getting exponentially stronger by the second too, and Koga had to remember to keep his tongue behind his teeth so as not to bite it. Chopper hugged his waist tightly, burying his furry face into his stomach, and the chronicler tightened his grip too, mostly to reassure both him and the scared reindeer.

"It's beginning..." Nami managed to say among the shaking. He couldn't interpret what emotion coated her voice though. "The ocean floor completely erased that whirlpool!"

'The blast is coming...' Everyone thought.

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"WE FOUND YOU! STRAW HAT LUFFY!"

Suddenly, a creepily familiar voice called out from a black-flagged raft rowed by two men. On board, it carried the black-haired, bulky manfrom before, the one eating pie, along with other three (two rowing and the other standing beside the bulky man).

On the far left was a very large man with a nose slightly longer than normal, his face unshaven, and there were straight purple tattoos coming from his hairline to the corners of his eyes. He had long, curly, grey hair, and had a pallid look about him acting as though he was on the verge of death. He wore a black fur coat, a wide-brimmed, black beaten hat, and (even though Koga wasn't sure) what appeared to be a dark white hangman's noose around his neck.

At the bulky black-haired man's other side, a rather thin man of abnormal height, with light brown hair that hanged down to his lower neck. His eyebrows were furrowed in what looks like a saddened expression. The left lens of the black glasses he wore is a normal, rectangular eyepiece, but the right side is circular and holds what appeared to be a cross hair. He sported a large black hat, protruding out to both sides. He also a long black cape, under which he had on a button-up, pale lavender shirt with loose sleeves, and simple black pants, with a maroon belt with an aqua outline that went over a small portion of his shirt. On his feet he wore black shoes. A huge rifle was leaned against his shoulder. Evidently, that man was the sniper of that crew.

Finally, at the far right, there was an unusually big, tall, broad, broad-chested, broad shouldered, tan-skinned, muscular man, with a broad upper body and a thin lower body in comparison. He had curly violet hair reaching down to his shoulders and wore a dark brown mask with orange decorations on it, which covered the upper part of his face but revealed his eyes and his nose. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and a pair of white pants with ruffles coming from the base then reaching up to his knees; he also sported black bands tied around both elbows. He also appeared to be always wearing a championship belt, a belt which wrestlers only obtain from winning many matches or to show that they are extremely skilled in wrestling.

Now Koga didn't know if the alarms he kept hearing were from the impending geyser coming at them, or that crew. Sure, they looked insignificant (if they didn't take into account the huge-ass rifle or the fact that one of them carried a _championship belt_ ), but something about them (about their _captain_ ) had awoken some of his most primal instincts and urged him to _get away from them immediately_.

"That's the guy from Mock Town!" Nami exclaimed, recognizing him with a frown on her face.

"Who?" Sanji looked over at the approaching ship with a raised eyebrow and an unlit cigarette on his lips once more.

Koga's right hand holding the railing let go to grip _Sankaoken_ 's hilt, the other still keeping Chopper against his side; he scowled deeply and brought a sneer to his face.

'If only I had a middle-ranged or even a long-ranged weapon to end him...' He grimly thought.

"I came for your head of 100,000,000 Berri! Surrender yourself and no one will get hurt!" Surely the guy didn't feel the ominous aura-

... Wait, _100 million Berri_?!

Oblivious, Luffy put a hand over his straw hat. "Wait, my bounty? What do you mean, 100 million?"

"Luffy, you defeated a Goddamn _Shichibukai_." Koga deadpanned, still eyes locked on the black-haired man. "Obviously, the Government wouldn't stay quiet after this. But still, a hundred million Berri bounty on your head..."

"It's more than yours, no? Yours is fifty million Berri!" Luffy grinned at the blond writer, who sighed at his complete uncaring attitude at the situation.

"It is as the kid says! I see no one told you!" The man chuckled and showed two Wanted Posters of Luffy and Zoro, surprisingly. "Your head's worth a 100,000,000 Berri now! And Pirate Hunter Zoro, you're worth 60,000,000!"

Usopp rummaged through his orange satchel bag and retrieved a pair of binoculars to see the posters.

"It's true, the new Wanted posters are out!" He exclaimed. "Zoro, now you have a bounty!"

Enraged at that, Sanji jumped up the railing to the upper deck where Usopp was and slumped an arm over his shoulders. "What, wait a moment! What about me?! I have one, right?"

"Hm... Nope."

"Look closer!"

"Hm... No, you haven't."

"Of course, those are for what we did in Alabasta." Nami concluded, her face showing worry. "But 100,000,000..."

Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro cheered for their new bounties.

"Who-hoo~! 100,000,000! Did you hear? I'm 100,000,000 worth!"

The swordsman chuckled. "I'm a bit disappointed at my 60,000,000!"

"STOP ENJOYING THIS YOU TWO!" Nami roared with shark-teeth at the duo, who seemingly ignored her.

Then Usopp made a humming noise of confusion and lowered the binoculars.

"Hey, what about Koga? He has a 50,000,000 Berri bounty on his head! Why isn't his bounty here?"

The black-haired man lost his smile as he focused on the blond chronicler, and then smirked again, with even more maliciousness if possible.

"About that... Van Augur! You know what to do."

"Yes captain." The thin man wielding the rifle answered, swiftly but emotionless.

What happened next, it happened in matter of seconds.

First the man drove a knee to the planks of the raft with a small flourish of his black cape. Then he put ammo in his rifle and cocked it in a swift motion, and held the butt against his shoulder, his arms lifting the heavy-looking weapon seemingly without effort. He then aimed and _fired_.

 **BANG!**

Straight at Koga's head.

Stunned, the crew watched as Koga fell backwards to the floor, landing in a tight ball position and blood dripping from his blond hair, where the bullet had been directed to. No one moved, or even _breathed_ , as they watched the unmoving figure in the floor, face shadowed by his hair.

"The question is..." The man who had so carelessly and effortlessly ended his life then raised to his feet and hoisted his rifle over his shoulder, its mouth letting out smoke from the shot, "that that man's poster indicated 'Only Dead'. So, his bounty was only worth if we gave the Government his head, without anything attached to it."

Luffy's enraged face turned to the man, black eyes promising hell to the one that dared _touch his nakama_. Around him, Zoro took out his white katana with a sinister expression on his face, and Sanji scowled deeply as he threw the unlit cigarette, and even Usopp took out his slingshot while making sure to be standing behind three out of the Monster Quartet. Meanwhile, Nami and Chopper called out to Koga in anguish, the doctor trying to assess the injury. Robin stood behind them all, but raised her arms crossed to her chest with a slightly more serious expression than usual.

However, a direct shot to the head led to very few conclusions.

"Zehahahahahahaha! What's with that expression, Straw Hat?" The black-haired man laughed at Luffy's enraged expression, almost _demonic-looking._ "Gives me quite the _scare_. You can't blame a person for trying to make a living, man. Each and every one of us had done things that now one repents ever doing. But this..." He waved a hand at the expressionless Van Augur at his side, who faced the furious crew stonily, "this was a _necessity._ "

"Necessity?" Sanji snarled out, a vein beginning to pop in his forehead. He didn't get along _that_ well with Koga (certainly better than with the marimo but still...), but the cook wasn't in any way going to tolerate _this_.

"Oh yeah. See, according to the information I got, that guy right there had a demon inside. A _monster_. Which, in a way, makes him a monster himself. How much time do you think he had had left before his rampages kill everyone, including _all of you_? How much time before he loses his humanity and becomes a demon himself? Huh?"

"Th-that's a load of bullcrap!" Nami shouted, eyes wide in both shock and anger as she was kneeling beside Koga's head, a hand over his chest to check on his pulse. "Koga will always be Koga, not a demon or a monster!"

The man's smile turned into a full-fledged _grin_ , sending shudders down the navigator's spine at the evilness it exuded.

"Brave words, Nee-chan. But brave words don't make the message they hold _true_. I bet you've already seen him berserk in one or two occasions, am I wrong? You've already seen him corrupted, tainted, _twisted_. For now you've been lucky enough to get out alive and unharmed, but what about _next time_? Or the next? Because, let me assure you, _there would've been a next time._ He would run amok, destroying everything in his path, leaving a trail of blood and tears in his wake. He would've ended finishing everything he held dear. Including _you_."

Usopp's hands trembled as they held the slingshot, remembering that one time in Cocoyashi Island when Koga lost himself in his fury. True, he had recognized everyone, and knew who was enemy and who was an ally or friend, but... What if next time they wouldn't have been so lucky, as the man said? What if, in his blindness, Koga ended covered in a shroud of bloodthirst and fury so thick that would render him unable to recognize friend from foe.

But, even so... Each and every one of the Straw Hat crew trusted each other with their lives. That included Koga, of course. As he thought of that, the long-nosed teen looked up and at the others, finding identical expressions of determination mixed with rage.

They all agreed on Koga _not_ being a monster.

And well, if he _did_ become one, they'd find a way to recover him.

Suddenly, a groan interrupted the tension-filled silence. Startled, and of course pleasantly surprised, the crew turned as one to see Koga clutching his head and incorporating to sit on the deck; blood seeped and soaked his hand and t-shirt, but he was alive. _Alive!_

"Koga!" Usopp, Nami and Chopper exclaimed, huge grins on their faces as the reindeer hurried to keep him from falling over with his Heavy Point's arm around the chronicler's shoulders. Upon a closer inspection, though he seemed a bit disoriented and losing blood, the doctor observed that the bullet had only grazed the side of his head; narrowly missing, but at least didn't hit directly.

Though still enraged, Luffy allowed himself to relax when he saw Koga groggily waving a hand. Though only slightly. Zoro also retrieved his white katana back to its sheathe and Sanji put his hands back into his pants pockets. Robin uncrossed her arms, letting them rest around her waist in a half self-hug.

"Man, you sure like to talk, huh?" Koga groaned, one eye scrunched closed but smirking cockily at the wide-eyed man and the rest of his crew. Mainly Van Augur. "Usopp wouldn't have failed that one for sure."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" The long-nosed teen protested, albeit weakly as he still showed worry at the foggy eyes of his friend, who blinked trying to focus.

Van Augur narrowed his eyes and went back to one knee, rifle poised to point at him again. At that, the three combatants of the crew sent flaring glares at the sniper, _daring_ him to do that again in front of them and _hope_ to stay alive after.

"Still... We have bigger problems to tend to. So, if you'll excuse us..."

Koga's smirk turned into a full-fledged _grin_ as the tremors suddenly were felt even more intensely than before, momentarily forgotten in the whole ordeal. The water under the ship began rising and kept doing it steadily.

"The Knock-Up Stream is almost here!" They faintly heard Masira (or was it Shojo?) shout at them.

"Everyone brace yourselves on the ship or get into the cabin!" Sanji screamed, making sure his dears Nami-swan and Robin-chwan were safely secured.

As one, the Straw Hat crew put their asses on move, Chopper keeping his Heavy Point to support both himself and an obviously disoriented Koga; he still tried to protest, but the wobbly legs and spinning head didn't exactly help support his argument against a dead-set doctor.

But...

"You! Pie-ossan!"

Luffy was the only one who still hadn't grabbed a hold onto something. Instead, he was still standing in the upper deck near the Merry's figurehead, _glaring_ down at the black-haired man with an expression that didn't promise just pain and hell.

It directly sent a _death warrant_.

"You're now my enemy!"

Just like that, Monkey D Luffy made himself enemy of one of his soon-to-be archenemies. He wouldn't forgive _anyone_ who dared lay a hand on his nakama. Ever.

The black-haired man looked surprised for a moment, but then let out a booming laugh, not answering to the threat.

The rumbling and the shaking increased in intensity, until...

 _ **BOOOOOOM!**_

A massive tower of water that connected sky and sea literally _exploded_. It detonated with an incredible force, the discharged energy of that massive force managing to make the Merry stick to the waters and allow them to _sail vertically._ Less luck had the black-haired man and his companions, as his wooden raft was literally shredded by the sheer force, unprepared of what had been about to come.

But no one in the Straw Hat crew gave a damn for them, as they were too preoccupied in holding onto the handrails or leaning back against the walls. Well, everyone except Usopp and Koga; the former was literally holding for dear life to the railing with all his strength, and the latter being supported by Chopper, who in turn held onto the main mast with his free muscular arm. All the while, Luffy had forgotten everything about the man and was excitedly flailing his arms around and screaming, cheering on the Merry to keep them flying up to the skies.

Suddenly, Nami's head snapped up.

"The wind..." She murmured, grabbing Sanji's attention of course.

"Nami-san?"

"GO MERRY!"

Their problems didn't end yet. With the impulse, the hull started to lift and threatened to turn the ship upside-down, much to everyone's panic. After all, if it _did_ turn, they would literally find the Knock-Up Stream in their faces. However, the Sea King that had been dragged into the whirlpool before falling back down into the sea at a frightening speed.

"It's not long before we end up like that thing!" Sanji warned everyone.

As if they needed another pessimist voice in the crew.

"Butwe got all the thrust from that blast! I don't see what we can do now!" Zoro argued.

Admittedly, he was right? What _could_ they do, except hoping the Knock-Up Stream had enough power to send them up there instead of plummeting them down to the abyss below? It didn't help that previous ships that attempted to go up the stream (and failed) started falling on them. Whether it was the hull betraying them and turning the ship around or the wrecked ships that fell on them, Koga wasn't sure which one would be the cause of their fall.

He certainly hoped neither.

"RELEASE THE SAILS! NOW!"

Nami, with her characteristic navigator voice, suddenly put a stop to the wave of despair that had begun to dominate them. Shocked at her sudden confidence, they turned to see her with a grim expression on her face.

"I know what I'm going to say will sound absurd, but we're still in the sea! It's a water current! Plus, the wind blowing upwards is here thanks to that geothermal explosion and the vapor! So, as long as we have wind and sea, we can sail!"

"Nami..." Usopp muttered, blinking at her.

"Who's the navigator around here?!"

Silence. Then, smiles and grins crept everyone else's faces. She had efficiently put a stop to their doubts and desperation by assuming control of the ship. That was what they needed the most right now.

"That's what I call dynamism. You heard her boys!" Koga exclaimed, though winced a bit at his own loud voice (not to mention the overall loud roar of the Knock-Up Stream). "Get ready to burst or get into Sky Island!"

"YEAH!"

"Koga, if you're okay enough, get to the helm and keep us on course!" Nami ordered, and Chopper took the duty to take the writer to the helm. "There's wind coming from starboard! Put the hull straight with the stream!"

"Alright!"

With the crew thus occupied, the sails unfurled and kept the ship on course. But instead of making back contact with the water of the Knock-Up Stream, the ship kept hovering over it, and not quite throwing them to the sea below to certain death.

They were _flying_! Right above the vertical stream!

"WE'RE FLYING! AWESOME! INCREDIBLE!" Luffy exclaimed, a wide grin threatening to split his face in two.

Relegated from his duties at the helm by Chopper, Koga smirked as the wind blew behind them and shook his blue scarf.

'So this is what a bird feels when flying...' He opened his arms wide to either side of him, enjoying the wind billowing and shaking his clothes and hair. 'Ah, I feel good... I love this! I want to experience this again soon!'

With the whole excitement and runs, the Cumuloregalis went by faster than expected. As the Merry and the crew onboard pierced right into the cloud, an amorphous white mass surrounding them everywhere in the process, zipping past them at a high speed. Everyone held onto the railings the tightest they could, hoping it would be over soon.

Koga had his back against the wall, but soon felt, as they got closer to the final stretch of the cloud, that he felt a sudden lack of air and he couldn't say anything. He gasped and grabbed his own throat, trying to draw breath, but couldn't. Soon his own vision darkened, and the altitude plus the head injury effectively knocked him out.

He was already unconscious by the moment they finally got out from the cloud into the unknown.

* * *

Admittedly, he had better ways of waking up. It certainly _didn't_ include a massive headache and an overexcited Luffy who just couldn't shut up for a minute.

"Urgh... Keep it down, Luffy, please..." He groaned, a hand going to his head, immediately letting go when his fingers grazed his injury. "Ow..."

"Don't move, Koga." Chopper's voice came from his right, the same side his head injury was. "I have to stitch this and then wrap a bandage around your head."

Even lying on the infirmary bed (most likely the good reindeer brought him here once everyone got here safe), the chronicler felt his body tense up.

"... Stitches?"

"Of course! I need to close your injury before it gets infected! Plus it's a head injury, and it's very dangerous leaving it unattended." From the corner of his eye, the writer saw Chopper sterilizing a needle and getting ready to sew him up. "Okay, now don't move a muscle."

Stiff as a board, the chronicler clenched his teeth each time he felt the small prickle of the needle entering his skin and slowly closing the wound. At one time Chopper protested about him clenching his jaw too hard, but eventually gave up as it didn't hinder his job much.

Eventually he finished, and after cleaning the wound once more, he wrapped a bandage around his head.

"Done. How are you feeling?"

"Ugh... I'm okay." The blond writer sat up and gingerly touched the bandage.

"Koga..." The reindeer directed a harsh glare at him, and he sighed.

"Dizzy. And my head hurts a little. But I'm alright, really."

Now it was Chopper's turn to sigh as he took an aspirin and gave it to him with a glass of water. After making a quick check-up on him, the doctor finally rendered him good to go, but advised him to take it easy for a few hours at least.

'Around this crew, unlikely.'

The rest of the crew looked happy once they looked and saw him up and unharmed (apart from the bandage around his head). He smirked and raised a hand in greeting.

"How did you do that?" Sanji asked after they all calmed down and crowded around him. "Back then, we thought you..."

Remembering what happened, his expression went deadly serious as the others glanced at him.

"... At the moment I thought I was a goner too." He admitted, a hand lifting to touch the bandage again. "If I was able to survive that, it was merely thanks to my reflexes. That, and my intuition warning me in the nick of time."

"Good thing it did then!" Usopp breathed in relief.

"The shot did manage to knock me out momentarily though. I couldn't wake up until a good moment later. I'm really ashamed of that."

"What's important is that you're okay!" Luffy grinned.

"Yeah, though you gave us quite a scare here!" Usopp clapped Koga's back with a huge smile, earning an insecure smirk in return. "Look at this! Look at the Sea of Clouds!"

As the sniper and the captain took him away (followed by Chopper), the rest of the crew locked gazes and unanimously agreed on keeping what the black-haired man said after Koga's knockout between them. No need to put yet another burden on their friend's shoulders, they thought.

The landscape they were on could be summarized with a simple word: white. Everywhere they looked, they only saw an indescribably beautiful white. Merry, more or less intact (it had lost its wings) found itself resting about the clouds, as if it were a regular sea. They could even feel a small rocking beneath their feet similar to the waves of the regular sea.

"So this is the celestial sea, right?" Koga breathed, taking in the vast whiteness.

"But the Log Pose's still pointing up." Nami held up her arm, showing the Log Pose with its needle still pointing up. Robin thinks we're at a middle section of the Cumuloregalis."

"Hm." The chronicler held a hand to his chin, looking at the needle.

"By the way, you may want to change clothes, Koga." Zoro pointed at his shoulder when he glanced at the swordsman in question. "Your t-shirt is a bit soaked in blood."

"... Oh."

In fact, it was. Even his scarf had a bit of blood too, much to his disgust. He agreed on changing, and looked at the three goofy boys (Usopp had decided to take a swim) before going to the men's quarters to get changed.

He had a bit of a hard time deciding what to wear, but in the end he chose a sleeveless black shirt with a funnel-like collar, with white trousers that are black from the knee down and just a little short of being full length jeans. On the front of his collar, two short strips of grey material adorned with rivets stretch down fro, the top of the collar to the breast of his shirt. Of course, his trusty black combat boots and his light blue scarf were still on his person.

At Usopp's panicked scream, he hurried back on board... to find a soaking sniper throwing away a fish and curling into a ball in the deck, muttering incoherent mumbles under his breath in a frenzy.

"... Do I dare ask?" He sighed looking at the others. Luffy was, of course, laughing his ass off at his friend's predicament.

"Apparently, this sea doesn't have a floor, and we had to fish him out." Nami sighed too.

"So, this is a celestial fish..." Robin commented, crouching and grabbing the madly wiggling fish trying to get undersea once more. "That exquisite fish Norland wrote about in his diary... Since this sea has no bottom, it must've adapted to it in order to survive."

"Like turning into a balloon or having a flat body?" Zoro suggested.

"Yes, to be lighter. Looks like it's easier to sink in this sea than in ours." The archaeologist noticed then something on the fish. "Its scales look like feathers... Doesn't seem edible to me."

Koga smirked as Luffy snatched the fish out of her hands and passed it to Sanji. "With Sanji around, there's no food that's not edible."

"You'll get nothing with compliments, shitty bleached head."

"What'd you call me?" He growled, but at his headache decided to let it be (for now). As they enjoyed the fish, Koga noticed Chopper with Usopp's binoculars looking around. "Found something, Chopper?"

"Not yet... Hold on!" He stopped somewhere to their right. "I found a ship and... a person...?"

Face scrunched in confusion and worry, the writer saw him go pale and stutter. Sensing problems, he got up from the seat and approached him, putting a hand over his shoulder.

"You okay?"

He still stuttered, before letting out a scream.

"What what? What's the problem?" Sanji and Zoro went to check on him, alerted by his screams.

"Guys! There's a ship nearby! Well, there _was_ , but it's not there anymore! And then there's a bull coming here in a squared cloud and-!"

"Chopper, you're not making any sense." Koga tried to calm him down as the rest approached. "Breathe."

Just then, they heard a strange noise (like a buzzing, but stronger) rapidly approaching them. Koga was the first to turn to see whatever was coming, and saw what looked like a man with a tribal mask resembling a bull sliding through the clouds in their direction.

It didn't take long for the unknown person (a man or a woman?) to reach them. Koga then noticed that they were carrying a huge bazooka, making him and everyone else to be on guard. Well, except Usopp of course.

"What do you want?" Sanji drawled, poised for an attack.

"I shall reject you!" The now confirmed man yelled.

The Monster Quartet acted as fast as ever, but their plans turned ineffective that time. The bullmasked man quickly dispatched Sanji with a powerful kick that sent him slamming into the storage room's walls; same went for Zoro, who was also sent crashing to the main mast, that dangerously bent at the force of the kick. Koga didn't have any chance too as a massive blow to the side of the head almost knocked him out (fortunately it wasn't the same side of the bullet wound) but left him out of the battle temporarily.

The guy jumped high into the air to avoid Luffy's enraged punches and cocked his bazooka to shoot at them.

"That's enough!" An unknown, elderly man's voice boomed then.

A lance appeared then to pierce the masked man, but it was blocked by the orange shield he was carrying. Seeing his mission turned to be troublesome, the masked man clicked his tongue and pummeled into the water, soon skiing off into the distance.

Their savior grunted as he incorporated. Once the crew looked at him, they noticed he was an old man of average height with long white hair, mustache, and beard. He was wearing a metal armor with a dark red shirt, and brown pants. The knight's visor was pulled up. He wore a long dark blue cloak that was yellow on the inside and at the back. A cawing noise let them know the presence of a a large pink bird with a red polka dot pattern on his body. He was solid red on the sides of his head, the back of his head, and on his horn-like ears. He also had bandages wrapped around his torso. He had a tab face, with a yellow beak.

"W-w-w-w-who are you?" Usopp asked, terrified, at the newcomer.

Even with the danger passed, the others were still on guard. The old man, standing on the handrail and his gaze into the distance, suddenly turned at the sound of Usopp's voice.

"I am the Knight of the Sky."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **L: Hope you liked it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-Zelga Lim Li: Okay! I'll do it after Brook's then. I think first is Sabaody, and then Impel Down. Sorry, can't reveal anything~! Though I think Ace's death was a huge boost to Luffy's confidence and also the incentive to become even stronger (plus it's one of the few times I saw Luffy really seeing himself as weak) I will _try_ to save Ace. Emphasis on _try_.**

 **-Stargaze Valintime: Hehe, babysitters!**

 **K: I don't need babysitters, dammit!**

 **L: Yes you do. Sometimes you forget about yourself. Well, Koga and Yuuto remember, but their memories are clouded (Koga doesn't remember who's the one that shot him, for example), whereas Angela was too young to really remember, and the shock made the brain erase the memory on its own volition. Thanks! I got them good ^^! Not great, but at least good hehe!**

 **-King0fp0wers: Hey King, welcome back! Ikr, a comfy couch, a good book and sweets. Yummy.**

 **K: Technically, they couldn't, because they would be in a dimension they're not familiar with. What they could do, is live inside a host for several years (normally until the host died from old age or other circumstances) until they can break free and roam the world.**

 **L: *sweatdrops a bit* However, they couldn't live on their own for long here before having to inhabit another body. Plus their powers are minimized once in the human world in comparison with the demonic world. Think about it this way: demons are essentially souls coming from another world into one ruled by 'physical' entities (humans, animals and plants). It's like trying to combine death and life in a single world. It would cause a catastrophe. And although he's been living as a soul for fifty years and roaming the world in search of his body, Brook was originally human, and that's why his soul wasn't affected by this.**

 **K: What a long explanation.**

 **L: Yeah, I guess... Yep, I did! Everyone in the Grand Line had at least heard about Enies Lobby ^^! Sorry, but it had to be done! You're right, I still have to introduce five Demon Princes' people... Ugh, what a pain...**

 **K: You're sounding like that kid from that anime you liked so much before it ended...**

 **L: Yeah, he's losing it... Let's hope everyone can save him before that. Yeah, nicely handled Luffy! You didn't have to knock Koga out! And yes they do! Though you'll see that Koga's not very good at remembering faces xD**

 **K: *hides blush behind the scarf* Shut up already.**

 **L: Well, there is gonna be danger of course, but I wanted everyone to be more or less at their best form before going to Koga's storyline. That's why I posted the question. Huh, you have pretty good ideas! We'll see soon what to do.**

 **K: A thing you should already know about Author: they LOVE to make me suffer. So, at least a couple arcs I'll be suffering.**

 **L: I'm not THAT bad! ... Though I won't discard that thought. Don't worry, Mifune and Angela will appear again!** **Well I'll be reading you soon! Peace!**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Hey Tengu!**

 **K: Angela's a strong kid. Plus she has Mifune with her.**

 **L: Haha, you're right! Dr. Sanji's so unique xD We'll see about him fighting the dog or not...**

 **K: Just so you know, I'm not really comfortable with that idea.**

 **L: Hm, Akim Papladon... Yeah I know of him. You know, I might do something even better than just giving him a fleeting role in Thriller Bark, but you'll have to wait and see~!**

 **-Boopadoop: Hey Boop! Thanks so much! Did I ever tell you that I get super happy whenever I see one of your reviews? Well, now you know xD Ikr, Koga-kun's creating a small family wherever he goes xD**

 **K: Leave me alone, both of you. The only thing Author thinks about is in new ways of torturing me. With time, I get so disgusted by what I see that I practically don't have anything else to do...**

 **L: Hahahaha, I always loved that anime! Though I quickly lost interest in the fic, as you can see (only published two chaps before quitting). I am lazy.**

 **K: Yes you are.**

 **L: *sobs a bit* You're not helping with my self-esteem...**

 **-seblackburn4: Hi, welcome! Thank you very much! You'll see. After Brook huh. Roger! And you're right he can be helpful. So I'll be seeing you soon, hope you continue liking my fic~!**

 **-Guest-san: Ikr, it was like 'wait, that's it? You caught it?' It was hilarious. Thank you! Yeah, Mifune keeps a lot of secrets... Alright, after Brook then. Yeeeeaaah, another Oc... Okay, I'll figure something out.**

 **K: 100 Year Form? What kind of beast is that?**

 **L: ... Nothing you should be concerned with. For the moment.**

 **K: ... Great. Just, great.**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	56. Gates of Heaven

**56\. Gates of Heaven**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Alright, new debate topic! Should I or should I not let Ace live? BAM! Direct question to your faces xD I personally think (though I really like him, promise) that Ace should NOT live. For many reasons.**

 **1\. Luffy recognizes his weakness before the monsters of the New World and matures after Ace's death. Well, a bit. Also, he becomes quite strong.**

 **XXXMAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ/WATCHED THE DRESSROSA ARC!XXX**

 **2\. Without his death, Sabo wouldn't remember that Ace's his brother, or Luffy for that matter. Thus, their re-encounter at Dressrosa wouldn't have taken place.**

 **3\. Also, the event Donquixote Doflamingo organizes to lure Luffy has Ace's Devil Fruit as trophy.**

 **XXXNOW'S SAFE, SPOILERS ARE OVERXXX**

 **Not many reasons to keep Ace dead, but there are damn pretty much justified I think. And um, about why I want to keep him alive... The only reason I have is because I like him. That's it. But I wanna know what YOU guys have to say of the matter! I already know Zelga Lim Li's and King0fP0wers' opinions on the matter (thanks guys by the way). I did say I would try to make Ace survive, but until now I haven't found either the reasons or the method to do it so without messing up with all the consequences. So... Yeah. Thoughts?**

 **OH! A little heads up: this chapter MAY OR MAY NOT be a little disturbing. Nothing too explicit, but... Well, it's not really enjoyable.  
**

 **You may have noticed that the fic is turning darker and darker the further I write. Also, at the beginning the rate was simply K. I recently raised it to T for good measure. I won't raise it to M because I don't deem it necessary. This is a fic of demons, folks; demons are not good people.**

* * *

Relieved that the masked guy had already left, and thankful that the armored old knight resulted to be an ally, Koga and the other members of the Monster Quartet tried to regain their breath as Nami berated them for being weak. Sure, it was four against one, but the air was too constricting and their muscles didn't move the way they used to.

"So you're from the Sea Below?"

The old man got properly on board, sitting down on the railing, and glanced around at the crew and the small vessel, seemingly interested. Apparently, the dwellers from the surface were called like this from the cloud inhabitants: Sea Bellow inhabitants.

"I suppose you arrived here from the Blue Sea, did you not? Not surprising to me... Listen, this is the White Sea, located seven kilometers above your Sea Below. Higher above us lies the White-White Sea, ten kilometers away from the ground. The point is, this environment is very bad for you Blue Sea Dwellers-"

"Okay, I think I'm getting used to this now." Luffy cheered and pounded his chest, leaping to his feet, shortly followed by the other three members of the Monster Quartet.

Th Knight's eyes grew wide as the four stood as if completely recovered.

"No-no-no-no, that's not possible."

"We can hold our own, old man." Koga shrugged, watching him warily and making sure his bandage around his head didn't come off.

"Hm..." He narrowed his eyes at them. "It seems you are more special than I thought you would be. Very well, then I'll get straight to business. I'm a free agent working in a sea of many dangers. Since you know nothing about sky battles, if you're not careful, you'll become easy prey to guerrilla soldiers or celestial fish. But one call, and I will save you for the price of five million Extols."

Koga deadpanned. He didn't know what 'Extols' were, but five million sounded excessive!

At the oblivious looks he got, the old man blinked in confusion. "You mean you did not come from the High West? You must have stopped in at least one or two islands before you got here, did you not?"

"W- Wait a second!" Nami stepped in in surprise. "There are _other ways_ to get here?! One or two islands... You mean there are more than one Sky Island?!"

Something seemed to click in the old man's mind as he watched them with renewed bewilderment and awe.

"For you to ask that many questions... Don't tell me you boarded the..."

"If you mean the Knock-Up Stream, then yes, we used it to get here." Robin stated with a serene smile on her face.

"You faced that monstrosity of a current? I thought there were no more brave souls to do such an absurdity..."

Koga snorted as he thumbed at their captain. "I think stupidity is his second name. And what he says goes. Most of the times, anyway."

Said idiot couldn't say anything in his defense, as Nami had grown a crying rage fit and was currently plummeting him for risking all their lives unnecessarily when there was a far safer way to get up there. If they had only known... but information was denied from them.

"Did you lose any crewmate?" The knight asked.

"Huh? Ah, no, we didn't. Everyone's here." Usopp replied.

"That's a relief. Just so you know, you wouldn't be so lucky on the other routes. If you brought a hundred people, it'd be a gamble to know how many would survive the trip, but it wouldn't be the same hundred, I assure you. With the Knock-Up Stream, either everyone does it or they all die. However, just a few souls are willing to risk losing it all, especially in the past few years. I respect confident navigators like you."

Hearing those words of praise, Koga smirked somewhat warmly. He still felt dizzy, his limbs felt heavy, and moments before the Knock-Up Stream he had unaccountably avoided death; but still, somewhat having taken that bet of 'All or Nothing' really paid off. True, they had to face immense peril in which they had bet their very lives, but they were midway their destination; they fared even better than most valiant crews that attempted their same route... without success.

He even had begun to think that luck was really on their side.

 _Huhuhuhuhu. You have the Devil's own luck._

At the familiar voice that suddenly popped up in his head, the blond chronicler froze. He lost all sense of reality as the darker, _more malefic_ voice of _Sankaoken_ filled his mind, dragging him back to the dark corner of his mind he absolutely despised.

When the writer opened his eyes, he saw the familiar landscape. A dark sky, illuminated only by a gigantic blood red crescent moon, no clouds or stars to outshine its gloominess. He stood on a black rock, isolated from other larger pieces of rock disseminated through all the infinite landscape by black flames and red lava flowing freely through the cracks. The air was stinky and hot, and the only sounds filling the air (apart from the occasional bubbles from the lava) were distant cries coming from somewhere under his feet and rusty chains being dragged on stone floor.

"Huhuhuhuhu."

Oh, and a demon's laughter.

His face showing the disgust he felt, Koga slowly turned his head around to watch the demon tied to his soul. But instead of the red-skinned midget with a creepily wide smile that occupied his mind, now stood a very tall, thin, pale young man. He had black hair with each strand looking strangely like a vertical eye, and red lifeless eyes. He wore numerous long white scarves, encircling his entire neck and a large portion of his head, and upwards of five to six shirts on his body, each of varying style and color. Even this significant amount of clothing was covered by a further layer; consisting of a red and black pinstriped blazer, as well as an extremely long pair of dark trousers, burying the black shoes worn underneath in a mass of fabric.

He didn't want to admit it, but when Koga locked eyes with that man's eyes, dread and fear for his own life and _sanity_ overflowed him for a moment.

"Not what you were expecting?" The voice, too, sounded changed, and the smile; both looked even _deadlier_ than before.

 _Everything_ had changed.

"Who are you?" Koga asked...

... Or tried to, considering his mouth wouldn't open and not a single word came out of it. His eyes widened as his fingertips flew to his lips; they were sewn. He even felt the small trails of blood. But no pain came from his newfound injuries. His wrists and ankles, he then found, had extremely tight manacles that bit into his skin. He was dressed in nothing but rags that covered his midsection.

"Ah ah ah." The man waved a finger at him. "Now this is my realm. Whether you talk or not, I'll be the judge for that."

Even slightly shaking at his sheer power (he hadn't realized he had been doing that), the chronicler managed to glare at him.

"It is true that this is the first time that you see me in my real form, but that is no reason to see me with that expression on your face." The man tilted his head to the side.

Even so, Koga's glare intensified.

That demon... He had lied. He had lied _all along._ How many things he told him were true or not? He lied about his powers, about his origins... What else?

But then again, he _was_ a demon. Being dishonest was one of their traits after all.

The man -demon- drew a creepily wide smile that Koga recognized from the red-skinned midget and tilted his head to the side.

"You already owe me your life twice, shitty host. That sniper would've blown your head off if it weren't for me."

At those words, the pirate's mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It was just for a fraction of a second, but it served to get your sorry ass out of the bullet's way. You're welcome, by the way. Not that I expected a 'thank you' from you anyways." He shrugged his thin shoulders. "But then again, without me, your head would now be just a splotch of blood on your ship's planks, and your pathetic bunch of misfits you call your 'nakama' would cry over your headless body."

'So that means beheading is a way of killing us?' Koga quickly caught on the hint, eyes widening at the revelation. 'Then... There _is_ a way of killing us!'

As if disappointed, the man shook his head clicking his tongue. "You got it wrong, brat. _You_ would've died. Not me. The reason I saved you... is because there is no necromancer nearby to liberate me from your dead body. As you can imagine, troublesome."

'I supposed it would be for a selfish reason that you saved me.'

Up until now, Koga had compiled three ways of dying.

1\. The same way he had died before. By a traitorous shot in the back, just on the mark.

2\. Having his demon forcefully extracted from him.

3\. Being beheaded/his head blown off.

However, in those three methods, only one implied the demon's death too; the first one. Because of the demon keeping Koga alive, repeating the exact same action that got him killed (including the act of treason, though he couldn't remember just _who_ betrayed him) would render the demon's powers useless, and the Contract would be nullified. For a demon, a Contract was his very lifetime; once broken, nothing could be remedied, and his very existence would be banished.

That was the reason that, though tricky creatures, demons would _always_ be faithful to their Contracts. Not necessarily to the one he made the Contract with, but the terms implied in It.

However, that didn't mean that they couldn't... modify the terms at their will, giving them different interpretations.

In Koga's case, the term was simply 'keeping him alive from the shot wound that almost killed him'; the demon's purpose was to keep the blood vessels around his heart (that were almost destroyed by the bullet that almost ended his life) from capsizing. That didn't mean 'keeping him _from harm_ '. So, the demon briefly controlled Koga to avoid getting a bullet through the head, but allowed a graze to the side of the head.

'It could've been worse.' Koga begrudgingly admitted. The demon could've thought that having-

... Wait a minute.

If Koga died from that bullet wound, then the demon wouldn't have had to avoid the blood vessels from capsizing. Meaning, the Contract would've been nullified.

Meaning, the demon _would've died too_ if the bullet had hit its mark.

He smirked. 'Gotcha.'

"What?" The demon raised a hairless eyebrow at that triumphant smile. "What do you mean by 'Gotcha', shitty host?"

'You saved me because you would've died too if you didn't. Not because you would've been trapped in my body.'

The pale man's face turned into a frown as his host's smirk widened in defiance.

'Seems like you're bust-'

A growl of pain went muffled through his sewn lips, dropping down to his knees as lightning shot up from the manacles around his wrists and ankles, his muscles involuntarily shaking. He let out a relieved groan when the lightning ended, his forehead resting against the hot stone as he half-listened the demon snickering above his head.

"Be careful, shitty host. Let me remind you that _this_ is my realm. Here, you're _my_ prisoner. And I can destroy your mind in any way I please."

Steps approached the hunched figure and an abnormally cold hand grasped his blond hair, raising his head to look each other in the face. Koga's was slightly scrunched from the pain, but still managed to give a half-hearted glare of hatred at the demon.

"Not every part of your mind belongs to _you_. This little space... is _mine_."

And then, the ground shook.

No. Not only the ground. The lava steaming below them, the rocks, even the _sky above_... The whole dark world shook.

Once. Twice. Three times. Then it stopped.

"Hm." The demon let go of Koga's hair (who managed to sit upright and not slump over again) and glanced up at the red moon. "Looks like some part of your subconscious _does_ have a little control over my small realm. A futile attempt... but might prove troublesome if I retain you here for a long time."

He seemed to debate with himself as he caressed his chin with long, slender fingers, before once more shrugging his thin shoulders. "Oh well. A shame I can't keep you here any longer." He turned to the writer and smirked down at him. "Well, I suppose I'll see you next time, shitty host. And as they say... _Bon voyage!"_

And the demon kicked him in the chest, throwing him into the river of lava behind him. Because of his sewn lips, he couldn't scream.

Koga closed his eyes tightly upon the first contact with the lava...

... And in the next moment, he found himself staring at the worried faces of the crew.

Confused, he blinked once, twice, before he abruptly sat upright, fingers frantically looking for the seams closing his lips and the manacles holding his wrists prisoner. They were gone. He then looked over his body, finding no trace of burns or anything that indicated that he had just fell into a river of lava...

Only then did he notice that he was on the Merry; in the infirmary's room, to be precise, and he had been lying down on the bed.

"... ga! Koga!"

"Huh?" Wide-eyed, his breath slightly ragged, the chronicler turned towards the concerned-looking crew. Chopper sat right beside him, Nami and Usopp just behind the little doctor. The other three members of the Monster Quartet, along with Robin, stood at the far back of the room, silent but watching him closely with blank faces.

"Koga." Chopper's stern voice made the writer turn his bewildered gaze to the reindeer, still figuring out what was going on. "When you're not feeling well, you have to tell me _right away_. I can't help you if you keep your secrets to yourself; even more if they hurt you."

The chronicler visibly swallowed, before attempting a closed-eye smile at the reindeer. "I told you already, I'm feeling fine-"

"Falling unconscious while conversing with the Sky Knight is _not_ feeling fine!" Nami roared in anger. Koga dropped the smile attempt, surprised at her outburst, and she calmed herself before continuing with a censoring look on her face. "You had a small fever, and you were thrashing and mumbling to yourself. You looked like in pain."

For some moments, Koga merely returned his look at her and the others, before he bit his lower lip and glanced away.

By chance, his gaze fell on the rusty katana someone had put at the feet of the bed. A small tendril of darkness fleetingly flared around the sheath before disappearing. The writer's face hardened, his hands closing into fists around the sheet covering him.

"... It's the demon, right?"

Zoro's voice snapped him out of his reverie, but didn't make him take his eyes off the katana. He refused to answer or look at his nakama, hoping the truth wouldn't be brought out to light by the swordsman's speculations.

He heard Sanji sigh.

"Mifune told us to keep an eye on you." This time, Koga closed his eyes with a grimace. But the flow of words didn't stop. "To avoid you snapping. He said we had to avoid you killing anyone... That it would make you lose yourself." A silence, probably to see how the blond reacted. "Of course, we promised we would. Not that we needed an incentive to keep you at bay."

"We were going to help you anyways." He felt a soft hand (maybe Nami's) resting on his arm. But still, he didn't acknowledge their concern. "Please Koga... Tell us what's wrong."

How could he tell them? How could he tell that he was slowly losing it? That the demon inside him was slowly gaining territory on his mind? That he was even able to snatch away his consciousness at will, even if it was for a few minutes...

His head tilted forward, hiding his eyes under the bangs of blond hair. His hands slightly trembled, both for the pressure he implied in gripping the sheet and the -though not admitted to himself- slight fear flowing through his veins.

No. He couldn't tell them.

He couldn't bear becoming a monster. But admitting it to his nakama... They would change their view on him. They would start to mistrust him, to watch him closely, to snatch away his freedom.

It would devastate him.

And so, his mouth let out another lie, to cover all of his other lies.

"... I'm fine."

He forced himself to let go of the sheet. He forced himself to open his eyes, to raise them to his face-stoned nakama, to direct them another fake smile. To dismiss their worry with another lie.

To feel himself like trash at their side because of not being able to tell what was going wrong with him.

To be a _coward_.

"Everything's okay now."

Would he ever look at his nakama with truthful eyes? Would he ever say that phrase and say nothing but truth?

He didn't know. And the uncertainty was what was killing him inside.

No matter how many questions they asked, how different approaches they tried, Koga remained adamant and reiterated his well-being at his nakama. His falsity was worthy of an actor, even though the keenest members of the crew saw right through his lies and fake smiles that he used.

The writer managed nonetheless to direct the topic away from himself, instead asking what had been happening during his unconscious state.

Turned out, not much had happened. After his inexplicable fainting (which lasted about an hour or so), the Sky Knight advised them to go look for Heaven's Gates before flying off with his trusty mount, promising to aid them next time they used the whistle he lent them. Before they departed though, the whole crew decided to wait and raise anchor once he regained his consciousness.

Their touching gesture almost made Koga regret his decision of protecting them by not telling anything. _Almost_. The demon's malicious eyes reinforced his will before his mouth betrayed him.

After a quick check-out made by Chopper, he deemed the writer good to go after giving him some painkillers for his head.

Not even ten minutes later, the Straw Hat pirates were on the move once more, towards some strange clouds Chopper warned them of. It looked like a waterfall cloud, with a cloud seemingly moving vertically from up to down. They couldn't get to the waterfall, however, as two giant clouds that mounted some sort of barrier and that floated above the sea stopped them.

Of course, at the sight of those strange clouds, Luffy couldn't help but to volunteering in 'investigating them'. Koga smiled warmly as he used his 'Gum gum pistol' to reach the clouds, bouncing on top of them as if they were balloons. Luckily, he wouldn't sink anytime soon. Chopper and Usopp, excited at the whole adventure, couldn't help but to join in, and the chronicler watched with a serene smile their naivete.

"Hm..." Nami mumbled from beside him, narrowing her brown eyes at the floating clouds. "If these clouds keep floating here, we won't get through... Hey guys!" She raised her voice to the Idiotic Trio. "You're there already, so could you please go around and search another route we can go through?"

Koga smirked at her. "What, you managed to tell them 'please'?"

She sent a seething glare at him while Luffy, Usopp and Chopper disappeared behind the clouds. "I can be kind too, you know. Don't you dare imply otherwise."

His smirk widened, but stayed quiet. Not worth risking his life.

They walked on the bouncy clouds, searching alternate paths. When they returned to the ship, they said they discovered a giant gate-like structure nearby the waterfall cloud. Thus, the Merry sailed on a slow journey, sneaking through the gaps between the elastic clouds and getting to a section of open sea where the tunnel they spotted indeed was, immediately leading the pirate crew to classify it as a human construction. The waterfall, away on the horizon before, now showed its true size and stateliness, falling right behind the tunnel which carried the banner 'Heaven's Gate'.

"'Heaven's Gate'? Aw man..." Usopp protested, putting a hand on his head. "The entrance to the heavens? What a tasteless joke! Sounds like we're dead and going to the afterlife!"

"What's wrong about it? What if we actually are dead and going to the afterlife?"

Koga sent a warning glare at Zoro. He actually _knew_ more about life and death, and a bit of what was beyond (he had seen just a glimpse, but was enough to form an idea).

"That's right..." Oblivious, the swordsman continued. "The weirdness we saw so far would make sense if we were..."

 ** _Pinch._**

"Ouch! What was that for?"

Not so subtly, Koga had decided to cut him short by forcefully pinching his arm, and he directed a deadpanned glare at his angered one.

"If you felt that, then you're not dead. Don't talk so lightly about those things, Zoro. Gives bad luck."

The green-haired teen groaned. "What would you know about this?"

"Actually, a fair bit."

Then Usopp called out to the entire crew to the front of the ship as they slowly approached the main gate. Apparently, a person had appeared in the gate, probably to bid them welcome or some kind of warning before entering.

It wasn't long before the Merry brought them inside the gate, turning and stopping right in front of the person. The person turned to be a short very elderly woman with an extensively wrinkled face. She had purple hair, put into two buns, thin arms, and wore a pink tunic. Two small white wings sprouted from her back. The granny snapped some pictures at them.

"She's got wings!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Wings? You mean she's an angel? That means all the angels here are like her! But she's like, what, a dried plum!"

 ** _Bonk!_**

"Ow! Koga, why did you do that?" The captain whined while holding his new lump.

"That was rude to say, Luffy." He nonchalantly said with a smirk.

"I am Amazon, the ward of Heaven's Gate." The elderly woman introduced herself after a long pause. "Did you come to visit or to fight?"

Koga cocked his head to the side. 'If we wanted to fight, then she wouldn't be here to ask that question.'

"Um... Visiting is much more appropriate, lady..." Nami answered, trying to keep a polite tone but tripping over her own words.

"We want to get to Sky Island!" Luffy interrupted with his usual goofiness. "It's beyond this waterfall, right?"

Silence...

"Doesn't matter to me. I just want you to pay the immigration fee. One billion Extols per person and you're free to go."

Everyone gaped at the excessive amount.

"Again that Extol thingy..." Sanji commented.

"The currency up here, most likely." Koga shrugged. "I don't know how much is that in Berri, but eight billion Extols sounds excessive to me. We don't have that amount of money."

"Then here goes nothing..." Their navigator breathed heavily before turning again to Amazon. "Um, excuse me, about the money... What happens if we don't have-?"

"You're free to go."

...

"WE ARE?!"

"Also, you're free to turn back."

"Huh?!"

"I'm not a guardian in a classical sense, nor am I in the shape to be a warrior anymore... I just listen and accept the decisions of whoever goes through here."

"Yeah!" Luffy threw his arms to the air, cheering that they didn't have to pay for entering. "Let's go to Sky Island! We don't have any money, but we're going through, Obaachan!"

"I see! Eight of you, right?" Amazon asked and snapped her old fingers with a loud 'snap'.

Seconds later, two huge crab pincers grabbed the areas where the Flying Merry's wings used to be and hoisted them up. Among the surprised cries, Koga heard the wrinkly woman say something about Speedy Shrimps, whatever those things were, before the giant crustacean holding them sped up towards the road beyond the gates, the crew desperately getting a hold on whatever they had at hand to avoid being blown off the ship as an ascending spiral stream appeared before them, the crab taking that road. As they ascended the three kilometers before their destination, the clouds grew increasingly darker until, at their destination, a light appeared at the end of the road. The Merry only sailed faster through the curves until it sped past another inscription buried on the clouds near the light.

"The God Land, Skypiea!" Robin read it just as they zoomed past it.

'... God?' Koga fleetingly thought... before everything flew away from his mind at the landscape that awaited them beyond the light.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Not a long chapter, and not much happens here either, but I wanted to keep my weekly schedule! Sorry everyone! And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Hey, Ryo, Fox!**

 **K: Shut your trap Ryo! I may be a magnet for problems, but blame THIS IDIOT *points at Author* for putting all those shitty situations on me!**

 **L: Can you really blame me? I have to keep the readers entertained and give them something that isn't actually from the anime/manga.**

 **K: That doesn't mean TORTURING ME IN EACH AU SCENE, dammit!**

 **L: *shoos Koga away* Don't you worry, Fox, I completely understand you! Getting used to the school routine again is a pain. But I thank you anyways for your efforts, it gladdens me ^^!**

 **K: *gets inside the room again with an angry stomp* Don't overestimate this idiot *bonks Author in the head, who whines in pain* They're actually NOT that good. They're not even writing in their native language, so more than one mistake they've missed for sure.**

 **L: ... You know that's actually a compliment, right?**

 **K: ... Not if it's me who says that.**

 **L: ... Alright, I'll buy that. Moving on~! I completely agree with you, Ryo-kun. I wouldn't want you to die at Sanji's hands (or should I say 'feet'?) for hitting on Nami and Robin. Nami's nice once you get under her greedy witch layer...**

 **K: *mumbles to himself* Tell that to everyone else's bruises...**

 **L: ... And Robin is really knowledgeable. I personally admire her a lot. Oh, so you also want the entire crew to be on Koga's Arc? Alrighty then! Aw, thanks Ryo-kun, you're too kind!**

 **K: Oh, that's okay. He's right, in truth. But I don't envy you and your near-death situation. *Nonchalantly looks at the Reaper behind Ryo, not bothering to warn him***

 **L: *sees the same thing too* Uh. Rest in peace, Ryo-kun?**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi King! Okay, I'll stop~! Just kidding, hahahaha.**

 **K: Hey. Maybe you should, and then I could get a rest for every shit you've been throwing at me.**

 **L: With me as Author? No way in Hell! I'm having too much fun with this to end this story like this! Besides, more than one reader would want my head if I leave things like this.**

 **K: Yeah, damn Blackbeard and his goon almost blew my head off...**

 **L: I have, actually! But I personally don't want to impose any specific OST. What's more, once I read a fic whose author used to post OSTs to each of their chapters but stopped doing so because they got some reviews telling that the music they posted distracted them from reading. So, I don't really know if I should do it too or not. Maybe I'll post that question next chap. And about Ace's survival... I already answered (not directly, but well...) at the beginning of the chapter. I'll still leave the decision to you guys, though thanks for giving your opinion. And don't worry, it's your opinion; you're not a jerk for giving it!**

 **K: There IS an Underworld, but I really hope we won't have to go down there. If we went down there, it would be US as human beings who would be at a disadvantage. The demons would obliterate us.**

 **L: I'll also try to avoid that situation. Aw, Chrona-chan (yeah, I see her as a girl xD)! Don't worry, I won't ignore you! It's not really my style!**

 **-Guest-san: In truth, it isn't really instinct what saved Koga from being shot, Guest-san. Maybe this chapter explained it better. But remember that he had been just shot at and he's terribly confused at what happened. And even if Van Augur is at Usopp's level of sniper-ship (I know it's not a word xD), he still can't outmatch a demon. But thanks to you I managed to give a logical (in my opinion) explanation for Koga's survival in this chapter.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Okay, hi, Brunch! Yeah he is: remember that demons are originally creatures of darkness. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if in Whitebeard's crew was a Cursed... Nah, but it would be really cool, huh? Well, I try to make Koga feel close to everyone, but right now he's injured, so their closeness is more or less justified, right? Oh no, I couldn't substitute Zoro and Chopper's bond, or anyone else's for that matter! Having Koga have his moments with everyone in the crew doesn't mean substituting their bonds. Well, if you had an email address, I could send you my idea (to see if you like it, mainly).**

 **-Boopadoop: Hi there again! Come on, cheer up Boop! It's always nice to have you reviewing, even if it's a little thing! Aw that's so nice! Having such a positive effect on people is really good!**

 **K: *gets his hair ruffled somewhat annoyed* The problem is, I think I'll never get rid of the pain with this idiot directing the whole thing... *glares at Author* But thanks for the attempts of cheering me up.**

 **L: I hear you. I really hate- uh- *Ahem* HIM. That bastard...**

 **K: *looks at both Author and Boop with narrowed eyes* Who the hell are you two talking about?**

 **L: You'll see soon!**

 **K: *grumbles something* Yeah right. Oh, a real pain, let me assure you. I don't recommend getting on a ride to the skies with a headache.**

 **L: Hahaha, that comment from King made me update as soon as possible xD No worries, I understood what you wanted to say hahaha! Well I'll be reading you soon!**

 **-Kakusei: Hey, welcome! What a surprise, didn't expect you to be reading one of my fics! Aw, thanks so much! Sometimes it's a pain in the ass getting Koga and all his backstory into the original storyline, but the effort really pays off when you see you've updated over fifty chapters already. It leaves you with a warm sensation!**

 **-Guest: Hi! Well, they propose to me many characters alright, but remember that this is still my fic. I can make them OOC to fit in my story. After all, remember that Angela DIDN'T have any demon in Soul Eater, and probably Mifune won't be entirely himself in my fic. I'll do just the same with Free and Akim. Actually, I have already a plan for Akim, and it doesn't have anything to do with immortality. And you know? Once I read that 'being immortal doesn't make you invincible, just impossible to kill'. There are other ways of defeating people without killing them. But still, thanks for pointing that out to me, it's much appreciated ^^! Hope to read you soon!**

 **L: Okay, remember the previous question I posted up there: do you guys want Ace to survive or not? Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	57. Hello or Heso?

**57\. Hello or Heso?**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: A poll has been posted in my profile regarding Ace surviving or not. Soon I'll post another one about me posting or not music for my chapters. That way it'll be easier. Both polls will be closed once this arc is finished, I estimate in about four or five chapters. I'll warn when I close them though, to give you time to vote.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

When the crab left them, the Straw Hat crew was simply too busy standing in awe at the spectacular views in front of them.

The island itself was beautiful, a mixture of the predominant white with some spots of color (no green though). Buildings of white walls and blue roofs rested atop some of the clouds. The scene looked heavenly, as it was supposed to look like (or was it?) and everything, even animals and plants, just looked... otherworldly.

Not real.

Somehow, the whiteness of the sea they were navigating now was even purer than the sea they just left behind. Everything seemed made of some kind of cloud, resembling a normal island, with a normal shore and a beach, but with a fluffy whiteness that reminded of cotton. A giant sets of stairs connected the denser, larger clouds hiding the houses.

'Karen would've liked this place.' Koga thought, as he took in the scenery.

 _Is gold everything that glitters, shitty host?_ He tensed as _Sankaoken_ murmured in his mind with a wicked tone. _Is that island as beatific and peaceful as it seems?_

'Huh?'

A dark image. A negative photo-like from the celestial island, all black and red. The blue skies bleeding and thunder roaring far up.

That distorted image from his mind only flashed for a moment before extinguishing into nothingness, leaving behind a small migraine. Koga grunted and rubbed his forehead with his fingers, failing to notice Robin's look.

When the hull of the ship connected with the beach, Luffy was the first one to jump ashore of course, smiling broadly and sensing the adventure floating in the air. Koga helped Sanji furl the sails as Zoro dropped the anchor in the shallow part of the beach. Usopp and Chopper followed shortly after the captain and Nami went to the women's quarters to change her clothes. Robin stood there for a moment, watching everything unfold before her with an inexpressive face.

His task done, the chronicler noticed her and went to stand beside her. For once, Sanji didn't notice as he jumped to the beach too, shoes off and sleeves folded.

"Impressive, right?" He commented, crossing his arms over his chest as he fondly watched the Idiot Trio plus the cook goofing around in the beach. The archaeologist looked over at him and saw his fond smirk. "I've never seen anything like this."

Robin smiled serenely. "We are witnessing something considered a myth by many down below. It does feel impressive."

 **BAM!**

"JYOH~!"

"Ow-ow-ow-ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The door leading to the women's quarters burst open and out came Nami, the South Bird picking her head in protest. Koga sweatdropped at the scene; it was... strange, seeing a bird whose head could only point south managing to still peck someone's head.

The animal then flew again once it noticed where they were, leaving the poor navigator tending her bumps.

"I forgot we had to release that bird..." She protested, nursing her injury.

"Just leave it alone. It knows its way around here." Zoro shrugged.

'Unlike a certain someone...' Koga covered his chuckle behind a cough. He really liked the swordsman (as a friend of course) but his orientation skills were practically null. He could get lost in a one-room house, and that was saying a lot.

Hm... Maybe it was a supernatural skill of his. Much like his own hunches.

The familiar yet at the same time foreign feeling of the beach beneath his feet drove him back to the present. It felt fluffy, somehow, his feet sinking slightly, but the scrunching of the sand didn't reach his ears. He knelt, and discovered that it was actually cloud, not sand, what covered the beach.

A melodic sound reached then their ears; a harp. They weren't alone in the beach.

Each head turned in curiosity to see someone standing a little away from them, a beatific smile on her face and her slender fingers grazing the cords of the harp she held. She had blonde hair in two braided pig-tails and two antennae sticking out at the top of her head. She had on a pink dress with black, flower shaped textures that went to her thighs. She also wore red and pink striped sandals, that were white on the bottom.

What was really interesting though about her... was the pair of white wings at her back. Just like Amazon at Heaven's Gate.

At her feet, a small, white fox called out to the girl. She smiled down at the animal before raising unsurprised eyes at the pirate crew that stood there.

"Heso!"

'Huh, so it seems like everyone up here resembles an angel- Wait, "Heso"? Doesn't that mean "bellybutton"?'

As he looked around, Koga saw the others' bewildered expression. Apparently he wasn't the only one thinking they heard wrong.

The pretty angel then smiled again and beckoned the small fox to jump to her arms, which it did. "You came from the Sea Below?"

"Yep, we did. You live here?" Luffy asked back.

"Yes. Welcome to Angel Beach. My name is Conis, and this-" she looked down at the small fox, "is my little fox. Her name's Su.

"Su~!" The small fox called out, letting herself being petted by Conis.

"If you need anything, I'm here to help you."

Sanji didn't waste any time in trying to woo the poor angel, but fortunately Nami stopped his attempts... rather forcefully. Meaning, dragging him away by grabbing his ear. She wanted to ask questions to Conis, but was interrupted by the roaring sound of a motor coming their way.

"Oh, that's just my father. Heso, dad!" Conis exclaimed, waving at a figure mounting some sort of miniboat.

"Conis, my dear! Heso!" Came back the distant greeting... Not so distant anymore, as it was hastily approaching them.

That boat with strange engine sounds... Koga frowned, having the feeling he had seen it somewhere before.

"What's that thing he's riding?" He asked the angel.

"He's in a Waver."

'A Waver? Where did I hear about it...? Oh, he's gonna crash into me if I don't do something.'

True enough, the Waver seemed dead set in running over him, judging the direction it was heading. Conis' dad tried to control it, but nothing could be done as the roaring machine continued in its way. Finally he settled in the logical thing:

"Young one, be careful, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed.

Koga didn't have much idea of the speed that thing had, but he felt confident enough to at least _try_ to stop it and get out of this mess alive, along with Conis' father; he didn't know if the Waver would, and honestly he didn't care that much. An idiotic idea? Maybe, though it was also a good way of venting out the stress he had been accumulating from before they got up there in the first place.

So, instead of moving out of the Waver's trajectory, he felt the familiar rush running through his veins as he activated his Bull's Strength ability, applied to his arms and legs, and braced himself for impact... quite literally.

 **BOOM CRASH!**

"Ugh!"

To be honest, he had _slightly_ underestimated the power that little boat had.

As his arms managed to grab the Waver's handles and got Conis' father out of harm's way, his feet still couldn't find a proper foothold to grab onto; so, as he tried to stop the damn mechanism, he was still dragged a few feet before stopping completely mere millimeters from the first row of coconut trees.

The Waver finally ran out of juice and fell to the side as the chronicler relaxed with a sigh, feeling a small sting in his muscles.

"Damn this thing really holds a punch, huh." He grunted as he rolled one of his shoulders, the others slightly gaping at him. He noticed their stares. "What?"

"You big _oaf_!" Nami strolled enraged towards him, suckerpunching a surprised and confused writer before snapping. "You could've killed Conis' father with that unnecessary display of machismo!"

"Oh come on." The blond managed to stay standing after the punch, though his cheek really protested as he nursed it with a grimace. "He's okay, right?"

That only earned him an unintelligible shriek before being pummeled by the furious navigator. The others sweatdropped at the scene, and Conis and her father silently thanked not having that woman among their peers.

A few minutes later, Conis' father, named Pagaya, extended his daughter's welcome. He was a bald man (almost, since he also had those weird hair antennae, like Amazon and Conis) dressed in a sleeveless golden-yellow robe. They couldn't see his mouth, hidden under a well-trimmed beard, or eyes, as he had always closed, like Su's, but his overall kind demeanor won their trust easily... Though he was a bit weird, always adding 'I'm sorry' in every sentence he said.

Like a child with a new toy, Luffy asked/demanded Pagaya to lend him the Waver... thus ending in an almost disaster for both him and the boat. It seemed only an expert navigator with a soft touch could control such difficult device. And though many of the male members of the Straw Hat pirates resented on her having a 'soft touch', no one could deny that Nami was the best navigator; not even five minutes in the Waver, and she was already piloting it like she had been practicing all her life. Even Pagaya and Conis stood awestruck at the feat, themselves not being able to control it completely even after years of mounting it.

"Wa-hoo!" Nami cheered, pounding on the gas in an almost reckless manner and speeding away with absolutely no trouble to steer it around. "This thing's incredible! It's so delicate you wouldn't handle it in a thousand years, Luffy!"

Koga chuckled at the dejected look of his captain as he protested, wanting to try the Waver once more. "Nami! I wanna ride too! We're going to ossan's house, so get off now!"

"No way~! I want to stay here and ride more! Can I, Pagaya-san?!"

He almost jumped at being addressed at, but answered nonetheless. "You can, but be careful!"

Pagaya then invited the pirates to lunch, and of course they all accepted. Sanji specially seemed thrilled by the whole experience of the celestial cuisine, so eager he looked as they followed after the angelic pair up the giant steps. In the way, both pointed out interesting details about their homeland, such as the two different types of clouds (island cloud and sea cloud) or the existence of Dials. He promised to give a detailed explanation on the last one once they got to the house.

Strolling behind everyone else, except Zoro, Koga stopped for a moment to look at the White White Sea and the dark spot happily sailing away. He then squinted his eyes, confusion showing on his face.

"What's up?" The swordsman asked, catching the fleeting expression on his face.

The blond blinked before shaking his head. "Oh, it's nothing."

And ignoring the green-haired teen's raised eyebrow, he followed after the others. Not before a thought crossed through his mind though...

'If there's only sea cloud and island cloud... Why's there an earth island over there?'

* * *

Later, in the duo's house, Pagaya and Sanji disappeared in the kitchen as the rest awaited in the living room, the Sea Below-dwellers looking curiously around. The spacious white room felt welcoming and relaxing, but for some reason, Koga couldn't quite relax in the island cloud sofas (unlike the Idiotic Trio, who looked as they sank on them).

Ever since they got into Angel Beach, he felt observed. And not seeing to whom those eyes belonged to unnerved him even more if possible. He drowned out the conversation the others had about the Dials (apparently they were seashells of different sizes and colors often found in the shallow parts of the sea able to do almost anything) as he tried to shake off the feeling.

What was more, the sinister negative image he had gotten of Angel Beach when they arrived there spooked him a bit. It held an uncanny resemblance to what _Sankaoken_ liked to call his 'territory inside Koga's mind', with the dark sky and bloody sea. And the demon's mysterious words... 'Is gold everything that glitters?'

Did he mean that not everything seemed what they looked like there?

He was forcefully brought back to the present when Pagaya and Sanji came back from the kitchen, carrying enormous plates full of delicious-smelling food. They had prepared what they called a 'Sky Island Seafood Special', and at the sound and smell, Koga's stomach grumbled a little. The main dish, a giant lobster, had been perfectly cut in the middle to show its insides. Even Zoro woke up from his nap at the scent, and that was saying a lot.

Of course, praises rained over the two chefs as they devoured the banquet, but the blonde pirate, cigar already lit and standing in the balcony, had his head elsewhere.

"Hey, guys. Does anyone know where Nami-san is?"

Everyone turned at his question. Right, she had been out an awful lot of time. Unless she had been so enthused with the Waver that she forgot the time...

"She's riding the Waver, isn't she?" Luffy answered; while eating, which earned a censoring raised eyebrow from the chronicler.

"I don't see her, though. Koga, can't you sense anything?"

 _That_ certainly brought the writer's attention, and he frowned in concentration. To his alarm, is instinct was softly tingling, so faintly that he almost didn't hear it. Ignoring everyone's questions, he stood from the couch and strolled to Sanji's side, to sense better.

Yeah. Nami was in danger.

"... I can feel her." He murmured, forehead scrunched in deep concentration and eyes closed tightly. "She's in danger-"

"WHAT?!"

He heard the crew scrambling back to their feet. His, however, were rooted in place, his mind soaring the skies in search of Nami's. His fingers drew circles on his temples, straining his abilities even further, the sense of reality disappearing from him momentarily...

There! A small orange light in a dark wood. It quivered, but was quickly getting away from that dark place. Like waves, its feelings stomped on his soul. Fear. Confusion. Thankfully, no pain.

But suddenly, Koga's mind was back to his own body. Gasping for air, he staggered until an arm at his back supported him.

'Wha... What the hell was _that_?!' He frantically thought as he shook his head. 'I... I've never been able to do that before...'

 _Huhuhu. Your blood, though mixed, is awakening I see._

'What do you-?'

 _Now's not the time._

"Sh-she's okay." He managed to mumble, almost absentmindedly, cutting through the mayhem of voices asking. "She's uninjured, though she's scared as hell."

Cue relieved sighs. Koga managed to come back to his senses just as he noticed Conis and Pagaya exchanging a very strange look behind his nakama's backs.

A kind of reverential fear that made his insides churn for some reason. He frowned, but the looks were over as soon as they began, maybe noticing the suspicion from the chronicler.

"I have a bit of a bad feeling about this, but I can't say one way or the other." The male angel called everyone's attention.

The crew turned to look at him, confusion embedded in their faces.

"What do you mean by that?" Usopp asked.

Conis cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable to talk to some strangers about something she and her people considered sacred. "Here in Skypiea, there's a place you're never allowed to set foot on, no matter what. Unfortunately, it's right beside this island and it's very easy to get there if you know how to handle a Waver... It's sacred ground. Upper Yard, the island where God lives."

Koga narrowed his eyes again, this time at the mention of God. Long ago he didn't believe in the existence of God, but...

"Th-there's actually a God?" Luffy asked in surprise, voicing everyone else's thoughts. "A God living here, in the land we're not supposed to go?"

"Yes."

"By 'God', you mean _the_ God? That same one of the old stories? And he lives in an island next door?" Chopper tilted his head to the side trying to figure it out.

"Yes. Skypiea is also known as 'God Land', governed by the Almighty God Eneru. He knows about everything happening in his domain." Conis shivered slightly, enough to be noticeable though. "He keeps his eyes focused on everyone in the island. Always."

Something in her voice and in her father's downcast's face told the chronicler that this wasn't exactly a benevolent kind of God. Even simply talking about Eneru, they made sure their words are carefully measured, their stances tense and fearful, scared they would be labelled as traitors at the minimal critique. They even got horrified when Sanji asked if they had even _seen_ God Eneru in person.

'Even if they hadn't seen Him, they're terribly convinced that He exists.' Koga thought, raising his blue scarf up to his nose in thought. 'And they're scared shitless of Him. Is this what a God should inspire in His followers?'

"Cool..." Luffy's amazed whisper made Koga look at him; the writer sweatdropped at his starry eyes. "A place we're not allowed to go to, no matter what..."

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Usopp noticed his captain's look and scrambled to shake his shoulders. "Listen to her, dammit! When the lady says we can't go there because it's sacred or whatever, that's exactly what she means! WE. CAN'T. GO. THERE! Please don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking!"

"Aww! Calm down, I understand we're not supposed to go there! Do you guys really think I'm the kind of guy who would do that?"

His big fat grin on his face hadn't loosened a bit.

"Yes. Absolutely." Everyone in the crew chorused in unison.

For a moment, their captain's expression faltered in shock at his crew's 'betrayal', but soon returned to his goofy self. "But hey, this guy knows it all, right? So, he must know we're only going to get Nami back. He's a nice guy, isn't he?"

"No!" Conis interrupted him, horrified. "The laws are absolute and breaking a law established by God is nothing less than treason."

"Really? Doesn't matter to me either way..."

Unnerved, Koga bit his lower lip. Normally, he would've traveled along with the stream, letting himself be dragged into whatever crazy adventure his captain managed to face (or rather force to appear). Luff's excuse to go look for Nami was a ruse; he knew for a fact that Nami was already returning safe, if somewhat shaken. But, he absolutely _didn't want_ to set a foot on Upper Yard.

"I won't go."

His sudden proclamation interrupted everyone, and the crew turned to look at the stony chronicler, standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

In defiance... or in self defense.

"Koga?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "You actually believe in God?"

His fingers curled, not completely closing into fists. "I believe in something bigger than all of us, watching us. If that being is called God, then yes, I believe in God. I really think we shouldn't go to Upper Yard, Luffy."

Though surprised, Usopp didn't waste any time in using his unexpected support. "See?! Even Koga admits that this is a bad idea, Luffy! Besides, he already said that Nami's coming back safely! We don't have to go to Upper Yard!"

Luffy sent an indecipherable look at his chronicler, before he let out a childish pout. Koga couldn't help to chuckle at that, visibly more relaxed; he doubted his thirst for adventures had been satiated, but at least he managed to stop him from speeding off to Upper Yard.

"Still, we should go to the beach and wait for her there." He proposed. The others looked and each other and shrugged, agreeing with him. Conis and Pagaya insisted on accompanying them.

"Or, we can find her midway if we get in the Merry and depart for Upper Yard!" Luffy proposed as they got out of the house and began climbing down the stairs.

"You stubborn mule!" Usopp screamed, bonking his head. "We already told you, it's dangerous to get into Upper Yard!"

"Nami-swan, your knight in shining armor is coming~!" Sanji danced down the steps, incredibly managing not to topple over.

"More like the idiotic moron..." Zoro grumbled to himself.

That started a fight between the two. Sighing, Koga avoided a misguided blow to the head and managed to skip ahead of the pair, walking beside Conis as she warned Chopper and Robin about the dangers in Upper Yard; apparently, those who entered the sacred territory didn't come back alive.

Superstitious fears aside, the blond writer still felt something off about this 'Upper Yard' territory. Why was it the only island around with actual vegetation instead of being formed by cloud island? According to what Pagaya had told them, the trees and various plants around Angel Beach could survive in cloud island, but didn't grow as in the islands of the Sea Below. That sacred place, apparently, was the only place with characteristics of a Sea Below island, and God Eneru had claimed it for Himself.

Minutes later, the crew was already ready to depart to Upper Yard, despite Koga and Usopp trying to change Luffy's mind. After all, no one could dissuade him from getting what he wanted once he got it inside his pea-sized brain.

Conis and Pagaya were also worried. Maybe they didn't know the odd pirate crew for long, but already felt responsible of having pushed them possibly to their deaths. And, honestly speaking, they were fun and easily loved at. After a few minutes of being with them, you couldn't help to grow fond of them, whether you found them strange or not.

Right now, the Straw Hat pirate crew couldn't depart from the beach due to low wind. And honestly, without Nami around, they couldn't hope to reach Upper Yard safely. Luffy, enraged with the non-existent wind, had tried to go on his own with the wrecked Waver they rescued back in the Sea Below, but only managed to sink... being rescued later by Sanji, who stepped on his overgrown belly to make him spit all the water.

Meanwhile, Pagaya and Usopp gathered around the machine, and curious, Koga approached them.

"... not ours, we found this thing like this." The sniper was saying at whatever the angel had commented.

"Would you like me to have a look at it? Assuming it can be fixed, I can do that for you."

"Really? You know how to work with it?"

"Yes. I once was an engineer of Dial-powered vessels."

Koga let out a hum from beside Pagaya, seeing him grab the handle. "That would be really nice. I wanted to test the Waver earlier."

"I'm sorry, could you two lend me a hand with this?" He asked both the long-nosed teen and the blond young man.

They exchanged looks before nodding. The writer knew little of tools, but could support heavier things while the two real engineers worked. As the three set to work, Conis approached them and occasionally gave an useful advice to her father, and Luffy came to bug them and insist on having the Waver ready so that he could use it.

Until...

"You there, on the ship! DO NOT MOVE!"

An unfamiliar voice called out, and heads whipped around to see what looked like soldiers, wearing uniforms of light-purple T-shirts, blue with white cloud-shaped spots wide trousers and white berets with letters "WB" on them. Some were armed with two-bladed knives and bows. Of course, they had small white wings at their backs.

They stood in formation and saluted with their left hands behind their heads.

"Heso!"

"Heso, gentlemen." Conis and Pagaya answered, albeit a bit confused at their presence there.

The commander then dropped his hand along with the rest of the platoon while he looked at the Blue Sea Dwellers, earning a harsh glare from Koga, who stood up from beside the wrecked Waver in defiance.

"Well well well! If it isn't the eight inhabitants of the Sea Below who illegally entered the sovereign land of Skypiea!"

Huh?

"We are here to bring down Heaven's Judgement upon you!"

...

" _WHAT_?!"

"Illegal visitors?" Conis and Pagaya gasped.

Koga went to stand beside his friends, groaning under his breath at their bad luck. Must they encounter every kind of trouble every way they went, or was it simply that trouble sought them? It could be a mixture of the two.

"You have no way to deny your actions. The ward of Heaven's Gate, Amazon, sent us the photos she took with her Vision Dial." The captain pulled out said photos from his pockets, showing the eight pirates in the Merry.

"This cannot be, it must be some sort of misunderstanding!" Good ol' Pagaya tried to protect them, nervously waving his arms. "You must have made a mistake, Captain McKinley! I'm sorry! They're not bad people, I assure you-!"

'I'm not so sure about that.' Koga thought grimly. 'We're pirates after all.'

"Illegal visitors?" Sanji piped up. "Why? What's the meaning of this?"

"It must be due to us not paying the immigration fee..." Robin recalled.

Usopp turned to look at her. "But that obaachan said we could get in without paying, didn't she?"

Koga frowned. "Yeah, but remember what she said? 'If you want to enter, you're free to go. If you want to go back, just turn around.' We assumed we could enter, but didn't regard the possible consequences. This..." He waved at the soldier platoon and Captain McKinley, "must be one of them."

"Damn obaachan! Why didn't she say so from the beginning?"

"She _did_ say she wasn't a soldier. She didn't have the obligations of what would happen if we decided to enter illegally. It's practically our fault for not thinking about what would happen."

The log-nosed teen sent a piercing glare at the older man. "... Stop being so logical, will you?"

Koga only answered with a chuckle and a light-hearted shrug.

"It's too late to cry for this now." Captain McKinley interrupted the small banter between the two. "However, don't despair. Illegally entering Skypiea is a minor, Class 11 offense, punishable by Celestial Judgement. As soon as you receive your punishment, your crimes will be erased and you will actually be treated as visiting tourists."

Sanji groaned. "I still don't like the sound of that, but come on, what's the penalty?"

"Simple. You are to pay a fine corresponding to ten times the immigration fee, what amounts to ten billion Extols per person."

Koga almost choked in his own saliva. 'TEN TIMES?!'

"But how much is that in Berri?!"

"Berri? Ah, the Sea Below's circulating currency." Well duh, no one in the Sea Below had Extols. "About ten thousand Extols per Berri, I assume."

'It still sounds excessive!'

Robin reported that it was eight million Berri in total. They could as well hand over Luffy to get the money, not that they would do that actually.

 _Sounds a good way to get rid of the problem, huhu._

'In your dreams, demon. Shut up if you're not going to help.'

Of course, Sanji got enraged at the massive amount and went to attack, but Koga managed to get him back. Ignoring Captain McKinley, the small group of pirates gathered in a circle, discussing what to do next. The cook protested about his dear Nami-swan taking too long in coming back, and Luffy _still_ used her as excuse to get into Upper Yard. Usopp promised the soldiers to pay the fee once Nami got back, but somehow the chronicler doubted she would be exactly happy once she heard about the amount they had to pay.

The crew separated to relax, but soon Captain McKinley noticed the damaged Waver and declared that it was a Class 10 offense to damage one, even if you own the thing yourself (indirectly blaming Luffy of having destroyed it). Pagaya's attempts to explain only messed up when he admitted the pirates found it in the Sea Below, as the captain interpreted it as thievery, a Class whatever offense. Luffy went to shut his trap, but luckily Usopp stopped him.

The thing didn't stop at that. A dangerous creature suddenly leaped from underwater and attempted to devour Conis whole, but Zoro stopped it with two massive blows to the head. Unfortunately, the monster happened to belong to an endangered species, a Class 9 offense for breaking the Endangered Animal Protection Law. It didn't matter that the swordsman had managed to save one of their own, it still counted as a crime.

Zoro assured the beast wasn't dead, and believing the problem would be solved once the creature returned to the sea, Usopp went to push it underwater. But Luffy and his bottomless stomach awakened _then_ , and got a good bite at the flailing fish. _Raw and alive_.

For trying to eat it, now they had a Class 8 offense. And with Zoro threatening the captain to chop his head off, a Class 7 offense was added. And when Usopp tried to calm down things by taking a nap, his snores earned them a Class 6 offense.

With each offense they unwillingly committed, Koga's patience was wearing thinner by the minute, and the dark murmurs of the demon in the back of his head didn't help matters. Sure, some of them were justified, but they weren't even allowed to _snore_? And come on, an animal's life was more important than one of your own's? That was lain _ridiculous_.

 _Have your way with them, shitty host. Let the blood run freely._

For the first time, he considered doing just that.

"GUYS! I'M COMING!"

Fortunately, Nami's distant voice managed to get him out of the red mist and muffle his demon's whispers. He looked over to the sea to see her riding the Waver towards them at an amazing speed.

"Luffy! Don't piss them off!"

'I think the proper sentence is 'Don't let them piss you off', Nami.' Koga groaned to himself. Too late though, because most of the crew were already annoyed at the captain and his incessant attempts to get them arrested.

And then, Usopp said the cursed sentence. "NAMI! Use your money to pay the fee! It's eight million Berri!"

Maybe he had hoped that everything would be solved once the only one in the crew with actual money paid the fee. But he had naively forgotten that the only reason of her having the money was because she was a greedy witch.

And so, Koga didn't feel in the least surprised when her expression darkened when, instead of slowing down towards Angel Beach, she sped up and pulled the Waver off the water, its hull directly connecting to McKinley's face. The Waver sent him flying and crashing against the trees while she landed, miraculously not flipping over herself...

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I got angry because of the money all of a sudden and..."

'Don't try to cover it up, Nami. We all know you wanted to do that on purpose.'

Still, that surely wouldn't help to their amount of penalties.

"Attacking an official, Class 5 offense, I think... I'm sorry..." Usopp had already asked the dreaded question to Pagaya.

His and his daughter's expression couldn't have shown more shock already, with all the mayhem the Straw Hats had managed to get themselves into in the ridiculously short span of thirty minutes.

"Class 5 offenses are punishable by nothing less than being dragged along the clouds." Conis continued, terror evident in her voice, as if she was going to be the one punished by it.

"What's so bad about it?" Luffy asked, putting his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner.

"It's extremely bad! It's a death sentence! It happened before, more than once! Your ship is attached to a cloud and condemned to wander along the clouds until all its crewmates are dead and the ship falls to pieces! It's the equivalent of a life imprisonment!"

Fall to pieces...

The ship that almost drowned them, the 'Saint Bliss'... According to Robin, it had been rotted away for almost two centuries. And it fell from the skies. Did that mean that the crewmates of that ship were sentenced to drift off through the skies? And it had happened before...

Meanwhile, the soldiers had been trying to reanimate McKinley.

"Hey you!" One of them shouted angrily to the pirates. "Do you realize what you've done to our captain?!"

"Instead of yapping at us, take care of him." Koga finally snapped, cutting through Nami's excuses.

"He's right, your captain is quite beaten up... I'm sorry..." Pagaya added before the soldiers cut him down.

They eventually agreed, putting the fainted captain into a stretched and... crawling back home. A weird show.

Conis seemed to the verge of tears when she pleaded them to go home and ran away, back to her home. Pagaya stayed, but oddly enough directed an immensely sad look at the retreating back of his daughter.

Nami told them that, indeed, she had been in Upper Yard, and described it as an extremely dangerous place to be, full of guerrillas and gods. Thanks to her cooperation, Usopp got his way of going back to the Blue Sea. Internally, Koga agreed that that was the best course of action.

Though not all of them saw their logic. Luffy still wanted to go to Upper Yard and explore Skypiea some more before going back, and there was no way of changing his childish mind.

"Luffy, we're criminals here." He tried an argument. Nami looked at him, surprised, but Usopp voiced her an 'I'll tell you later'. "Those soldiers saw us with Conis and Pagaya. Probably they'll label them as accomplices if we don't get away now."

"Why? They did nothing wrong. Wrong will be the guards if they catch them."

Koga sighed, cursing his simple mind that saw everything black or white. "It's not that easy, Luffy. Justice often doesn't tend to reason. If they see someone with a suspect, they're labelled as suspects too. It's the way it is."

"Please, Luffy, we _have_ to get away-!" Nami insisted once she saw her captain falter.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

It seemed Captain McKinley had recovered, and he was sporting and awfully evil-looking smug on his swelled face. His soldiers accompanied him, along with Conis and Pagaya, both looking worried and a tad scared.

Yup, they were in real shit now.

"That's enough, little lady." He turned towards the father-daughter duo. "Just so you know, once I decide you're covering these eight criminals up, you will suffer the same fate as them. Offensive language against us and attacking an official. I declare the ten of you, criminals sentenced to be dragged along the clouds for two Class 5 offenses!"

Something snapped inside Koga.

If there was something that he absolutely didn't tolerate, was having innocents punished because of him. And if beating some sense inside those idiots ensured having both of them safe, then he sure as hell was fine with that.

That time, he partially surrendered to the darkness as he jumped over the ship's railing (ignoring Usopp and the rest), quietly surpassing Nami and getting to Luffy's side, who was already posed for an attack. Calmly, his tan hand rested on his captain's shoulder, halting him.

"Allow me, captain."

The straw-hat wearing teen turned to look at him... and froze.

Nothing could describe the vast emptiness his bicolored eyes held right then. Darkness, and a thirst for blood that distorted his harsh features into some kind of beast. A deep frown, chin tilted downwards to glare at his next victims, a low rumble emerging from the back of his throat. Luffy barely recognized his chronicler in that wolf disguised as a sheep.

Though of course, he had _never_ been a sheep.

He wanted to tell no, to prevent him to shedding blood, to avoid what Mifune feared, but something held him back. Partly it was his expression, but the other reason...

The captain trusted him. He simply knew he wouldn't kill those men.

And so, he allowed it with a simple nod.

The darkness faded a bit from Koga's eyes, surprise showing for a moment before sending a grateful nod and continuing to walk towards Captain McKinley and his soldiers.

"Luffy! What are you-?" Nami tried to tell him about Koga's erratic mood, but his serious expression halted her.

Once more, the dark scythe appeared on Koga's hand as he braced himself. Thanks to Luffy's show of trust, he felt he was ready to take on the soldiers without actually killing them. He directed a cocky 'Come on' hand gesture to the men.

And thus, the combat began.

Four of the soldiers knelt and fired arrows that left behind a thick trail of white-blue cloud, surprising Koga for a moment before he saw the other four soldiers plus the Captain jumping atop the trails and speeding towards him with a pair of weird shoes that let them use the trails as high-speed tracks. He avoided a pair of swords aimed at his head and, following their example, jumped atop one of the trails. He sank a bit, but using his Devil Fruit abilities, found almost no resistance to move freely. He punched the unfortunate guy that had been speeding towards him in that same trail, knocking him unconscious immediately.

"Die!" A soldier screamed, jumping high over his head and swords aimed high to cut him open.

"... Idiot." The chronicler groaned, swirling the scythe around and nailed his stomach with the butt of the pole, winding the air out of him and sending him flying across the beach; his back crashed against a tree before disappearing among the foliage. "Huh. I thought I wasn't being that forceful."

"You bastard!"

Another trail of Milky Arrows were shot around him, but this time Koga didn't wait for the soldiers to get on top of the new trails. He looked down at the scythe's sharp edge before shooting a small Black Crescent Moon towards the trails, cleaving them in two. The soldiers screamed at the destroyed tracks before Koga stopped them by smacking the blunt side of the scythe's edge into their stomachs, captain included.

When he turned to deal with the archers, he found them already downed, with Sanji coolly lighting a new cigarette and Zoro looking at the sky with one of his katanas over his shoulders. Luffy grinned in excitement as he punched the last archer as he was going to shoot another Milky Arrow.

His darkness disappeared as he smirked at the trio, scythe resting atop his shoulder. "I thought I told you to allow me, captain."

"It's boring letting you hog all the fun." The rubber-brained boy grinned even wider, nonchalant.

"At least you haven't gone absolutely berserk." The cook puffed out the smoke.

"Not worth the effort I think."

"How much money do we have, Nami?" Zoro called out as the four of them strolled back to the ship, under Pagaya and Conis' wide-eyed glare.

Nami blinked back to the present. "Ah, I don't know, maybe fifty grand? Money for one or two days."

"Wait, how come we're always flat broke? Hey guys, as the captain I should tell you this: think more about you spend your money, okay? Or else we-!"

 **BAM!**

"IT ALL GOES TO YOUR BELLY LUFFY!" Sanji roared, stamping a foot into his face.

Koga chuckled, letting his scythe morph back into his rusty katana before returning it to its sheath. His bloodthirst still hummed, but the momentary fight (if he could call it that at the supreme plummet he had just delivered) had placated it a bit.

"What a bunch of simpletons!"

'Seriously? I have to deal with him again?' Koga groaned, turning like the others to see Captain McKinley coming from among the trees holding his stomach and staggering a bit. 'He's like a damn roach that can't be stay quiet...'

"You should just have been obedient. You should have followed our orders. We, the White Berets, are the most sympathetic of the Kingdom of God. But _they_... They're not going to be so nice! Congratulations! You're Class 2 criminals now! Beg and cry all you want, but..." He took a great breath in before bellowing. "THE PRIESTS OF THE UPPER YARD SHALL JUDGE YOU ALL! HESO!"

Koga, and the demon inside him, smirked darkly.

' _Bring them on!_ '

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Wow, long chapter for you guys! Man, what mess have they got themselves into this time? And now, review answers~!**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: HII! So glad to hear from you dear Fourth~! Don't worry, coming back to the routine sucks!**

 **K: Oh, I'll try for sure. That damn demon's gonna drive me nuts at this pace though...**

 **L: Nah, don't sweat it. Those demons are actually quite annoying yeah. I think both my demons and Gravity Falls' are pretty close xD Oh yeah! What about Maria-chan!? I wanna read about her two-year training!**

 **K: ... Way to put pressure, Author.**

 **L: Shut it! Hope to read you soon, Fourth!**

 **-Kakusei: Thank you so much! I wasn't so sure I had been able to portray the struggle correctly, but glad you found it satisfactory ^^! Hope to read from you soon ^^! This demon's going to be a great pain in the ass, I assure you.**

 **K: Great.**

 **-ZabuzasGirl: Hi, welcome! Thank you so much, I'll upload as soon as I can, promise!**

 **-Zelga Zim Li: Yeah, I also want him to survive but messing with the plot's not really my thing. And so far, most say to keep 'im dead. Bakainu, hahaha, good one xD I don't think that almost killing Ace won't do the trick. As Guest-san says in a later comment, what's the sense of the Whitebeard pirates without their hulking Captain? And besides, didn't Blackbeard absorb his powers with his Yami Yami Fruit? But glad you like my story nonetheless ^^!**

 **-Guest-san: Hi!**

 **K: Yeah, maybe I should. But that's the price I have to pay to be this powerful I guess...**

 **L: Alright, another one of Ace not surviving then. You're totally right. How many times have Luffy almost lose someone of his own crew and continued fighting like always? It's precisely Ace's death what triggered his determination to become even more powerful and made him aware of the absolute monsters that dwells in New World. Oh, you like Sabo more? Interesting~!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi! Hahahahaha, loved the reference! Yeah, The Chapel, though terribly harsh towards the vessels, have actually reasons to chase down these monsters.**

 **K: *grumbles while glaring at Author* Oh you don't say? I have the feeling that I exist only to become Author's puppet.**

 **L: You know that's not true, Koga-kun, I do appreciate you. Angela, uh... Yeah, she's facing something similar... *cowers behind the bed in case pointy objects fly towards their head* PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!**

 **K: They do, huh. I really hope I feel better, but I think the only way will be when the demon disappears from inside me.**

 **L: *fidgets nervously* Not likely. I don't plan on making fillers, at least not anytime soon. And again, thanks for giving me your opinion about Ace ^^! Read you soon!**

 **-Guest: Hahaha, really creepy, yeah! Don't worry about that, it's always nice to hear some ideas from you readers ^^! Hm... By "Great Old Ones" you mean Soul Eater's? Not likely. They're demonic representations of the Seven Deadly Sins committed by the humans of old. Actually I have planned to give a small review of the history of how the Eight Demon Princes came to be. Yes, even Koga's.**

 **-Boopadoop: Heya Boop! Nah, don't worry, you're just in time!**

 **K: Yo Boop, glad you made it.**

 **L: It's Asura, you were right. But he's more commonly known as 'Kishin Asura', 'Kishin' meaning 'Demon'. I think. Uh, now I don't know hehe. Don't worry, you're doing much already by getting time to read and review already ^^! Take your time!**

 **K: *softens glare a bit* I'm in a bit of a bad mood right now. And I'm not exactly of the cuddly type.**

 **L: I'M SO EXCITED FOR POKEMON! I'm actually more of a night person, so I'll get Pokemon Moon for sure ^^! My brother will get Pokemon Sun anyway, so... Did you see the Alolan forms of Vulpix and Ninetales? And Raichu's? And Sandshrew and Sandslash? I absolutely LOVED them! They're so CUTE!**

 **K: ... There they go again.**

 **L: Shut it, not my fault Pokemon's so awesome! And about Ace... Wow, you're absolutely right. Personally, I wanted to give him a second chance in life, let him see that even though his father being who he is, Ace didn't deserve that... And he saw Whitebeard as his father, so making him survive while Whitebeard died would fill him with regret for surviving instead of his father. And yeah, he saved Luffy from being impaled by damn Akainu. Man how I hate that guy... I don't intend on skipping the Marineford Arc, even though Koga won't be present. I have something planned up. Hahaha, there is my lengthy answer too! But anyways, I'm glad you helped me choose too! Hope to read from you but again, take your time ^^!**

 **L: BEFORE I FORGET! You all know what's coming next? What happens in October 1st~? C'mon, take a guess!** **Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	58. To Upper Yard

**58\. To Upper Yard**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Hi! Nice day (or night) we have today, right?**

 **K: *glares at Author***

 **L: *sweats in discomfort* Uhh, so… As you may have noticed, Koga-kun's angry with me…**

 **K: *glare intensifies***

 **L: *tries to ignore Koga's glare* Uh, I… may or may not have forgotten about his birthday on 1st October, so he's rightfully angry… Also, damn this chapter was difficult to write down! I suddenly felt the need of writing a new fic (this time of Fire Emblem Awakening, shameless publicity for you guys xD) and felt almost uninspired for One Piece.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

After the rather disconcerting scene with Captain McKinley and the White Berets, the Straw Hats then took the decision of departing from that place as soon as they could. They were used to run from the authorities, so escaping from those Priests would be piece of cake.

Supposedly, anyways.

Now, if they could only convince their blockhead of a captain that this was the best way of action… Even Nami refused to look for her precious treasure in exchange of her own life! And that was saying a lot from their avaricious navigator.

Sometimes Koga wondered if she wasn't Greed's vessel.

"You must head to the boundaries of the clouds, to a place called Cloud End." Conis called their attention on how they could go back to the Blue Sea, a topic that had escaped their minds momentarily before she spoke up. "It's located far east from here. To get there, you need to head back to the White Sea."

"Alright!" Usopp cheered, delighted at the perspective of getting out of danger instead of heading straight into it. "We can get back to our sea, then?"

"I don't want to go!"

Koga frowned as he lifted his scarf up to his nose.

Was that easy to go back to the Blue Sea, even being high-rated criminals sentenced to 'Heavenly Judgment from God Eneru's Priests'? Surely if it were that simple, then Skypiea and Sky Islands in general wouldn't be considered exactly myths; other survivors would've confirmed their existence to the rest of the world.

Right?

Something felt off. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

And, as Nami managed to 'convince' her captain (AKA beat him almost to death) of departing before they caused more problems to Conis and Pagaya, their silence irked him even more.

'What is this…?' He silently questioned as he began following the others towards the really beaten-up Merry that awaited them.

"Oh, wait!" Remembering something, Luffy managed to pry off from Nami's grasp and turned to the angel pair. "Oi, ossan!"

Seemingly startled out of deep thoughts, both jumped, but the father managed to answer as the raven-haired teen ran up to him in excitement. "Y-yes?"

"Can we take the rest of that super-deliciously yummy lunch?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Of course you can take it."

"Alright! Sanji, get the bentos ready!"

Sanji sighed, but otherwise didn't offer any resistance to this random whim of Luffy's; maybe because he understood the futility of changing his mind regarding food.

Also, enough sacrifice he was making by rejecting the adventure.

Taking the opportunity of the momentary stop, Usopp rubbed his hands together and asked Pagaya about tools to fix the ship. Feigning interest in learning about the famous Dials, Koga also asked about them (surprising the sniper, but he kept quiet).

In the end, Pagaya and Conis decided to take them back to their home.

"H-hey guys! Where are you going?!" Nami screamed from aboard the ship, Robin, Zoro and Chopper standing beside her.

"We're restocking!" Luffy answered pumping his arms and jumping in eager childishness. "You over there, get the ship ready for our great adventure!"

"WE'RE NOT GOING THERE!"

Despite his worries, Koga chuckled lightly, shaking his head before following Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, Conis and Pagaya to the pair's house.

Maybe going with them would ensure they wouldn't do anything strange.

And the others would still be there when they returned.

Right?

It wasn't long before the pirates arrived at Pagaya's house. For Koga though, it felt infinite. He kept anxiously watching everyone, to ensure they were still there: Usopp with Pagaya and Sanji and Luffy with Conis packing the food (well, more like the chef getting Luffy's hands away).

When asked about his 'fear to God' by a curious Usopp, the chronicler explained that, as a Cursed with a demon inside, his view of the world changed from when he was a kid. He became aware of the existence of superior beings (evidently, demons being one of them); whether God existed and lived in Skypiea of all places, that remained to be seen.

"What kind of God do you believe in?" The sniper continued asking.

The chronicler pursed his lips as he stood by the balcony.

"In a just but benevolent one. Caring with His subjects. Powerful but humble." He turned his head to look at the beautiful landscape of Angel Beach below them; however, he couldn't see the Merry from up there. "I've seen enough malice from the demons already. I want to believe there is some kind of goodness. If Evil exists, then Good has to exist too."

Pagaya's downcast glance at the ground didn't go unnoticed by the blond as he turned to look at his friend.

Finally, after packing everything they wanted, the pirates were ready to leave for the Merry. While they were getting ready, Conis had mysteriously disappeared for a few minutes before going back looking guilty; that, of course, sparked Koga's suspicion on something going wrong with the father-daughter pair, but no matter how many questions he asked, she would insist in everything going well. He begrudgingly had to drop the topic, also because Sanji had begun to eye him disapprovingly.

After Conis' return, he couldn't contain or hide his impatience as his friends got ready, fidgeting in place and wishing everything would be in its place when they got back to the Merry.

And he got a bad feeling creeping in his stomach as they began descending the seemingly infinite stairs to the beach. At first it had been subtle, but the closer they got to their destination, the worse it became. In the end, and ignoring the others shouting behind him to slow down, he had sprung into a small jog, jumping over the steps and trying not to topple over.

"DAMN IT!"

In the end, he had been right in his suspicions, as always.

The beach was empty. Zoro and the others, along with Merry, were gone.

Koga's thoughts ran a mile a minute, stuck in place with wide eyes unseeing.

'Where could-? They were just-! -But then- What if-? Will they all be-? What do w-?' So frantic his thoughts were, he couldn't complete a single one before jumping to the next, his worst fears about to overwhelm him. He tried to breathe and calm down, closing his eyes in the process and pressing his fingers to his forehead, groaning. 'Trying what I did before could backfire. But I can't abandon them…'

"Hey, where's everyone?!" Usopp exclaimed once he and the rest of the group reached the beach, to find only Koga standing there.

"NAMI-SWAN, ROBIN-CHWAN!" Sanji screamed, tears rolling down his face as he called out for his two favorite angels.

"They've been taken." Koga lowly growled, fury etched on his face. "Where to?"

"Most likely to the Sacrificial Altar, at the Upper Yard."

Pagaya's meek voice almost went unnoticed at Koga's ears, but he heard him either way. Everyone turned to him as he explained the two types of Judgements of Heaven criminals had to face: 'sacrifice', or 'ordeal'. Evidently, Zoro and the others would become the 'sacrifice', while Luffy, Usopp, Sanji and Koga would have to face 'ordeals' to save their friends; they would be the ones being judged.

"So what?" Luffy punched his palm with a determined grin on his face. "All I have to do is to beat those Priests. Things just got interesting!"

"No God gets to kidnap my friends and use them as bait to kill us all." Koga raised his scarf up to his nose. "This God Eneru-, no, this Bastard Eneru, he'd better watch himself."

"Wait for me, Nami-swan, Robin-chwan! I'll face whatever ordeals that get in my way and rescue you!" Sanji also gave a solemn vow.

"Uhh, you know, I'd like to stay alive…" Usopp muttered in fear. "Besides, our map is too old to indicate us the way to the Sacrificial Altar, so how are we gonna get there?"

Realizing the sniper was right, the others sent each other a dubious look. They were more than ready to take those Priests and their so-called God head on if necessary, but not knowing where to go… They'd be just wandering in circles like idiots.

Or like Zoro, anyways.

Conis and Pagaya shared a look before the man nodded and disappeared towards his house. She watched him go with a strange expression on her face, before visibly swallowing and turning to speak with Luffy and company. She faltered when she saw Koga's narrowed eyes, though still found the resolve she needed to speak with them.

"Um… My father can lend you all a map and a boat to get to Upper Yard."

Out of everyone, the only that looked at her in suspicion was Koga. The other three whirled around to face her with nothing short of gratefulness in their expressions.

Not too much time later, the pirates followed Conis through Lovely Street, a very crowded commercial street, with shops and merchants calling out their products.

At first they seemed joyous and chirpy, but the moment Conis and the pirates entered the street and mixed with the crowd, all as one separated themselves from them as if they had the plague. Murmurs filled the air as the townspeople huddled together, watching them with fear.

Ignoring Luffy, Usopp and Sanji (the two latter trying to stop Luffy from picking all the things on the market), Koga watched with narrowed eyes and a hand close to the hilt of Sankaoken at the people. Guiding them, Conis couldn't meet anyone's eyes as she trembled slightly, gripping the front of her dress with quivering fingers and face turned downwards.

Something was wrong. Something was horribly _wrong_.

Once in the docks, the display of gondolas and boats was impressive. Most of them seemed for show, as they looked impressive but not fast, while others just looked strange.

"So, you're sure that Nami-san and the others are at Upper Yard?" Sanji asked, grabbing Luffy by the cheek and dragging him along.

"You worry too much!" The captain barely managed to say while having his cheek stretched. "Nami and the others have Zoro with them, they'll be okay!"

Suddenly, he managed to pry free from the cook's hand and ran towards a boat with an ox as figurehead. It looked impressive, but not very fast.

"Can we take this one?!" He jumped up and down with starry eyes.

 **BAMBAMBAM!**

"We're taking Conis-chan's boat, and that's final." Sanji lit up a new cigarette with an irk mark on his forehead, after giving Luffy another beating.

"Yeees~!"

Finally, Conis stopped beside a small boat. It had a black craft and a black bird's head on the bow as figurehead. From what Koga could see, it had two Dials, instead of one like he'd seen in other boats.

"This is Little Crow." She muttered, still shaking as a leaf and not raising her head once. "Please go through Gate 2, it will take you to the Milky Road that leads to Upper Yard."

Koga's harsh eyes hadn't left her trembling figure. He only moved them to watch the onlooking townspeople, that had been following them.

As if waiting for _something_ to happen.

He'd been giving thought to everything that had happened in the last hours. He remembered perfectly Conis and Pagaya's behavior, both before and after Nami came back from Upper Yard. Before, they looked friendly, sincere, without much worries as they enjoyed (and at some points felt surprise) the crazy pirates that were the Straw Hat pirates.

After, though…

Well, since the White Berets declared them Class 2 criminals and sentenced to face Heaven's Judgement, everything went downhill. They both looked worried, of course, but also extremely fearful.

And suspicious too.

 _Huhu, sometimes your skull is as thick as your captain's, shitty host._

'Not now, Sankaoken…'

 _I'll give you a hand… You're seeing everyone's panicked expressions, and even that little angel's… However, she is the only one insisting on leading you towards Upper Yard, even after warning you of the dangers it holds. Why?_

'What does tha-?'

His strange eyes then widened.

The demon had a point, as much as he hated admitting it. Besides, her panicking expression and the fact that she didn't look at anyone in the face were signs of guiltiness too.

She and her father were already labelled as possible accomplices of them Straw Hat pirates. If the authorities (the White Berets) discovered that Conis was helping Luffy and the others get to Upper Yard to rescue their friends and possibly kick their God's divine ass for good measure, then both angels were done for. Still, they were there, giving them a map, indications to get there almost unscathed and a boat to travel there.

Either they were brave enough to defy God…

Or…

 _They set this all up. They want you to go to Upper Yard._

Every bone and muscle in Koga's body froze in realization.

They trusted them. Damn, he naively trusted them. He thought both Conis and Pagaya were risking their necks voluntarily to help them save their friends; that despite of being scared shitless of the consequences they'd have to face, they'd still find the guts to oppose their God.

But…

As he turned to see the townspeople eagerly watching, waiting for something to happen, his stomach sank and realization hit him as hard as a wall falling upon him.

'They played with us. They _betrayed_ us.'

That served to make something inside him _snap_.

The darkness that had been slowly creeping in his mind as he considerated the consequences of this began showing in his body. Covering first his arms and flowing up his arms, like dark flames licking his shoulders. His eyes hidden under the bangs of hair as he breathed slowly.

" ** _You_**."

The maliciousness, the flat-out rage etched in his voice and body just served to make poor Conis drove herself to her knees, tears beginning to run down her face. Luffy, Sanji and Usopp looked at their friend… and froze at his appearance and the rage his face showed. They couldn't see his eyes, but still, the rest of him exuded fury and darkness.

" _ **You knew this would happen. You knew the others would be brought to Upper Yard.**_ " He clenched his teeth and ground out. " ** _You knew we would trust you to lead us to them_**."

Hunched over, trying to contain the tears, she weakly nodded. As if on cue, the townspeople began muttering like crazy, fearfully glancing up and everywhere.

" ** _Why?_** "

Conis sniffed. The other three, though visibly confused about all this, just kept quiet; only, Sanji and Luffy got closer to Koga to physically block him in-case he went berserk once more.

"I-I was the one th-that called the lobster that t-took the others away…" She confessed between hiccups, the darkness around Koga thickening a bit at that. "B-but I h-had to do it! W-we must lead criminals t-to Upper Yard! If w-we don't the penalty is death!"

Koga, though trapped inside the fury of his darkness, suddenly blinked. The darkness receded, but didn't disappear yet.

Around, the people began acting even more frantic than before, calling out to Conis to shut up and to avoid being 'punished'.

Slowly, the chronicler began to understand. Conis looked down in remorse at what she was going to do to them, and the people… They were scared, but…

Not at what they could do, but at what they could provoke.

They were scared of _God_.

Like a bull attracted to a red flag, his ire changed its objective. That Eneru… He represented what a God shouldn't be; he defied his own ideals of a benevolent God that guided his people justly but kindly.

That Eneru was just a monster.

Koga groggily walked away from the others and watched the White-White Sea with a murderous expression on his face, darkness still covering his arms.

"Wait…" Luffy suddenly muttered, something clicking inside of his pea-sized brain. "If they forced you to take us here… Then why bother telling us?!"

'Oh, no…'

"You idiot!" The force that he used to grab Conis by her shoulders and raise her made her let out a small yelp. "Now your life's in danger too!"

Something shifted in the air.

Normally, only Nami would've noticed, since she was the expert navigator, but this time, Koga felt it without needing her navigation skills. He felt the subtle shifting, the fleeting warning they all got, the scent of ozone in the air, before all turned to hell.

Not even his intuition acted in time to avoid it, or even to warn him.

 ** _ZEE-RACK!_**

Before everything turned white and _exploded_.

…

Driven back a few feet by the force of the explosion, a bit deaf and blind, Koga managed to stay awake and to sit upright to see what the hell just happened. Both sides of him, Usopp and Sanji were in a similar state (though their sniper was a bit more panicked) as the area was filled with smoke and the smell of ozone still lingered for a while. Because of the shock, he noticed his shadows had disappeared, his ire gone.

'Wait, where are Luffy and Conis?'

As soon as he processed that thought, he scrambled to his feet and coughed, waving his hand to get rid of the smoke.

"Luffy, Conis!" He called out.

He almost fell over the crater on the ground, and paled at its sheer size. There was no trace of their captain or the angel.

"Luffy!" Usopp called out too.

"Conis-chan!"

A flap of wings called their attention to the skies, along with a familiar cry:

"Do not fret!"

It was the Sky Knight, Gan Fall, atop a pink-dotted winged horse… that looked incredibly ugly for a Pegasus. He was holding Luffy by the hand and an unconscious Conis in front of him. Both were alive.

Koga sighed in relief as Luffy jumped to the ground and looked at the Knight.

"Thanks for the save, old man!" He said.

"I shall keep this young lady safe. Be careful, and may fortune smile on you!"

Apparently they didn't need to tell him about their plans, as he turned his winged beast and flew off, carrying Conis with him. Luffy looked over at the three figures getting farther away, then glared at the muted people before getting on the Small Crow, not saying a word. Usopp, Sanji and Koga looked at each other in bewilderment before following after their captain, setting their course on Upper Yard.

Reaching the island proved to be almost insultingly easy; no challenges or danger whatsoever as they travelled down the Milky Road (apparently that was the name for the strange-floating rivers).

Upper Yard… To put it simply, it was massive. The trees looked even more gigantic than the ones they'd seen in Little Garden. The leaves were so thick it didn't let almost any sunlight beam get into the bushes below.

It surely had a gloomy area around it that Little Garden didn't show or possess in any way.

And Usopp was doing a strenuous work in reminding them of that fact, much to their exasperation.

"Okay, now that we are inevitably here, I have a couple instructions for you three: keep me alive at all costs!"

"How about we shut you up at all costs?" Koga groaned as he ruffled his blond hair, his other hand directing the Crow. "I'm still shocked at finding out that that horrendous Pegasus was in fact Pierre…"

"You were unconscious when we found out." Sanji shrugged his shoulders, a lit cigarette between his lips.

"I hope Conis will be alright." Usopp mused in worry, directing the conversation topic away from himself. "She's gonna have hell to pay if the White Berets catch her, and it's all our fault!"

Luffy shrugged. "That guy was old but he seemed like an okay guy."

"Besides, first the White Berets have to find his house." Koga agreed. "And unless they can actually use those wings of theirs, then they'd have to find another Pierre to carry them to his house. She'll be fine."

Silence fell once more. Both sides of the river, torches illuminated the way, and creepy-looking statues molded out of earth (or 'vearth' as they called it in Skypiea) loomed over them. Koga had to maneuver as best he could to avoid some wrecked ships.

The overall eery atmosphere didn't exactly bode well for poor Usopp's heart.

"Would you calm down?" Luffy said, with a stupidly huge grin on his face.

"Open your goddamn eyes! Those ships weren't run aground, they were sliced in half!" A rustling noise made him jump. "Did you hear that?!"

"The forest is full of noises." Their captain shrugged carelessly.

But Sanji stood, eyes serious. "I heard that."

Suddenly, Koga's intuition flared awake as he snapped his head around, a whizzing sound approaching them. "Usopp, Sanji, take the oars and paddle!"

Fueled by both their fear and their chronicler's warning, they both sprung to action without questioning, paddling as fast as they could…

… And barely avoiding being sliced in half by an enormous swinging scythe. Usopp screamed, but didn't stop rowing.

"A Sickle Monster!"

"Luffy, not the time!"

"Here comes another one!"

"Not just one!"

They all paled as the sight of multiple scythes swinging across the water, waiting for their victims. Koga gritted his teeth and gripped the wheel tighter, moving the Crow left and right the best he could.

"What the hell is this?!" Sanji roared as he kept paddling.

"Speed up! No, slow down! Watch out!" Usopp yelled in panic.

"AGH! Luffy, do something! I can't move that fast!" Koga ordered, sweat dripping down his face.

"Right!" He stood, running to the back of the boat and stretching his arms back. "Gum gum… BAZOOKA!"

 **BOOM!**

"WHOOAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The boat flew past the blades and the Crow landed safely in the water after a few rebounds. The group were about to deflate in relief, but the sound of gears turning alerted them once again of approaching danger.

"W-what now?" Usopp stuttered, looking around fearfully.

 **WHOOSH!**

"Sanji, _get down_!" Koga roared as he saw something from the corner of his eye.

He promptly did so, just as a wooden spear pierced the place he'd occupied not a second ago.

"Seriously, now spears?!" The chronicler screamed in frustration as he once again began wheeling in zigzag.

Fortunately, his hunches indicated him where the majority would land. And the ones he couldn't, Luffy and Sanji took care of them. Once more, it was their rubbery captain that knocked away the danger with his 'Gum gum pinwheel'.

"I really hope that's the last of it…" Usopp breathed.

Something glinted in the distance ahead of them. Again, their eyes widened comically when they saw a giant circular blade zoomed towards them and barely missing them when they dropped to the floor in hastiness.

"It's coming back!" Luffy reported.

"Great, sharp boomerangs, huh?! Hang on tight guys!"

With that warning, he one more time (and hopefully last) kept the course of the Crow in zigzag. He got Sanji and Luffy take care of the boomerang and somewhat avert its trajectory by kicking it away. Usopp, as always, would just cower in the corner and scream his lungs off.

It was Sanji this time that took care of the damn trap by kicking it away and into the river behind them.

Relieved by the whole thing being finally over, the four of them hunched sighing. Seriously, it had only been half-an-hour since they entered Upper Yard and had already been assaulted by traps. If that wasn't the Ordeals, then they better prepared themselves because Koga was very pissed off at the moment.

Finally, it seemed the end (relatively) of their journey was at hand. To their astonished eyes, they found themselves in a clearing that divided itself in four branches or entrances, leading somewhere in the darkness.

From far left to far right, the signs in front of the entrances read:

 **ORDEAL OF SWAMP**

 **ORDEAL OF IRON**

 **ORDEAL OF STRING**

 **ORDEAL OF SPHERES**

"You think we get to choose?" Luffy said excitedly, seeing the four entrances with childlike excitement.

"Is it just me, or do none of these things sound like much of an ordeal?" Sanji commented, his eyebrow raised.

"I'd say, except the Ordeal of Spheres, the others do sound like ordeals." Koga shrugged. "Just a thought I have."

"I don't know guys…" Usopp said uneasily. "Which one should we choose? Koga, is your intuition telling you anything?"

The chronicler frowned deeply before shaking his blond head. "Only that there are danger in the four paths. Whichever we choose, the Priests won't make things easy for us."

"But which is the less dangerous? Can you tell that at least?"

He went to answer, but Luffy beat him:

"How about Spheres?"

Preparing himself for a stupidity, Usopp decided to ask: "Why Spheres?"

Their captain grinned.

"Because Spheres are like balls, right? Sounds fun!"

"Actually, it is the one that feels less dangerous." The blond chronicler admitted.

"It does sound less deadly." The sniper shuddered as he looked at the other entrances. "I mean, swamps makes me think of sinking, the kind you don't come back from."

"What about iron?"

"That one speaks for itself."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what's made of iron? Weights. Iron is heavy and therefore, they can crush us!"

Luffy hummed at Usopp's explanation about what the other ordeals would be possibly about, and then blinked as he looked at the last entrance they hadn't discussed about.

"Fine, what about string?" He piped up.

"That one… doesn't sound too bad, but… They could dangle us over nothing; we are in the sky after all!"

Koga squinted his eyes in thought. Honestly, he had thought on another type of ordeal regarding the Ordeal of Strings: puppets. Maybe it consisted on controlling people with strings attached to their limbs and make them attack each other, like puppets controlled by their puppeteer.

He shuddered; he preferred avoiding that ordeal at all costs. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he harmed anyone, albeit unwillingly.

"Now that I think about it, none of these sound safe…" Usopp whimpered, white as a sheet. "Maybe we should think this over."

"We don't have time for a debate." Sanji said.

Right. The more time they wasted in choosing what path to take, the more danger the others would be in. This wasn't the moment for dilly-dallying.

"Alright, Spheres it is!" Luffy declared loudly, pumping his fists in the air.

Sighing, Koga steered the vehicle to the far right, towards the Ordeal of Spheres.

As ridiculous as it sounded, he hoped things would be smoothly. For the others' sakes.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Not the best of my chapters (sorry about that) but I had a lot of things to take care of. One of them being my new fic (insert shameless advertisement here xD). And now, review answers~!  
**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King! I'm afraid this chapter is rather… lacking. Not the best of my chaps for sure. But at least I managed to get them to the Ordeals! Yeah, Zoro and Luffy's fights were simply awesome! Eneru's face was hilarious as hell yeah hahahaha!**

 **K: Did they? And what's Mantra and Observation Haki?**

 **L: You'll learn soon enough.**

 **K: Oh yeah, my Devil Fruit. Well, lately I haven't been in any situation that asked me to use it, so… *shrugs* Normally with the darkness I have enough.**

 **L: And everytime you use it you become less human…**

 **K: Who's the one that gave me this power?**

 **L: *tries to avoid the daggers and swords* KYAAA! DON'T KILL ME PLEEASEE~! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE~!**

 **-anquan16: Hey an!**

 **K: *blushes at compliment* Thanks. Not that I like to fight, but well.**

 **-FourthWallBreaker: Hey Fourth! Well, not much, but of course Koga's presence will change some things about the original arc.**

 **K: Don't worry, Maria. Author's the same. They really need to finish up some things (both in real world and in Fanfiction), but they're really lazy to do that. The only thing that (barely) manages to stay updated is this fic.**

 **L: *cries a bit* Would you please stop insulting me so blatantly? It hurts you know.**

 **K: It was intended to hurt.**

 **L: *cries a bit more* Oh, so cruel. Well, I'll be seeing you soon, Fourth! Good luck with your school and stories!**

 **-Kakusei: Hey Kaku! Well, I wouldn't say better control, because he still needs Luffy to stop him before he kills someone. The day he would actually refrain himself of killing without having Luffy to tell him so, then he'll be- Uh, well, the possibility's still there.**

 **K: Why the hell don't you finish that sentence?!**

 **L: Because you're here. Spoilers, remember?**

 **K: … Hn.**

 **-Guest: Hi guest, glad you liked it! Please keep supporting me ^^!**

 **-zerom1v: Hey! Didn't upload soon, sorry, but I had my reasons! Yeah, he is a bad boy *Bad Boy from Cascada sounds somewhere in the background***

 **-Guest-san: Ikr, that Amazon is really sneaky! Well, I can't tell you (spoilers, and Koga-kun's right beside me, and I really hate to reveal my surprises regarding the main plot), so sorry! But Koga-kun will NOT appear in Marineford; he has enough with The Chapel organization after his ass. And regarding the Soul Eater OCs… nope. Nah, you didn't really miss anything important.**

 **K: *glares at Author***

 **L: Oh, come on, you hate birthdays! Besides, you're in the middle of an adventure! I can't cut off that!**

 **-Boopadoop: Don't worry, I'm late too! We're doing great, Boop, thanks! Hope you're having an awesome day!**

 **K: Speak for yourself Author. I'm still angry at you for forgetting my birthday. You're supposed to be my creator, dammit.**

 **L: HEY! I'm not supposed, I AM your creator! Eyup, it was Asura. Huh, I've never watched the NOT series. Is it good?**

 **K: Oh come on, what does some monsters fighting each other have of interest? Leave me alone! And October 1st is actually (was, because stupid Author forgot) my birthday. Now I'm 25. Boo-hoo.**

 **L: See? You don't like your birthdays!**

 **K: Shut up and go die in a ditch.**

 **L: *gasps with a hand over heart, shocked* So cruel…**

 **-Tengu Brunch: HEYO Brunch! For a moment I thought you were quoting the song 'Courtesy Call' by Thousand Foot Crutch' xD Nice for you! I honestly have a lot of work to do, so now I apologize for taking so long in updating (and still the chap's not good).**

 **K: What you get for forgetting my birthday.**

 **L: … You're not gonna let that go, right? Anyways! Yeah, those goat-like men looked quite weird, but also pretty funny! Actually, it makes me think of 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell, in which the goats are actually quite stupid and follow their leader without questioning… It's quite a stretch, but maybe Oda was using Orwell's work to depict Eneru's underlings? No idea xD Oh, Don't worry, I completely understand ^^ I'm really hyped up at the ideas I have for Akim ^^!**

 **K: … Huh. You know, that's actually quite nice. I could've used that to hear anything coming from the Ordeals. Damn.**

 **L: Summoning the gauntlets require control Koga-kun actually lacks. Unless he gets a proper breather to train without the others witnessing, then he won't be able to summon any other weapon beside the scythe. Think that practically the demon is forcing him to use its default weapon instead of taking in consideration Koga's wishes. So sorry, no gauntlets for a little while. Maybe at Water 7's arc he'll be able to use them again though.**

 **-Boopadoop (2): Sorry for taking so long! Here's the answer: Koga-kun's birthday xD**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): YOU ALMOST KILLED ME! But unfortunately for you, I'm alive!**

 **Sorry, I won't be able to answer those reviewers that left a comment in previous chapters (because honestly, I don't know if they are still reading the fic or not, as you're mostly guests. Anyone who reviewed in previous chaps and still wants his/her question asked, please send me a PM.**

 **L: Well guys, hope you liked it, stay beautiful, and please feed the hungry beast!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	59. Facing the Ordeal

**59\. Facing the Ordeal**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **L: Litten or Rowlet? Litten or Rowlet? Hm, decisions, decisions...**

 **K: What the hell are you doing?**

 **L: Deciding which starter Pokemon I will get when Pokemon Moon is finally in my hands! What do you think, Koga-kun? Should I choose the cute owl that transforms into a badass Robin Hood? Or an equally cute kitten that transforms into an equally badass fighter?**

 **K: ... What I think is that you should keep a more balanced update on your fics...**

* * *

The tension was palpable as the four pirates entered the entrance leading to the Ordeal of Spheres. Silence surrounded them, only the sound of the Dial that moved the Little Crow breaking it.

This situation did nothing to ease Koga's ill feelings. He still felt trapped in darkness, fury raging in his ears, claiming vengeance for the harm done to Conis and her people by someone who claimed to be a God. His hands tightened around the wheel, thunderous expression set ahead, his bicolored eyes promising pain to the false God.

Whereas Usopp prayed for their safety and Luffy was too occupied in finding out about what the Ordeal would be about, similar feelings to his own could be seen in the way Sanji gnashed his cigarette with his teeth, most probably cursing about how he could do nothing to defend his dear Conis-chan.

However, what could he, much less anyone else, could have done against lightning? No human could move as fast as light. No human, of course, could produce lightning as well.

Unless, of course, that he had eaten a Devil Fruit.

Koga frowned. It was the only thing that could make sense. Though terrifying and certainly deadly, the source of such power in a human could only be granted by a Devil Fruit.

That is, if the creature that fought against them was human after all.

This God Eneru… He defied everything he believed to be of a real God. He had truly thought a God should represent the good in the world, to battle the evil that demons and their Princes bring along. He didn't, refused to acknowledge the fact that every God should be like Eneru; oppressive, deadly, like a tyrant to his subjects.

That was the demons' work.

"Say…" Usopp's meek voice cut the silence. "Isn't this a little too peaceful…?"

"Now that you mention it…" Sanji looked around at the impossibly huge trees around them. "For now everything seems okay."

"This is boring~!" Luffy let out a whine. "Can't you sense something, Koga?"

At that question, Koga felt a sweatdrop at the back of his head. "What am I, a danger detector? No, Luffy, I can't sense anyth-"

Spoke too soon.

He frowned at the uneasy feeling he got from just ahead, and his grip tightened around the wheel. "Something's coming."

"Why, oh why did you have to ask?!"

The three combatants drowned out the sniper's protests as their stances got slightly more defensive, glaring dead ahead at the upcoming corner; though Luffy simply looked more excited than alert.

Koga felt his body tense as he saw sunlight coming from the corner. Did that mean they were reaching the end of the forest? That was fast.

Once they reached the corner, he slightly veered to the right, following the path. Sunlight burned their pupils for a moment, blinding them for a moment, making them close their eyes with a grimace and a protest.

Then, they were falling.

Screams and yells and curses filled the air as they hung on the small vehicle, trying not to get blown off it. Out of everyone, only Luffy seemed to enjoy the free falling, judging the exhilarating laugh he let out.

 ** _SPLASH!_**

The fall was cut short abruptly, causing everyone in the Crow to almost get thrown off the little ship. Koga, in particular, smacked his chest against the wheel and his air left him in a rush.

It cost him several minutes before he regained his breath.

Once the chronicler incorporated again and looked around, he found himself in yet another part of the forest, with a small waterfall slowly disappearing behind them as they turned another corner.

"I-I thought we were falling back to the Blue Sea…" Usopp muttered, his face white as a sheet as he looked back at the waterfall they just left behind.

"Woohoo, that was fun! Wanna do it again?" Luffy had a ridiculously large grin on his face as he turned to his nakama.

 ** _BAM BAM BAM!_**

"WE ALMOST _DIED_ YOU BASTARD!"

Still, the idiot let out a laugh. So they beat him up again.

When they all finally calmed down, the Straw Hat pirates -the present ones, that is- took a chance to really look at their surroundings. For the moment, it looked like they were deeper in the forest, but…

"Are those… balls?"

"Yup. They are. Floating in midair."

"Well, the ordeal was of Spheres. Something about balls it had to have."

But even with that logic, no one could completely understand the strange scenery that made the weird giant-sized, white balls that floated all around the forest. At first sight they looked completely harmless as the pirates watched in confusion, wondering what this ordeal was about, and why Conis looked so afraid when talking about the ordeals.

'Must have some kind of trick hidden in them or something.' Koga pursed his lips in a frown, steering the wheel with somewhat more control. 'We must be on our guard around them…'

Some time passed, but the forest kept as quiet and calm as always. Eventually, Luffy and Usopp seemed to forget that they were supposedly facing an ordeal and, out of boredom, began nagging Sanji; they implored him with fake-tear eyes to feed them to regain strength, but the cook just snapped at them and ordered them to keep their eyes to the shores while Koga kept the course.

Not even ten minutes later after that incident…

"I told you to keep watch you idiots!" Sanji's murderous roar provoked Koga to turn.

The scene made him deadpan.

Apparently, both idiots gave up in trying to convince the chef to give them some grub, and instead decided to use the floating ball clouds as if they were beach balls.

"Usopp, pass!" Luffy laughed as he softly tapped the ball towards the sniper.

The long-nosed teen also raised his hand to tap it back…

'Danger!'

Everything happened in a flash.

As the first tingle of warning began chiming, Koga immediately used his Flash Step to lunge at Usopp, gripping his overalls and yanking him away from the ball.

Just in the nick of time, as it suddenly popped open, a snake attempting to bite the space where Usopp's head had been not just a second ago. The sniper screamed, and Luffy immediately kicked it away.

"Wha- what the hell was that?!" Usopp screamed, his nerves shot.

"I think we just discovered the secret behind the Cloud Balls." Koga raised his scarf up to his nose as he helped the younger teen up. "Everyone stay away from them!"

"Sanji! Cloud Ball!"

Whirling around, Sanji raised his leg and reeled it back to kick it away…

"No, Sanji, don't touch it!" The chronicler had to tackle the chef out of the way. After they fell, and ignoring the blonde's confused shout, the older teen turned to Usopp again. "Usopp, throw a pellet at it! Now!"

After fumbling with his slingshot and the pellet, the long-nosed teen shot at the approaching Cloud Ball…

… With it erupting into an impressive explosion, only a few meters away from the Crow, that swayed dangerously because of the blast. They had to protect themselves with an arm raised over their faces, feeling the hot air wiping their hair and clothes before calming altogether. Once it ended, the four lowered their arms and watched the balls with a newfound respect.

"Damn it… What the hell is this madness?" Sanji drawled.

"It's better not to do anything rash." Koga advised with a wary look at the balls. "I'm able to know which are dangerous, but not _what_ is inside them. It seems they only activate upon contact, so I'll tell you which ones we should avoid at all costs."

"Hoho- _HO_ ~! Seems like you have a cheater with you, Blue-Sea Dwellers. Hoho- _HO_ ~!"

At that new voice, the four pirates swirled around to locate it.

The man who talked, or so it looked like, had a striking resemblance to the white Cloud Balls floating around. Jumping up-and-down one of them, a round, glasses-wearing guy with huge wings laughed strangely. His huge creepy smile sent a shudder down Koga's spine for some reason, and his long, wavy wine-colored hair seemed well-groomed and taken care of. Apart from his white, overall suit, he had on orange gloves and equally orange boots.

"Don't call me 'cheater', dumpling guy." Koga frowned.

"THEN DON'T CALL ME 'DUMPLING' YOU BASTARD!" He roared, losing his wide grin before quickly recovering it. "But no matter! I am very glad that you chose my challenge, the Ordeal of Spheres! Ohm, Shura, and even that ignoramus Gedatsu all prefer straightforward intimidation when it is about their challenges, but me? I prefer having a bit of fun! So welcome, Blue-Sea Dwellers, to the Ordeal of Spheres, with only a ten percent survival rate, hoho- _HO_ ~!"

"I think I'll just cut his head off if he continues with that ridiculous laugh…" Koga muttered under his breath, growing a tick mark on his head in annoyance.

"Hoho- _HO_ ~! How aggressive! You should relax a bit and have fun while you can! Hoho- _HO_ ~!"

"Hey you bastard! Where are Nami-san and the others? Are they okay?" Sanji raised his voice, drowning the other blond's grumbles. "If you laid even a finger on them, I'm going to-!"

"I advise you to look after yourselves." The muffin-man replied, not stopping his hopping in the Cloud Ball. "That means, if you want to keep going, you'd better be ready to face me~! Hoho- _HO_ ~!"

After saying this, he suddenly hopped away from his position, spinning towards them at an alarming speed. Usopp screamed for Luffy to punch him away as the others got on guard.

"Alright! Gum gum-!"

"You'll stretch your arm…"

'Huh?' Koga blinked when he heard the dumpling man muttering that under his breath.

"PISTOL!"

Much to everyone's surprise, the stretched pistol arm Luffy threw at him failed to hit, the man effortlessly swerving out of the way. He then reached his hand to Luffy's face, preparing a counterattack of some sorts-

'Danger!'

-But Koga moved as fast, gripping his captain's normal arm and yanking towards him as hard as he could.

Just in time, because he felt some kind of strong wind that ruffled his hair and shook the boat a bit. The chronicler looked from the corner of his eye and saw a giant tree in the opposite margin being crushed by the pressure of the wind.

'Shit! Whatever that is, it holds some serious power!'

"A light punch did _that_ to the tree?!" Usopp screamed in panic, he and the others also seeing the damage taken to the poor giant tree.

"Punch?" The man's eerie voice made them all tense and turn around, just in time to see his smile widen with a sadistic undertone. "My hit… is just like a punch… but slightly different."

"You bastard…!" Sanji prepared himself to plant his boot on the man's face.

"But I must say…" The Priest looked over towards Koga, who stood side by side with Luffy. "This is the first time I see a Blue-Sea Dweller with the blessing of Mantra."

"Mantra?" Koga repeated, blinking in confusion.

But the man offered no further explanation. "You managed to know which ones of my Cloud Balls are dangerous, and you were fast enough to get your friend out of danger. If I let you live, you'll take out all the fun, and you may even be able to fulfill my Ordeal. That, I cannot let happen."

In a flash, he seemed to teleport before the young pirate, who tensed all the muscles of his body when he saw the orange hand poised at his face. He tried to move-

"Impact."

-But, for some reason, had no time.

 ** _BAM!_**

He flew towards the forest, the shockwave sending him towards one of the thickest trees and crashing against it with a terrifyingly snapping noise. He grunted, falling to the ground and landing in a heap, trying to regain his breath and his hand covering his aching face. His bones and muscles ached all over, sending waves of agony through his entire body. Far in the distance, he faintly heard his name being called out by Usopp.

What was that?! Why hadn't his intuition act this time?! He wasn't confused, his head had been one hundred percent into the battle, so why didn't it work this time?!

Three more explosions sounded, three muffled screams. Luffy, Sanji and Usopp were down too, much to his fury.

He was beginning to grow tired of the whole situation, the stress catching up to him at an alarming pace. It wouldn't be long before his control over the cackling demon in his head snapped.

And the writer preferred to avoid that situation at all costs.

"Sanji, Usopp, Koga! Get up! Are you guys alright!"

Luffy's voice called out for everyone from somewhere in front of him to his left, and Koga groaned as he managed to stand up, his face and body protesting but managing to muffle out the pain with his Devil Fruit powers.

"I'm fine!" Sanji sounded surprisingly closer, to his right. "Little woozy, but fine. What was that…? That bastard…"

"That felt like a shockwave of some sorts…" Koga grunted out as he saw the cook emerging from the foliage, a bit beaten up but overall okay. "We must be careful with him."

He nodded and waved his way through the forest, followed by the writer.

"Hoho- _HO_ ~! Hoho- _HO_ ~!" The muffin man sang merrily, dancing in their -stopped for the moment- boat. "The name's Satori! And I'm one of the Priests under the rule of the Almighty God Eneru! I represent the 'Vearth' of the Lost Forest!"

"Lost Forest?" Luffy parroted, Sanji and Koga managing to catch up with him; the chronicler saw Usopp's silhouette in the other shore.

"Yes! It's the name of this forest! And…"

His grin turned into a sadistic one when he suddenly hit the pedal, starting the engine and making the boat move away. Then the Priest jumped on top of one of the Cloud-Spheres as the pirates watched in horror how the Dial-powered boat got further away from them at each second.

"What's going to get lost here… is your boat!" Satori continued laughing, the boat slowly getting away down the stream. "Now your boat is going to march down this forest's Milky Road and, sooner or later, will get to the only exit. If you don't know, I'll tell you: losing your Dial-powered boat means losing the way to the Sacrificial Altar. I advise you to get back to it before that happens… That said, the Surprise Cloud-Spheres laid out here, as well as myself, are going to stop you!"

Koga clicked his tongue in annoyance as his hand flew to his weapon and unsheathed it, both Luffy and Sanji getting ready to fight too.

"Hoho- _HO_ ~! Welcome to the Ordeal of Spheres! Your survival rate is 10 percent!"

"Dammit…" Koga cursed. "If we all stay here fighting with muffin man, the boat will get away and our chances to rescue Zoro and the others will disappear. Our only option is to split up."

"Yeah." Sanji stiffly nodded. "But the one staying fighting will get a beating, between the spheres and whatever thing he has in his hand."

"You go and stop the boat." Luffy then ordered with a scowl on his face, the others turning to look at him. "I'll take care of him."

Sanji began to nod, but then saw the dark expression on the writer's face. He blinked, but then frowned in worry; the scarred older boy had been out of it for quite a while, and it worried him greatly. He still remembered the warning Mifune told him and the others of not letting Koga kill anyone.

"No, Luffy." Koga all but growled, his katana transforming into the already familiar -but still spooky as hell- black scythe and holding it at his side. "I have better chances of beating him. I can tell which spheres are dangerous and which are just a fluke; the only thing I have to worry about is bringing muffin man down." He looked at his captain eye-to-eye. "Leave him to me."

Luffy's will duelled with his chronicler's in what seemed to be the largest five seconds of Sanji's life, as the chef merely watched with helplessness. Koga would naturally and almost immediately obey his captain, as he normally agreed with every decision the straw-hat wearing teen made; however, lately the blond seemed to have a certain bloodthirst, a desperation for fight that irked Sanji to no end.

He reminded himself to personally ask the writer about it when everything was over.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?!" Usopp's voice came from the other shore, and for a moment Sanji wondered how much time had he been calling out for them. "The boat's gonna get away if we don't stop it soon!"

Sanji looked over at his friends, still showing their determination.

"Your orders, captain?" He spoke softly, but loud enough for both of them to break from their trance with a blink.

He addressed Luffy that way on purpose. First, to remind Koga that no matter what his wishes were, Luffy was still their captain; if he ordered his chronicler to go, then he'd have to obey. And second, to remind Luffy of his position as such and that his orders were vital both for Koga and the rest of the crew that was waiting for them in the Sacrificial Altar.

Finally, though reluctant, Luffy nodded.

"Okay. You can fight him. But don't kill him."

As if not expecting his answer, Koga blinked his bicolored eyes again in surprise. He then drew a smile -a real one, not sadistic or bloodthirsty, but a genuinely calm one- and nodded confidently.

"Roger that, captain."

The black-haired teen nodded in response before turning to a stupefied Sanji.

"Let's go!"

"... Alright!"

Questions later, the chef decided. Now they had more urgent matters to attend to.

Koga didn't react when Luffy and Sanji broke into a sprint as if competing who was faster. He barely acknowledged Usopp doing the same on the other shore.

No, all his attention was fixed in Satori, the smile he had drawn already gone as his hand gripped the scythe tighter.

"Hoho- _HO_ ~!" Satori laughed as he jumped up and down the Cloud-Sphere he was perched on. "So, you will be my opponent?"

Koga grabbed the scythe with both hands now as he amplified his intuition with a little help of his Devil Fruit powers, his concentration fixed in the Cloud-Spheres and the strange Priest that was his adversary.

As he told Luffy earlier, avoiding the most dangerous Cloud-Spheres was the easy task; he'd merely avoid those dangerous for him. What would prove difficult, though, was Satori himself.

From what he could see, Satori could predict danger directed at himself, like the chronicler. But the Priest could go a step further as to predict what attack would be inflected in him; he knew Luffy was going to try to punch him with a stretched arm. Koga couldn't go that far; he merely could predict the danger, not the type of danger.

Furthermore, when Satori attacked him with that strange shockwave that sent him and the others flying, his intuition hadn't flared up as usual, even though he did see the danger as plain as day. He understood why it hadn't awoken when that thunderbolt tried to obliterate Conis back at Lovely Street (nothing travels faster than light after all, not even his intuition), but why did it remain silent when confronting Satori?

 _Eyes on the battle, shitty host. You might lose your head with this._

Koga blinked as he noticed Satori launching a Surprise Cloud-Sphere at him at a blinding speed. Noticing it to be dangerous, he clicked his tongue and swirled to the side; using the momentum and the force of the swing, he covered his scythe in black shadows and sent a Dark Crescent Moon attack to the Priest, particularly potent. The round man let out something close to a yelp as he managed to avoid it too.

'He can't predict my movements either!' Koga noticed with widened eyes, jumping on top of a harmless ball (though he lamented having to step on the flowers that popped up) and examining the battleground in front of him. 'Maybe the likeness of our abilities nullifies each other? It would make sense, but this makes the fight even more difficult…'

Having relied in his intuition for so long left him sloppy to react to Satori's attacks, and both knew it as they launched attacks at each other, from a distance for the moment; the same could be said about the Priest, however he seemed a bit more at ease in fighting without relying so much in his gut instincts.

The only thing that seemed to serve the chronicler to his advantage was that he knew which Spheres were dangerous and which not; knowledge Satori didn't have, or seemed to.

Another Dark Crescent Moon was launched, swiftly avoided; the counterattack came in the form of a ball that contained a snake. Koga preferred avoiding up-close combat for now, to avoid that mysterious shockwave that almost managed to knock him out. However, his expertise of long-distance attack was limited, only one, and the demon inside him felt too much fun watching him fight for his life to provide him with another one, or at least a different weapon.

Only five minutes had passed since they began this uneven sparring. Satori had begun to grow restless, and Koga could perceive that in his hasty attacks. Both had dealt heavy blows in each other, but both also agreed on refusing to stand down.

A distraction settled the uneven fight.

Bombs went off in the distance suddenly, and unlike other times, Koga felt his inner alarms go off, warning him of the danger his friends were facing.

A specially loud explosion and the subsequent alarm served to sway Koga's attention away from Satori and in the direction Luffy and the others were. The distraction lasted a few seconds, but the Priest knew to make use of it.

He bolted forwards, using the Cloud Ball he was on as launching pad, and poised his hand over Koga's chest just as the chronicler was turning around to face him again; the blond's mismatched eyes grew wide at the danger and tried to move his scythe to cut the round man open.

"Impact!"

 ** _BAM!_**

His chest exploded in pain, as he once again flew through the air, breaking through the thick branches and finally stopping when a specially sturdy branch halted his body. He coughed blood and slipped from the branch to the Milky Road below him.

"Koga!"

His midsection was suddenly surrounded by something and tugged sharply; he soared through the air once more before a body halted once more his unwilling flight. He groaned at the pain in his chest and the difficulty of breathing, grasping at his chest with a grimace; his scythe served him to not pathetically topple over.

Hunched in the ground, the chronicler noticed Sanji beside him, with Luffy being the one that rescued him from drowning behind him and already standing up.

"Dammit…" Koga coughed some more blood. "The Crow?"

"Usopp's fetching it right now." The cook answered. "Though I'm not sure about his device being useful at all…"

"Hey!" Koga heard then saw Usopp on the other side of the Milky Road setting up a belt around his waist. "Could you at least be supportive?!"

"Should I pray for him?" Koga asked in a mocking tone to Sanji, who answered in the same tone with a smirk to boot:

"If you find another God other than Eneru to pray to…"

"Just watch and learn you two! SET… UP!"

Suddenly, his belt launched a rope in high speed and wrapped itself around a tree branch standing up high, a bit ahead of the still moving Dial-propelled boat.

"Alright…" Usopp nodded in satisfaction as he tightened the grip the rope had on the branch. "I have a free way until the Little Crow. This is my only chance, I can't waste it!"

"Eh…" Sanji shared a look with Koga as the former helped the latter stand up. "Good thinking Usopp! Watch out for the orbs!"

"Woo-hoo, looks like fun!" Luffy exclaimed with a merry laugh.

"Idiot…" Koga couldn't help but to smile at his captain.

It didn't go as planned however, because even if Usopp managed to get to the Little Crow, he couldn't detach himself from the rope and was left swinging back and forth hopelessly in the branch. Furthermore, Satori came back with his irritating laugh… and a rather molesting companion.

Apparently he joined all the explosive and flammable Surprise Cloud Spheres he could find and tied them together with some invisible wiring, forming an impressive-looking dragon. They couldn't attack it without the risk of being caught in the massive explosion that many Cloud Balls would unleash...

That, added to the fact of the lingering Surprise Cloud Balls…

They had no choice but flee, much to their shame.

In the end, Koga didn't recover fast enough to rejoin the fight, and could only advise his friends in which Spheres they could step on without a snake biting at their ankles, the four of them running away from the dragon. He thought his head was going to split open because of his headache and the constant warning alarms.

"Luffy, the cloud directly above you is harmless!" He called out. "Usopp, no, not that one, it has a snake! Sanji, the third ball to your left and under you!"

It was admittedly difficult, coordinating everyone at the same time; plus, Satori could hear every instruction he gave, so the Priest could make countermeasures and direct a dangerous Cloud Ball before he could warn his friends. For now, however, and much to his confusion, he left Koga alone.

"Ahh~ Ah~ Help~!" Usopp whined, too tired to move as he flopped down beside Koga; he, as everyone else, had his body battered up and bruised badly. "I can't go on anymore… I feel like my heart will stop beating any second now!"

Koga gritted his teeth as he struggled to incorporate, managing to do so with a stagger. He grasped Usopp's arm and dragged him along to avoid Satori's dragon as it swept over their heads.

"Then you can head straight to your prayers." Satori's voice, already sounding rather annoyed at how much time it was taking him to beat four measly pirates seeping in. "Your boat's almost on the way out of the forest! You will never escape unless you know how to fly somehow! You're going to get lost here forever and ever!"

'Fly…'

Somehow, that word stuck to Koga's mind as he and Usopp avoided another attack from the dragon, being in turn rescued by Luffy.

 _You could end it all by just sending me over by the Priest, shitty host. You did it before, in Alabasta, remember? Those two pesky agents that tried to blow up your little friend's precious city_.

He sucked in a painful breath. Of course he remembered. But he absolutely refused to set free that… _dreadful beast_ , or whatever it was.

The chronicler shook his head and looked up at the dragon with a critical eye. There had to be a way for Satori to control it so masterfully. The spheres were all tied to each other by an almost-invisible string, but what kept them together?

Koga saw it at the same time Luffy and Sanji did.

Satori's cane, at the head of the dragon. No one had noticed when he had brought out the cane, but now it stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Usopp, go ahead and locate the boat." He turned to the long-nosed teen, who seemed in shock. "Now everything's taken care of. Go!"

"Uh… Yeah!"

"I get it!" Luffy exclaimed, apparently having noticed the same thing. "Break… the chain!"

Seeing his captain snap the cord holding together two of the spheres, Koga drew a feral smile on his face.

'I don't need you shitty demon.' He thought. He saw Satori panicking at the thought of having lost control of the dragon. ' _We_ don't need you.'

 _Sankaoken_ scoffed, but the chronicler knew the demon was fuming inside. Even if its control over his mind was getting better, it still couldn't manipulate his body.

Not yet, at least.

Sensing the danger, Koga and Sanji stepped away seconds before the massive explosion would go off.

 **KABOOM!**

…

In comparison of all the bombs that went off before, the combination of all those bomb spheres rose quite an impressive dust cloud, and it took quite a bit of time for it to settle down. Near the edge, Koga coughed and waved his hands to get rid of the dust, trying to see what had happened. Above him, Sanji had found a harmless Cloud-Sphere and was waiting for his opportunity to strike.

The smoke finally gone, Satori emerged from the center of a great hole in the ground created by the chain of explosions from earlier. He certainly felt those bombs, if his disheveled clothes and hair and his almost-broken glasses were anything to go by; dust covered him from head to toe, along with several injuries all over his body.

He seemed not to notice the three pirates watching him as he coughed once more and sneered in anger.

"Damn it…" He hissed in anger, looking down at his destroyed cane which he had used to control his dragon. "He really wanted to take me down with him… Curse him… I'm getting rusty… I lost focus of my Mantra…"

Koga frowned, not seeing Luffy anywhere, but then he saw the mop of black hair behind Satori and smirked in amusement. He'd leave this to his captain.

Admittedly, the blond feared he'd lose his wits again if he entered the fight.

And thus, he merely watched as Satori entered in a panic at Luffy clinging to his back, calling him 'pervert' and demanding to let go of him.

"Don't let him go, Luffy." Sanji called out coolly from over their heads. "That muffin won't escape from me."

"Sanji! You're alive?" Luffy smiled widely, and the chef grew a tick mark on his head.

"I WAS HALF-DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU THOUGH! LOOK AROUND BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID!" He breathed deeply, lighting up a cigarette before turning his blazing eye to Satori, who flinched at the intensity of his glare. "As for you, muffin-man…. You keep going on about the ordeal, so it's fair if you prove a bit of your own poison. I have two delicate ladies waiting their knight in shining armor. So, I will be quick to present you… my Ordeal of Love!"

Koga facepalmed. He certainly trusted Sanji would take care of this idiot, but seriously, 'the Ordeal of Love'? And about Nami and Robin being delicate… He'd beg to differ; the weather-witch would plummet him if she knew he considered her delicate, and the archaeologist had been an assassin in the past. If someone needed rescuing, it would be Chopper out of all the group that were left behind.

'No.' He smirked as he remembered the reindeer in all his forms. 'Chopper wouldn't need our help either if he felt pressured enough. No one in the crew needs rescuing. No one is helpless.'

"NO! NO! Let me go already! Two to one is _cheating_! Get off me!"

But Satori's shrieks fell in deaf ears as Luffy wrapped his elastic limbs around his round body to avoid him from getting away, a stupidly wide grin on his face.

"First, you kidnap us." Sanji murmured with a dark tone, getting ready for an attack. "Then you make a cute little angel cry and try to kill her… Now you tell us we're the cheaters? Well. Get ready to choke on those words…"

"Sanji, can't you hurry up? This guy's annoying me!"

'No sweat, Luffy, I will finish him off… With a little hands-on cooking tip: the secret to a good fillet mignon."

Crouching, he prepared himself to jump as Koga's smirk widened at the panic he perceived in Satori's expression. Apparently, being able to know what attacks would be launched at him wasn't useful if he could not avoid them.

"Here's the tip: tenderizing the meat. Beating down on it until it's very soft." He jumped, impossibly high. "That way you can unlock its hidden flavor!"

"STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE! IGNORING THE JUDGMENT OF A PRIEST IS A CLASS ONE OFFENSE-!"

"CONCASSER!"

 ** _BAM!_**

A swift and powerful kick to the head to settle the matter definitely.

Luffy, fortunately, knew how to time it right before Sanji's hit would affect him, and had let Satori go mere seconds before the foot collided with his face.

Now, the once-pompous Priest laid in the ground, his limbs sprawled and his face unrecognizable. Sanji, Luffy and Koga reunited and smirked at each other, and even high-fived each other for a job well done.

"Guys, I found the boat!" Usopp called out to them from a bit ahead. "It's leaving the forest already! Follow me!"

The three sprung into action at that, both the chef and the writer ignoring Luffy's confused questions at how Usopp had managed to get away from the fight. They saw the sniper atop one of the higher branches and climbed it to reunite with him; from their post, they could see the boat… and the forest's exit, leading to some kind of huge clearing a bit ahead of the Crow.

Usopp fastened his belt tighter and turned to the others. "Guys, hold on to me!"

"Uh, I don't think this is… Oh, damn it all."

Luffy and Sanji, though doubtful too, wrapped one arm around Usopp's neck; Koga, however, did it around his captain's. In case they collided, his rubbery body would at least cushion his fall.

"Here we go… Usopp… AAaaaAAaaaaAAAH~!"

The rope launched forwards again, wrapping itself this time around the Little Crow's figurehead neatly.

"Awesome, bulls-eye!" Luffy exclaimed with starry eyes.

"Great, Usopp! You got some ideas in there, huh?" Sanji patted him in the shoulder.

His long nose rose in superiority as he laughed. "See? You just keep looking down on me- Uh, hold on… Oh, dear…"

"What?"

"Usopp…"

The poor sniper began to sweat buckets as he turned to his three crewmates, a twitching smile on his face.

"Guys, we're going to have a slighly bumpy trip baaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

 ** _TZOING!_**

Between screams, their 'trip' proved to be as bumpy as Usopp promised when the rope suddenly yanked at the sniper's midsection with unexpected force, dragging Luffy, Sanji and Koga along; like a bullet, they ricocheted their way back to the boat, landing with a mighty banging noise and their bodies intertwined in a heap.

Koga congratulated his idea of using Luffy's body as a cushion, but still his body protested when the four pirates disentangled their limbs from each other and stood up.

"Anyway! We finally leave the Lost Forest!" Usopp cheered, all pains in his body forgotten.

"Yeah. That also means we beat that stupid Ordeal." Koga also nodded as he quickly took control of the Crow and sped it up; not that it made a difference, considering its 'max speed' barely surpassed that of a turtle's.

But that didn't mean that they were safe, and the small group of pirates knew that perfectly. Koga's expression darkened as his hands tightened around the handle of the boat.

This had only just begun.

Twenty minutes later, the Straw Hat pirates still navigated through the forest, but the Cloud Spheres had disappeared a long time ago. It meant they were finally out of the Ordeal's area, and supposedly in the Sacrificial Altar's way. The four of them were admittedly excited to finally see their friends again.

Still, as he looked around at the impressive trees looming over them both sides of the Milky Road, Koga couldn't help but feel something in the air. A kind of… expectation, something to begin.

It unnerved him.

That was why, even as the others continued goofing around, the writer kept his senses in full alert, unconsciously enhancing them with his Devil Fruit powers. He knew he'd have a massive headache and would have to face Chopper and his berating if he continued to artificially enforce his senses without former and proper training; he still remembered the earful he got from Kureha when he forced his leg muscles to their limit whenever he used Flash Step.

He heard it way before his friends.

His head snapped towards the east, where he had heard an explosion and several guns firing. His brow furrowed in worry, the sounds getting closer each time they sounded.

"Something wrong?" Sanji asked the wary older boy when he saw his expression.

"Someone's fighting. And they're getting closer." He hissed in answer.

Sure enough, screams erupted at their side, soon followed by more loud explosions and smoke clouds from between the trees.

Koga ignored Usopp's panicked screech as he wondered what the hell was happening. It sounded like a war raging on, and the four of them were just at its epicenter.

That thought didn't calm him in the least.

"AAAH~! THEY'RE HERE~!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs.

A group of dark-skinned people, dressed with what seemed tribal clothings and all sorts of tattoos over their bodies zoomed over their heads. Koga recognized those strange skis the White Berets and the warrior they met when they first arrived to Skypiea used. All of them were armed for a war, bazookas, spears and even bows and arrows being the main choices of that group in particular.

Talking about bazookas, the one that seemed to be leading the group had noticed the gaping pirates and had turned towards them upside-down, his firearm poised to blast them.

Koga frowned and gripped the hilt of his katana, but Luffy beat him to the punch.

"Stand back! Gum gum…"

 ** _BANG!_**

"BALLOON!"

 ** _BOOM!_**

And away it went. Obviously impressed at how Luffy had protected the group, the tribal man flipped in midair and stepped on a low branch, the other warriors stopping when they saw their leader had stopped.

As the writer examined him, he felt as if he had seen him somewhere. His face, stern and mistrusting, was unfamiliar, but the weapon, the overall stance, and that tattooed arm rang a bell to the chronicler.

"HEY!" Luffy roared, enraged. "Come on, you! You wanna fight, huh?! Bring it on! I'm ready for-!"

 ** _Clonk!_**

"OW!"

"Shut up, Luffy." Koga lowered his fist he had used to hit him on the head and glowered at the bazooka-wielding warrior. "Why are you attacking us?"

The warrior tightened his lips around his cigarette and shot a nasty glare at the chronicler.

"It's you, right? The foreigners from the Sea Below running loose in Skypiea?"

"Hey, it's that masked guerilla that attacked us back at the White Sea." Sanji also made the same connection Koga already did.

"If you value your lives, go back to the Sea Below as soon as you can. If you try to pull any stunt in this island… We will take you out together with Eneru! Although that's a story for another day. You manage to get out of this island alive, then we can talk."

And with that, he disappeared inside the forest, his warriors closely following him.

"Eneru?" Sanji questioned as he rubbed his chin, Koga restarting the engine to move the Crow. "You mean, they're trying to overthrow God Eneru?"

"They're not the Priests?!" Usopp asked, crying in fear.

"Didn't look that way." Koga turned his head to the sniper. "Satori and those guerilla warriors didn't look anything alike. And they would've presented themselves as such. It seems Eneru has more enemies at home than we knew."

"But there's a clue they left us unknowingly." The chef mused, both him and the writer ignoring Usopp's demands of getting back to the Sea Below. "If their mission is really to dethrone Eneru, then that means he has an actual physical body and, as such, can be defeated."

Koga nodded. "And even if we're against Eneru, it doesn't look like they're precisely eager to join forces with us to defeat him. They've made us their enemies too."

"Yeah." Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Man, it's literally us against the world up here."

"You don't say."

"YOU TWO, STOP BEING PHILOSOPHICAL AND GIVE ME A HAND WITH LUFFY HERE!"

The chronicler sighed. "Can you take care of it, Sanji?"

"Alright, then…" Koga heard Sanji inhale deeply. "SHUT UP YOU MORON!"

 ** _BAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!_**

Thankfully, the constant cries of Luffy calling out for the guerrilla to fight against him ended. Sanji came out beside him and blew out some smoke coolly.

"Done."

"Thanks. Much appreciated."

Usopp deflated at Koga's other side, his once-tan face showing paleness.

"I just hate, hate, _hate_ this island… Help me guys, I caught a 'I-can't-go-into-this-forest' flu…"

"Oh, I have here a 'Stop-with-your-bullcrap' medicine right here, so shut up and keep watch, Usopp." Koga rolled his eyes at the sniper, who whimpered as he grabbed his chest.

"Let's just get going, it's the best we can do right now." The chef agreed.

* * *

Soon, although nobody attacked them again, the four pirates found themselves fighting a more gruesome enemy.

Boredom.

Even more, boredom in Luffy's form, who was constantly whining and complaining like a little kid. Koga had long ago changed posts with Sanji and was taking watch of the sides of the Milky Road, and he felt that sooner or later he'd be plummeting his captain if he didn't stop with his irritating "Are we there yet?" spiel.

Usopp, though at the beginning had been extremely -and allow this author to reiterate the term 'extremely' to its maximum- worried about the perspective of being attacked once more, be it Priests or guerrilla warriors. Fortunately, with the bicolor-eyed young man constantly reassuring him of them being out of danger, he had calmed down enough so as not to jump at every small bush that moved at either side of the Milky Road.

"Cool. We'll keep going without nothing else happening." The long-nosed teen chanted to himself with confidence, Koga being close enough to him to hear him. "We will survive this-"

And soon found himself speechless, as he caught sight of what laid directly ahead.

The Milky Road, twisting in what seemed a monstrous downhill.

Luffy sprang to his feet, his starry eyes looking at the Milky Road.

Koga smirked to himself, actually eager to test that.

Sanji paled a bit and gripped the wheel of the Little Crow a little tighter.

And Usopp… Well, his jaw had long ago hit the deck.

The boat itself seemed to sweatdrop at what they were about to face, as it tilted over the corner…

… Before suddenly speeding off down, down, _down_ at a huge speed. Screams and joyous laughter filled the air as the pirates immersed themselves in a massive rollercoaster; spiraling a few times around an empty dark void between the trees, spinning, and occasionally suddenly dropping before speeding off again. They went up and down, tight turns and a loop that turned them upside-down for a few seconds before coming back to their route.

The Straw Hat pirates lost count of time while they were trapped in that rollercoaster, but when they finally emerged into a calmer section of the road, the sun was about to set. That meant they had spent all day inside Upper Yard.

"Man, I wanna repeat that!" Luffy whined, looking back at the Milky Road. "It was fun!"

"That was dangerous as hell, Luffy!" Usopp screamed in his face, shaking him like a maraca.

"Well, I wouldn't mind repeating it." Koga admitted, rubbing the back of his head when the long-nosed teen and the blond chef looked over at him in disbelief. "I've always been a fan of speed and fast things. See, back at home-"

"YOU'RE AS CRAZY AS OUR IDIOT CAPTAIN!"

"Shishishishi, next time we'll get into a real rollercoaster!" The raven-haired teen laughed as he looked up at the older boy, who smirked and nodded.

Finally, after another massive drop that almost sent them into the bellies of some enormous Sky Sharks -and Luffy beating them with his 'Gum gum Gatling', the Milky Road opened into a great lake, surrounded by yet more nature, and in its center…

"It's the Sacrificial Altar!" Luffy exclaimed with glee, pointing ahead.

Yeah. A great pyramid-like structure, very old-looking and covered in vines and strange signs rested just in the middle of the giant lake. Koga wasn't any archaeologist geek like Robin, but he was safe to assume that it looked pretty much like a sacrificial altar.

Another clue that gave them the impression of having arrived at their destination was the Merry, resting atop the pyramid. That brightened everyone's expressions.

"NAMI-SWAN, ROBIN-CHWAN! HAVE YOU MISSED ME?!"

No one answered. Koga frowned. With all the noise Luffy and Sanji were making, surely someone had to have heard them approaching. Why was the ship so silent?

And why was it so battered up? Broken planks, burn marks all over the place… Even the main mast was missing, a fact that put everyone on edge. In silent agreement, Sanji sped up to the bottom of the very steep stairs and climbed up the side of the ship.

It was even more beaten up than what it looked like from outside. Clearly a fight had taken place here; a fight in which the poor Merry had been the main victim.

Chopper was there, tending to an unconscious Pierre and Gan Fall, his head drooped and back turned from them, as if ashamed of what had happened. He turned his fuzzy face to them with an aghast expression on his face when Luffy and the others climbed atop the main deck, and his lower lip quivered, unshed tears in his eyes.

"Where… where's the mast?" Usopp looked over the whole ship before noticing the hunched figure of Chopper, who seemed to try to make himself smaller with a flinch.

A hand tightened around Koga's heart at his frightened expression.

"Usopp… I…" The poor reindeer swallowed, unable to contain a few tears from spilling.

But the question that came out from the sniper wasn't what he expected. With hurried steps, Usopp knelt beside Chopper with a worried face.

"Are you hurt, Chopper?"

"Huh? Uh, I'm alright, but…"

Between hiccups and tears, the small reindeer told how he had to defend the ship alone -as the others left to explore the island- from a spear-wielding Priest whose weapon and bird spewed fire; taking his duty as a watchman, he couldn't stop the Priest, Shura, from hurting their ship. Eventually Gan Fall and Pierre came to help him, but both ended gravely injured; though they did manage to scare off Shura.

Usopp had been listening with a blank look on his face, before letting out a sigh of relief and patted Chopper's pink hat with a smirk.

"Thank goodness. That hot-spear guy must've been tough to deal with, eh? Good to know you weren't the one being burned."

Chopper couldn't believe his ears. Usopp, the one who loved the Merry the most out of all the crew, didn't blame him for making a poor job as a watchman! It really warmed his heart, and he stood still for a moment before reassuring everyone that he'd give his utmost to 'become a reliable man'. Everyone smiled at the youngest member of the crew warmly, happy that his mood had been lifted.

After making sure that the downed Knight was recovering alright, the small group -plus a newly recovered Pierre- decided to camp in the shore instead of in the Merry, incase the enemy came back they wouldn't use the ship as a distraction and also to have a better leverage to fight. Of course, Luffy was thrilled with the idea, judging how he chanted 'Campfire!' repeatedly.

Honestly, Luffy didn't give a damn if they were in enemy territory or the fact that they had to confront a tyrannical God sooner or later. He'd be always the same.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! And before you ask, no, Koga's ability is NOT Mantra or Haki. They're different. And now, review answers~!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Nah, don't sweat it. actually I didn't remember his birthday, and I'm his creator! Let's be honest, he doesn't like birthdays either, so...**

 **K: Oh then I'll remember that when it's YOUR birthday. Let's see if you like that. But thanks, King.**

 **L: *whimpers, then notices Jean Ango* Uh, why are you here two years earlier?! I didn't know you could time-travel! And you should choose ME as your sensei! I taught this fella here *claps Koga's shoulder* everything he knows!**

 **K:... in your dreams.**

 **L: *gasps* How cruel... I hear you man, I also hate coffee. So disgusting... bleh. Hm, Moria. Now that's a fight I cannot wait to write down (mostly also because of Akim and my idea, I still haven't thought of what to do with Moria himself. Well I'll figure out something, I guess.**

 **K: Hm. Akim, sounds problematic.**

 **L: *dodges axes Matrix style* WHY IS EVERYONE TRYING TO KILL ME?!**

 **K: Maybe because you're being a d**? Hey, don't censor my insults!**

 **L: I POSSESS OWNERSHIP OVER YOU, I'LL DO WHAT I PLEASE! *dodges a claymore that flies past Author's face* Oh no, Koga-kun will protect ME because I am his owner and can delete him if Ihe want, so SUCKER, KING! (Jk)**

 **-Tengu Brunch: *pants* You'd better ask what he HADN'T I assume. Welp! About the demon thing being too fast... I summarize you in a word: treason. Koga-kun reacted against one of the few things that could destroy him by using his demon, but it uh, it kinda slipped away from his control... Hope it makes sense, because it made much more sense in my head...**

 **K: Those improvements are nice, though with my demon, I barely use my Devil Fruit powers. Maybe Author has something planned for me about my Devil Fruit.**

 **L: Indeed I have something prepared! Bur maybe my decision won't please everyone, as every other decision I've made thus far...**

 **K: Thanks. Glad you remembered.**

 **-Boopadoop: Hey Boop! Please save me from King, he's trying to kill me!**

 **K: Nah, let him. Maybe that way I won't suffer anymore. Oh, thanks, Boop, but personally I don't like parties.**

 **L: Really? *reads over chap 58* Oops, you're right. I'll make sure to correct it! When I actually have time xD My good pal, let me tll you that I'm almost 23, so I am old enough too!**

 **K: Mentally you have about five years old thougb, like Luffy...**

 **L: Can't you be on my side forfor once, dammit?! Hmmm... Aokiji, for sure. Oh, maybe I'll watch the NOT series too then.**

 **-14fox: ... damn that is a long review if I ever saw one xD Well, nice to meet you Hotaru-chan. Can I call you that?**

 **K: *tenses as Hotaru speaks of his soul and Sankaoken's* You seem to see an awful lot, Hotaru.**

 **L: Huh. So it seems. Koga-kun's powers came with a great deal of responsibility, and I'm afraid that he is losing control of himself faster than even I am anticipating. *watches Hotaru give hug to Koga and smiles* Maybe that's what Koga-kun needs the most right now.**

 **K: *blushes under his scarf and looks away* Shut up...**

 **-Boopadoop (2): Hehe, that sounds fun. We have Rika from Shellstown, Apis, Angela and now apparently Hotaru. He's making quite a family, right~?**

 **K: You're making me look like a perv, you shitty author!**

 **L: Oh, calm down, we all know you're not.**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): Oh, that's right. I'll try to correct it soon, promise.**

 **-Guest-san: I'm sorry! But maybe I can take time to make a small space dedicated to Koga-kun's birthday next chap. No promises however. And no, sorry, no OCs this arc. Because in Water Seven, I'll introduce up to 3 OCs and I need to figure out their personalities, and it's proving difficult to e. Sorry! He'll have to tag along wirh someone.**

 **-Guest: Thank you! Glad you think that. Sometimes it is pretty complicated for me to figure why he does what he does. I'm glad that I'm not making Luffy too OOC in that sense.**

 **L: Phew, that was a lot! Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	60. A relaxing campfire

**60\. A relaxing campfire**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Eventually, the rest of the crew came back -unharmed, fortunately, but still were shocked at what Chopper had had to face to protect the Merry-, and after a hefty picnic consisting on Sky Shark meat, everyone decided to make a report of what they saw and discovered.

Sanji related very briefly how they had to face the Ordeal and Satori, revealing how he had some kind of ability that resembled Koga's and how difficult it had been to defeat him. He also told their encounter with the guerrilla warriors and Eneru's attempt to end Conis' life back at Lovely Street.

Chopper told Nami and the others the exact thing he told to Usopp, his fight against Shura -who, apparently, also had that 'Mantra' ability thing- and the help Gan Fall lent him.

Nami's news, however, shocked everyone the most.

Apparently, Upper Yard was in truth a piece of Jaya, that had been hurled up into Skypiea by a specially strong Knock-Up Stream. That was probably the reason why, in Montblanc Norland's story, he couldn't find the City of Gold when he guided the king to it; because it had been launched up to the skies!

The downside of the story was that Norland paid with his life the 'lie' he told. No one felt especially pleased at that thought.

Soon the conversation moved to the concept of Mantra. More specifically, about the connection between it and Koga's ability, implied by Satori when Luffy and the others fought against him.

But Koga had already long ago reached his own conclusions about it.

"My ability's not related to Mantra." He declared, standing beside the board Usopp brought from the Merry and the rest of the crew listening. "It's similar, but not the same."

"And in what are they different?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow. "According to Sanji-kun and the others, both you and Satori were able to predict moves."

"Well, not exactly. Though I can predict the danger, I'm unable to know what kind of danger it is. For example… If either of you were to fall from a cliff, I would be able to sense you were in danger, but that's it. Satori could predict exactly what move would hit him, and thus was able to counterattack."

"So, you see the general picture, while Satori focused on the specific?"

"Something like that. Our abilities kinda annulated each other while we were fighting though." He shrugged.

"Any kind of disadvantage we could use against the Priests' Mantra?" Sanji wondered, another lit cigarette in his hand.

Koga frowned as he absentmindedly scratched his stubble, looking at the ground.

"Satori seemed to not know which Cloud Sphere was dangerous and which not. That could mean that, to sense danger, he had to face it directly. Indirect attacks may be effective against him. If he doesn't know which attacks are aimed at him…"

"... Then his Mantra wouldn't activate." Nami completed the thought, but then frowned too. "How are we supposed to do that, though? Should we attack at random hoping that one of them would hit the Priest?"

"Beats me." The writer shrugged helplessly, and the navigator groaned.

"If this Satori was able to predict your attacks, then how did you defeat him?" Zoro asked then.

"Hm… Pure brute force, I suppose. And tons of good luck. He knew that Sanji was going to beat him, but couldn't do anything to defend himself against it.¨

Zoro pursed his lips, but fell silent.

"So, this Eneru may have even stronger Mantra than the Priests, right?" Nami concluded with a serious expression on her face as Koga settled down again beside Usopp. "And also, he has a human body that can be hit, according to those guerilla warriors."

"Maybe we should try to form an alliance with these warriors." Robin proposed. "I find it useless fighting each other when we have a common enemy."

"Last time we encountered the guerillas, their leader left us perfectly clear that we are his enemies as well as Eneru." Usopp shook his head immediately. "We are alive thanks to Luffy and because he seemed more worried about Eneru than us."

Sanji blew some smoke with a scowl on his face. "As much as it pains me admitting it, he's right, Robin-chan. We have Eneru standing before us, and the guerillas at our backs. Asking them for help or support may backfire and bite our asses."

"And in the middle, there are the Skypieans." Koga frowned at the floor. "If a war ensues here, the victims will be Conis and the rest of the Skypiean people."

A heavy silence settled among the pirates, thinking about Conis and her father waiting at Gan Fall's home -or so they hoped. Seeing that the Sky Knight was there, maybe he trusted that they would be safe without him.

Speaking of the old man, what was his role in all this? Koga frowned as his bicolored eyes went to his prone form guarded by Pierre. No one knew much about him, only what he proclaimed himself to be -a wayward mercenary that got paid for his services as bodyguard. But somehow, the writer thought about their arrival at Skypiea, when they met both the guerilla leader and Gan Fall; the first seemed to know something about the bearded man.

Enough to be forced into a retreat.

In normal circumstances, he'd have woken him up to ask some questions, but the knight needed his rest. He'd save the interrogation for later, when he woke up.

In the end, Luffy and the others -though Usopp and Chopper whimpered in fear for Eneru's fury- decided to go look for the treasure at the City of Gold and to beat Eneru's ass and his underlings. They'd have to be attentive to the guerillas and only attack when provoked.

They would split in two groups. Luffy, Robin, Zoro, Chopper and Koga would be the Exploration Team, aiming for the City of Gold… and defeating Eneru, reason why three of the Monster Quartet stayed in this group. Meanwhile, Nami, Sanji and Usopp would take the Merry away and rendezvouz with the first group to get away from Skypiea as soon as possible… and avoid guerillas, Priests and Eneru as well -thus Sanji's presence.

"But how can we find the City of Gold here?" Chopper asked in indecision as they surrounded the map Nami displayed on a tree stump. "I mean, it doesn't look like it, but this island is pretty big."

But Nami smirked confidently as she brought the two maps they possessed: the one from the 'Saint Bliss' and the one Robin found back at Jaya.

"Does anyone remember what was written about the City of Gold on Norland's diary?" She asked.

Sanji hummed as he tried to remember. "There was something about a giant golden bell and some things about the South Birds…"

"But there's a phrase that I didn't quite understand yet from the diary…" Koga scratched his stubble absentmindedly. "I think it's 'I saw gold in the skull's right eye'..."

" _Exactly_!" Nami pointed at the chronicler with a confident smile. "I analyzed the maps of Jaya. Putting the map Robin found back at Jaya over a piece of Skypiea's old map, we get… Jaya's topography of 400 years ago!"

She did just that, and raised it high for everyone to see the result, leaving them jaw-slacked.

A skull. The Jaya of four centuries ago had the shape of a skull.

"Incredible!" Luffy cheered at the result.

"As expected from Nami-swan!"

"And the skull's right eye… is here." She pointed to a spot completely separated from the rest of the island, circled by a section of sea. "Norland talked about the island as a whole. Now, there's only half of it. That was why we couldn't solve the puzzle. Now, all we have to do is head straight to this point."

Her smile as she looked around at everyone easily matched theirs.

"I am a hundred percent certain. There's a boatload of gold just waiting for us!"

The most enthusiastic members of the crew cheered, while Zoro, Koga and Robin watched with equal smirks or smiles on their faces.

Now they felt like real pirates, hunting for some treasure of old.

"But we should begin our journey tomorrow morning." Koga looked up at the already dark sky; the discussions they held had lasted all day, even though they had a small pause to have some grub before continuing their debates.

"He's right." Nami nodded at the older boy. "Zoro, Sanji-kun, go collect some firewood. We'll camp here."

"Don't order me around you-!"

"AT ONCE NAMI-SWAN! Come on, Moss-Head."

"What was that, Swirly-Eyebrows?"

Koga sighed as the pair disappeared into the forest, wondering once more how the hell they got along with all those fights.

The crew dispersed, and Chopper was kind enough to give the writer his logbook. Apparently, when Shura and his bird destroyed the main mast, all his things scattered through the deck and the reindeer saved them from being burned. Koga smiled warmly at the small doctor and thanked him for that, taking the thick book and settling down beside Gan Fall's sleeping form to begin writing.

"Tomorrow… Gold!" The reindeer dreamily exclaimed, watching up at the starry sky.

"Is the sun going to come out again tomorrow?" Luffy asked, following the doctor's gaze.

"Of course it is! We're above the clouds! We have a whole blue sky just for ourselves!" Usopp answered, playing near the small campfire they made.

Koga chuckled as he heard that. So simple-minded… It was just adorable. They reminded him of little kids.

"It's late already, guys. Put out that campfire, we don't need it. We'll only let the enemies know where we are with it."

Usopp and Luffy, the main two people who actually listened, looked at her with blank faces, and then at each other. And then, they snickered quietly.

"What a stupid idea." The raven-haired captain sneered, earning a confused glance from Robin as she looked between the two. "You hear that, Usopp? Can you believe what she just said? 'Put out the fire'. Ridiculous."

Not sure what to say or how to react, the archaeologist found herself locking eyes with a bemused Koga. He, however, merely shrugged his shoulders at her quiet question; admittedly, he didn't know what the couple were talking about either.

"It can't be helped." The sniper shook his head with a smirk. "Don't be so hard on her. Robin's a woman who has lived her entire life in darkness. She just doesn't know."

However, when the long-nosed teen said that about living in darkness, Koga noticed a small flame flicker in her eyes, a wince that fleetingly appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. He narrowed his eyes, but didn't comment on it.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked the question totally bewildered.

"Well that's obvious!" They each threw an arm around the other's shoulders with triumphant grins. "WHEN YOU CAMP, YOU CAMPFIRE!"

'Oh, so that's what they were talking about.'

Koga let out a soft chuckle at the look of utter disbelief in Robin's normally blank face and Nami trying to talk them down of that stupid idea; Priests and guerillas, and also Eneru himself, were after their asses, and all those idiots were thinking about was campfire. Of course, that fell on deaf ears as Chopper joined in with joyous cries; even Zoro and Sanji, each carrying massive loads of wood, seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of campfire. In the end, even the navigator had to surrender with a weary sigh and her arms thrown to the heavens in a silent plea.

Koga's face sombered. Admittedly, the writer hadn't been part of a campfire since before Karen's death. Along with Yuuto, his sister and some of the smaller children of the orphanage that didn't fear him, he'd have a great time just goofing around and playing some relaxed games that served for their minds to wander away from that dreadful place.

"Don't worry, Nami-san." Sanji's voice suddenly brought him back to the present as he dumped the wood into a neat circle and began trying to light it. "Wild animals are naturally afraid of fire."

Koga frowned. Just at that moment, his intuition began tingling in alarm; softly, but undeniably there.

"Tell that to the guys at your back." He laid the logbook down and stood up with a hand over Sankaoken's hilt.

The cook blinked at him and turned his head to the dark forest.

Brilliant red eyes shined, scaring the hell out of Nami, Usopp and Chopper as they flailed in panic and all the others stand on guard. More pairs of eyes appeared all around the clearing, until a small group of them emerged from the shadows.

Turned out, they were giant white wolves. Cloud Wolves, in a way similar to Conis' Cloud Fox Su.

The biggest of all, who emerged right in front of Sanji, began snarling and growling in menace, but made no move to attack.

"Hey Chopper, mind translating?" Sanji asked to the reindeer.

Their doctor snapped out from his panic once he noticed they weren't being attacked and listened to the growls the wolf let out.

"'You jerks are being so loud we can't even hunt! Why don't you dumbass humans go to Hell and sleep already?!' It's what he says."

"Who's a dumbass?!" Both Luffy and Sanji hovered over poor Chopper, who yelped and tried to get away:

"I didn't say it, _he_ did!"

More snarls, and the reindeer hurried to translate: "'You rotten two-leggers better not be trying to muscle in and take what doesn't belong to you! This is our forest! You think you can just barge in and start fires?! Everything here belongs to us: the land, the trees, even the air!'"

A small, dark aura suddenly surrounded Nami's figure at those words. Noticing, Koga looked over at her and made sure to stay out of her way. With that erratic mood, who knew what-

 ** _BONK!_**

'... Called it.'

The angry weather-witch stood over the concussed wolf with a dark glare, fist still raised and a pissed off expression on her face.

"No one's getting in the way of that treasure." She growled.

For a moment, no one moved, but then the rest of the wolves entered into the small clearing, ferocious snarls directed at them, getting ready to attack. Apparently, the wolf Nami had just given a pretty concussion was their pack leader. That meant…

"Great, now we get eaten by wolves!" Usopp moaned as he got behind Zoro.

"Do something!" Nami demanded harshly, quickly getting away from the wolves' path.

"What can I _do_?!"

Fortunately, before things got too off-hands -as if they weren't already- the pack leader suddenly regained consciousness and barked for the others to stop. Though confused and certainly furious, the pack stopped, still growling menacingly.

It seemed Nami had managed to 'impress him with her mean punch', and had realized that, even if the wolves had the number, the pirates had the raw power. So, they weren't going to fight.

Soon enough, a massive bonfire was lit, and the Straw Hat pirates, along with the Cloud Wolves, began partying. Well, in truth, Usopp, Chopper, Luffy and Sanji were the ones dancing around with the animals; Zoro and Nami were having a drinking contest and Koga and Robin sat side-by-side, content in watching everything from afar with amused grins on their faces.

The chronicler didn't had this kind of campfires back at his home. Due to Karen's… delicate condition, their campfires had much more relaxed activities, often resulting in stargazing, singing, playing 'Imagine' (a game they made up using the power of their own imagination) and storytelling. Of course, Koga excelled at that last activity, and the others always enjoyed listening to one of his stories that he managed to create out of his sleeve.

"They seemed to be enjoying themselves." Robin suddenly commented with a smile on her face, her hand resting under her chin.

Koga raised his head from the logbook and observed the raven-haired woman. She looked more… authentic, than all of the other times he'd seen her smile. Something about her stance revealed true relax, her dark blue eyes shining as she followed the crew's movements, dancing and partying around the bonfire along with the wolves.

The blond suddenly felt it. Somehow, at some time, Nico Robin's mask had managed to slip off her face, revealing the true Nico Robin behind it. The woman he perceived right then wasn't Miss All-Sunday at that moment, or the archaeologist of the Straw Hat pirates; at that moment, with her guard completely down and her true feelings cracking the hard exterior she'd managed to build up around her, Koga then witness how Nico Robin really looked like.

He saw her, damaged, almost broken, but incredibly strong. And happy. Genuinely happy.

And that brought a real smile on his face in turn.

"Yeah." He softly said, directing his gaze towards the party. "They look like a bunch of little kids, all goofing around. Feels good to see them so carefree, even with all the stress we've been through."

"That is what makes them special, I reckon." He could still hear the smile in her voice without even looking at her. "I didn't know campfires could be this lively."

Koga let out a chuckle. "Neither did I."

They both fell in comfortable silence, in which Robin contemplated the party and Koga continued to upload the logbook before he forgot. Both accepted Sanji's delicious meal, and agreed on saving some grubs for Gan Fall once he woke up.

"How is your head?" Robin broke out the silence once the chef left them alone once more -not without directing a glare at Koga.

Honestly, he had quite forgotten about the shot wound on the side of his head.

"Much better." He touched the bandages around his head and confirmed it didn't hurt at all. "Chopper's good at his job."

The woman nodded with a kind smile. "But maybe you should let Doctor-san examine you tomorrow. Just in case, I mean."

He nodded, before a frown appeared on his face.

"You know, there's something I still don't get about you."

"Oh? And that is…?"

"Why do you keep calling us by our roles instead of by our names?"

She stiffened for a moment in surprise before forcing herself to relax, her smile suddenly gone. Seeing as she refused to answer, the chronicler kept talking:

"It's just that… it seems so cold, as if you were forcing yourself to keep your distance from us. Maybe you are usually like this, but I feel like you don't trust us."

He watched her hug herself almost unconsciously. Now the writer didn't consider himself such a good psychologist, but he had a pretty average idea of what kind of thought would be plaguing Robin's mind. His face softened, his mismatched gaze turning to the non-stopping party.

"... We are not Crocodile, Robin." He heard her breath catch in her throat and her intensive glare, but he didn't return it. "I won't force you to call us by our names if you sincerely don't want to, but… Look, I was just like you in a way some time ago, before I met Luffy and the others. I kept to myself, and refused to cause trouble, but I was... very lonely." Uncomfortable, the writer cleared his throat and raised his scarf up to his nose. Robin hadn't stopped watching him. "What I want to say is, you can trust us. We are your friends after all."

As the archaeologist didn't answer at all, Koga breathed heavily and filled himself with bravery… before turning to her.

She was watching him, as he already knew, but her smile had gotten much warmer, and sincere. Her eyes held gratefulness in their blue depths, so timid and so sincere that, for a moment, the blond young man couldn't find the words.

"Thank you." She finally answered in a mutter.

His eyes widened, and his tan face steadily heated up; he didn't think his scarf would cover all the blush he had, so he opted to turn his face away -rather abruptly- and stutter something under his breath along the lines of 'Don't worry about it'. His face got even redder when he heard the small chuckle from the woman, and cursed himself for his inability to control his emotions.

It was at this point that Koga noticed Gan Fall already awake, sitting up and looking at the party with half-lidded eyes, still drowsy from sleep. Grateful for the excuse to get away from the awkward situation, he got to his feet and walked over him, grabbing the food Sanji made for him earlier.

"Seems you made it." He called out softly, and the old man turned to him with a bit of a startle. The writer crouched down and extended the plate of food to him. "Here."

The bearded man watched him and then down at the plate, before taking the food with a bit of hesitation. The grub seemed to be more than enough to restore the lost energy he couldn't recover while sleeping, and Koga could see him more awake than before just by eating Sanji's delicious food.

"You have my thanks, young man." The Sky Knight sighed in relief after nodding at the chronicler.

"Thank our doctor, he's the one who made sure you'd be okay." He brushed his thanks off with a wave of his hand and settled down beside his makeshift bed.

"They are lively." He commented, watching as Sanji and Usopp decided to toss Chopper, who laughed merrily every time he was thrown up. Luffy still was dancing with a pair of wolves, and Zoro and Nami were still immersed in their drinking contest.

Koga chuckled. "You haven't seen anything just yet. Wait until Eneru is defeated."

"Eneru?" Gan Fall seemed horrified at what he was hearing. "Are you planning on battling against him?"

"It wasn't our objective at first." The bearded man looked up when he heard Robin. "But hearing about the horrors he has been spreading all through Skypiea, Captain-san decided to do something about it."

"Among other things, of course. Eneru screwed us, now we'll screw him back."

The Knight drew a scowl into his face before turning to the Straw Hat pirates dancing around without a care in the world. Surely he thought that a bunch of excited teenagers barely able to be serious would have trouble defeating a mighty God and his minions, but chose to stay quiet instead.

At that moment Luffy and Chopper noticed the awake warrior and loudly thanked him for the help he lent them. Gan Fall smiled warmly and told them how Conis and her father Pagaya were safe back at his house. At those fantastic news, everyone renewed their energies into partying, glad their friends wouldn't be hunted down by a crazed God.

"So simple-minded…" Koga chuckled nonetheless despite of what he'd just said.

Feeling somehow sleep taking over, he chose to call it a day and, after wishing a good night to Robin and Gan Fall, shuffled against a tree trunk in search of a comfortable position. He didn't bother wishing a good night to Luffy and the others though; their screams were so loud he doubted his hoarse voice would be heard by anyone.

The loud partying grew farther and farther away from his mind as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **xXx**

 **"Mom, tell me a story!"**

 **"Hm, and what would you like me to tell?"**

 **"I dunno… Oh! What about the story with the BIG BIG Tree?"**

 **"Ahaha, you mean the Yggdrasil, right? You do have a really nice memory, my little one."**

 **...**

 **… Where… am I…?**

 **… Who's that?**

 **…**

 **"Look mom, I caught a beetle!"**

 **"Wow sweetie, it's really big!"**

 **"You think Hisao-ossan will like it?"**

 **"Of course he will, dearie, it's a great present. He likes insects after all, right?"**

 **"Yeah! I'll give to him right away!"**

 **"Look out, don't run so fast!"**

 **…**

 **What… is this?**

 **I can't… remember this…**

 **...**

 **"... Mom?"**

 **"Yes sweetie?"**

 **"Will we be okay?"**

 **"... Of course, love. We'll be okay, I promise."**

 **"I'm scared mommy."**

 **"Oh my little one…"**

 **…**

 **That… voice…**

 **I know it… I know who this is…**

 **xXx**

"Mom?"

Koga's own voice broke him out of his dream. His heart hammered in his chest with an uneasy feeling gripping it, something akin to anxiousness and sadness at the whole dream. It had been only fragments of conversations, and he couldn't even see the face of the person talking to a younger version of himself, but still…

Why had he dreamed now, of all times? And why of a past blocked from him? He barely remembered anything of his past beyond his meeting with his grandfather, and the little he saw persuaded him from discovering more.

He shivered, noticing just how cold everything was. Not wanting to stand up just yet, he wrapped his arms around his chest in an attempt to warm himself up and put his hands on his armpits. Looking around, he chuckled at the snores and disheveled forms of his friends scattered all over the clearing, the remains of the bonfire long ago vanished.

His back found a more comfortable position against the tree as he attempted to sleep again.

This time, no dreams bothered him.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Sorry, short chap 'cause I sincerely have so little time for now. And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Yeah, I know. He's a bit crazy, ain't he?**

 **K: Hey, I like the adrenalin it gives me. *shrugs a bit* But I got as scared as everyone else when we thought we were gonna fall all the way back to the Blue Sea.**

 **L: So, no freefalling?**

 **K: *glares in suspicion at Author* No freefalling.**

 **L: A** **lright then, Hotaru-chan! Now that I think about it, this is the first time I put a -chan in someone-s name... I might have to change that soon.**

 **K: *narrows eyes at Fox* You're gonna kill her and her pack? I... can't say I like it. Hotaru, come here, I'll protect you. *extends a hand at Hotaru* Meeting in another life is not enough. Changes are made, and you won't be the same person after reviving. Something is lost in that exchange.**

 **L: Oh, you know about it better than anyone.**

 **K: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't want you to have that impression of me. I just... I was very surprised, and I don't like being surprised. But don't worry, I know how it feels to be lonely and different from normal people.**

 **L: There you have it, Hotaru-chan! *smiles kindly at Hotaru* He's simply startled by all this. This is the first time someone's able to tell about his darkness, and he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it. But it's not your fault, Hotaru-chan.**

 **-Kakusei: Thanks! This chap is pretty calm but have important tidbits about Koga's past. You'd hate it? Well he won't have Observation Haki but Armament Haki.. How would he be able to fight against Logia users?**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King, welcome back! Yeah, I did it on purpose! Kinda disappointed with the whole fight, and Ango certainly has a point in all that.**

 **K: *frowns a bit* I do have a tendency to getting distracted, even more if my friends around me are in danger. And I still haven't gotten enough time to properly train my powers *glares at Author***

 **L: W-why are you looking at me like that? Okay, it's my fault, but I can't be cutting through a chapter just to give you some training. It'd take much more time to control your demon's powers.**

 **K: Dammit. Oh, thanks King. I just almost got K.O'ed by that bastard, and thankfully the others were there to help me. Otherwise, I'd have been in serious trouble.**

 **L: *smiles* You do notice what you're saying right?**

 **K: ... What?**

 **L: Nevermind!**

 **-Boopadoop: Hi Boop! It's great to be back! And as always, thanks so much for your wonderful support! NO BOOP~! King can't kill you! *nurses Boop's head* Oh, I heard you man, it's hilarious xD Well, Koga, what do you think?**

 **K: ... *sweatdrops as he thinks of Usopp doing the AAaaAAh~ thingie* I think I'll pass. I'm not some kind of hollering monkey.**

 **L: Tsk, party-pooper. Well I'm really 22, my birthday is on 11th January. But yeah, I'm closer to the 23s than the 22s. Yeah, I absolutely love Aokiji. It irks me his "Lazy Justice" mentality, but at least he's not completely heartless. Hehe, that pun. HEY! Go away, Aokiji,, it's not your turn yet! Fortunately, Koga-kun's dozing off right now.**

 **K: Hm? Did you talk about me?**

 **L: Nope~! If you haven't heard anything, much better for you! Damn, but a Grass-Ghost type man! I've never seen anything like it! I wanna try it~! Hahahaha, poor seal, no one wants her xD Well, see ya next chap, and please, go to a doctor before you die! Oh, and blame King for this xD**

 **K: Stop it, dammit, I'm not a siscon!**

 **L: ... Koga-kun, I already said goodbye to Boop. Leave him alone.**

 **-Guest-san: Hi there! Hm, the Swamp guy hadn't appeared yet. It's when everyone divides that Chopper gets to fight Gedatsu. But you're right, two Priests are down: Satori and Shura. Oh, you'll have to wait until everything starts~! Well, I know it's a bit abrupt to introduce three OCs at once, but I still have to introduce the Demon Princes, and I plan to do it before the Straw Hats get separated. After all, they are important later on my plot. Sorry, can't tell you who will be part of the CP9, but he or she will be completely OC, so Giriko won't be there sorry. That's a good idea though. Hm... I don't plan on extending the Davy Back Fight more than necessary so I'll stick to the manga and do only three rounds. But you'll have to wait until it happens, can't tell you everything or it'll spoil the surprise!**

 **-Guest: Hi there, of course I can! Koga-kun's immortality is more of a "fake" rather than actual immortality. No poisons, infections or illnesses can affect him, but getting injured can be quite a problem if let unattended. The only three ways (so far) Koga-kun has discovered to end with this apparent immortality are:**

 **1\. Getting his head blown off or being beheaded.**

 **2\. Getting his demon extracted from him.**

 **3\. By having someone shooting him at the back. It needs to be someone he deeply trusts, though.**

 **The symptoms Koga-kun presented when he broke his rib were life-threatening for a normal human, as he got his long punctured, and that would mean a slow and painful death to the patient unless a highly talented doctor could perform complicated surgery on him. But, as he was Cursed (and by extension, immortal) he had never been in true danger. He only needed to end with his pain; after all, fighting with a punctured lung can be quite of a pain.**

 **The reason why he was affected by fever when I said he wasn't affected by infection? He hadn't unlocked the full extension of his immortality just yet. The failed exorcism Seishiro made on him allowed the majority of Sankaoken's powers to unleash. Ironically, though, Koga-kun's closeness to the Straw Hats allowed him to gain better control of Sankaoken. Well, that's another topic. I hope I managed to answer your question and clarify your doubts.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	61. Survive the Game

**61\. Survive the Game**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **WARNING! This chapter will contain a bit of T content. Not very explicit, and certainly not much gore, but at least it's slightly disturbing. Sorry if I cause something to anyone, it's not my intention. But please, read at your own discretion.**

 **In this chapter, Koga-kun goes a bit... wild, I guess you could all say. I promised a while ago that Koga would be fighting alongside Zoro against Ohm, but I felt a bit inspired and instead I had him fight against some nameless soldiers instead. It helped me develop his demonic powers at least *snickers evilly***

 **But still, considering how calm the previous chapter was, the sudden change of pace in here could be shocking for you. In case someone has any doubts (or complaints, who knows), please contact me via PM or review this chapter to let me know.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

The next morning, Koga woke up feeling a bit riled.

And admittedly, he couldn't find out the reason. The dream he had with that familiar voice hadn't been the cause though; of that he felt completely sure of. The only feelings he had after that dream (or was it a memory?) were peace and some sense of longing, an odd mixture that discomforted him a bit.

But then, why this anxiousness? Why did he keep feeling that shiver up his spine, as if awaiting for something to happen at any moment?

So distracted he was by his thoughts, that the writer even ignored the others when they asked him what he was so concentrated about when looking down at his meal. His scowl was back on his face, lips tightened in a frown, his ears barely registering Nami giving the last details of what each group would be doing.

Even when the pirates saw that someone seemed to somewhat have fixed their ship overnight, he barely reacted at all.

He felt annoyed, antsy, almost unable to keep his feet still. Why?

 _Huhuhu, isn't that evident shitty host? War is brewing in this island... And where War goes... Death follows._

Taken by surprise, Koga blinked a few times. Another shiver crept up his spine, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to suppress it the best way he could.

 _This... is my **paradise**._

Disgusted, the chronicler swallowed the bile that threatened to come out his mouth.

Now he understood. That anxiety he felt, the need to cut down everything and everyone around him weren't his own desires, but _Sankaoken_ 's. The demon had been transmitting him his wish for battle, in the form of blood-thirst and battle-lust. Nice to know that the unsettling feeling wasn't entirely made by himself, but still, to be _this influenced_ by the demon... It wasn't good news for him.

It meant his control was slipping.

But this wasn't really the most adequate time to be dwelling on his thoughts again. Shaking his head forcefully to get rid of any lingering dark thoughts, the writer numbly followed the others in whatever plan they made to get the Going Merry out of the Sacrificial Altar.

Turned out, Chopper and Usopp were in charge of the operation and the others would stand watching on the stairs in case something went south. Alongside his nakama, Koga watched as the duo, atop the Little Crow, sailed around the ship until, all of a sudden, the reindeer took the helm and the sniper used his claw-shot; unsurprisingly, it hooked around Merry's sheep head neatly.

"Alright! Chopper, full speed ahead!" They heard Usopp ordering the doctor.

"Roger! Hang on!"

… In truth, Chopper didn't need to advise the long-nosed teen to grab onto something; the machine's "max speed" barely reached a turtle's walking on the ground…

Koga sighed as they pulled… but the caravel didn't move an inch from its position. Little as it was, it still weighed a lot; much more than a Dial-propelled mini-boat could handle.

He heard something about Sky Sharks and using Chopper as bait -who, of course, refused vehemently to this idea until the end. Surprisingly, it worked, and thanks to the impulse of a Sky Shark, the Merry landed on the white waters with a loud splash. The Straw Hats cheered and quickly got aboard the Merry, bringing a still-weak Gan Fall and Pierre with them.

"Okay, guys, gather around!" Nami ordered loudly, bringing out the complete map of Skypiea of 400 years ago. "Exploration team will head directly south. There must be some ruins in the skull's right eye. Watch out for any enemies in your way and bring the gold back to the ship!"

"Tsk, as if it were that easy…" Zoro scoffed while crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it's about researching ruins, I'll gladly do it." Robin nodded with a somewhat confident and enthusiastic tone in her voice.

And Koga merely pursed his lips, turning his head to the side, his mismatched eyes distant. No one dared ask him what the hell was wrong with him.

To be honest, he wouldn't have been able to explain it either. Not without sounding crazy. Or having them as babysitters again. One time was enough, thank you very much.

He just needed to get out of there before he ended hurting someone dear to him.

And so, as soon as Nami gave the 'All Clear' order to the exploration team, Koga jumped over the railing to the shore, being the first one in abandoning his group. The others called out to him in confusion and worry, but with face downcast, he only quickened his pace and soon disappeared among the foliage.

The writer was confident he would meet the others in the ruins, or the other way around. Luffy and Zoro had literally no orientation skills, but what they lacked in orientation they compensated with dumb amounts of sheer luck, so sooner or later they'd find the ruins. And Robin… Well, it was her job to look for ruins in the first place, and besides, she already knew where South was.

Or at least he hoped so...

* * *

The writer quickly lost track of time, so confused and lost in the murderous killing intent of the demon he was. Whenever sounds of battle neared him, he'd immediately find another route. But despite all of that, he'd always manage to go South. South...

Another shiver shook his entire frame, and Koga cursed as the edges of his vision began darkening. He hugged his body, trying to control the occasional jerks his arms gave to unsheathe the pulsing katana at his waist.

He had to resist, he repeated to himself like a mantra. Until no one was near him to witness him liberating the monster he kept inside.

 _It's useless to resist the call, my dear host... Once it beckons you, you must answer in kind..._

"Dammit!" He groaned as his shoulder collapsed against a tree, his breath ragged; waves of blood-lust ran his entire frame.

Unnoticed by him, ripples of pure darkness had already engulfed his rusty weapon, licking the side of his body like serpents tasting their prey. At Koga's wake, small plants, animals and insects would wither and die soundlessly, the demon provoking the deaths slowly regaining its power and reaffirming its control over its host's body and mind.

But still, such insignificant deaths weren't enough to assume total control over Koga. The demon knew that.

It'd have to _provoke a fight_. Against a real person.

 _You should've stayed with those pesky humans you call 'friends'. They'd have made sure you wouldn't snap. But now it's too late. Now the only voice you can hear at all is_ mine.

A mistake. The mention of his friends brought him a bit back to the present. Not enough to drown _Sankaoken_ 's voice, but yet he felt more grounded. Desperately clinging to his friends' memories like a drowning man to a floating plank, he relived every single thing he could about them. Every adventure, the struggle, the shenanigans, the silly things and the serious things.

 _NO, STOP IT! YOU USELESS HUMAN, YOU DARE BLOCK ME! THE GALL!_

Pain. Blinding, and white, inside of his skull, behind his eyeballs. His hoarse scream pierced through the forest, startling some birds, and his body slumped to the floor in agony, hunched over, tightening into a ball as far as it could go. He clawed his fingers into his skull, trying to placate the - _painpainpain-_ , but it was no use. It continued on, relentless, along with the insults the demon kept throwing at him.

Suddenly they stopped, both the yelling and the white-hot pain. Relief overwhelming him, Koga lied on the dirty ground for a few seconds, breathing heavily, heart stammering on his chest at a quick pace. His clothes and hair were messy and dirty, but he didn't mind that.

The pain had ended.

But why? And for how long it'd be gone?

And then it started.

Alarm bells blared in the back of his head. Koga cursed, hand grasping the side of his skull tightly.

What the hell was going on?

 _Concentrate, host, and you'll know._

'Wha...?'

 _Are you deaf? Concentrate, you mongrel._

Not understanding anything that was happening, Koga groggily stood up and held himself with his back against the same tree he'd collapsed on. He breathed deeply, directing his attention towards the alarm bells.

His world disappeared. Darkness overtook his mind. The only sense he conserved was his hearing, that still detected the alarms. His consciousness followed it, and soon found the origin.

Amidst the dark, five flames sprung to life. Four of them were huddled together, away from the solitary one. Pale yellow, orange, pale brown and soft silver. He recognized the orange flame as Nami's, so he supposed the others were Sanji, Usopp and the Knight Gan Fall. Then the lonely one… It had a pale blue color, like lightning.

And it exuded pure _danger_.

It lasted only a second.

In a flash of hellish white, the yellow flame suddenly got much smaller, about to disappear.

Horror filled his entire body when he understood his implications. In one hit, Sanji had been put out of commission.

 _Did you feel that, host? That was Eneru, taking out one of your friends._

Thunder clapped again, and now Usopp was down.

 _And there goes another. I wonder what will happen…_

"NO!"

Koga's consciousness snapped back to his body, like an elastic band too stretched out. He stumbled to the ground, but quickly stood up again and blindly ran towards the direction his friends were. Or so he thought; he felt so confused he just kept colliding against the trees in desperation.

And that _damn_ demon's voice just. Kept. _Talking._

 _Your friends are falling, one after the other. And you're too weak to stop the one causing this._

"Nonononono! Please, stop!"

Unbeknownst to him, as the writer numbly thrashed his way through the foliage, the demon evilly smirked from the dark corner of its host's mind. It was true that, while thinking of the moments Koga spent with his friends blocked the demon's attempts to control his body. But, what the writer failed to understand, is that people tend to do stupid things for the sake of those they hold dear.

In the case of Koga himself, he'd do _anything_ to protect them.

Including falling in the darkness for their sake.

And that was the demon's purpose. By making Koga understand the danger his friends were in and the helplessness he had to protect them, he'd fall into desperation. Eventually, when the demon pushed his guiltiness too far, it'd regain the strength it needed to inadvertently overpower Koga's will.

Meanwhile, the blond writer abruptly heard someone fighting just ahead of him. Then, the fighters appeared as he dashed into a clearing.

It was evident they fought on different sides. One were the guerillas like the one that warned the Straw Hats to go back to the Blue Seas; Koga faintly remembered Gan Fall calling them the Shandians, descendants of the people that inhabited Jaya long ago. There were four of them (a woman and three men) armed with long-ranged weapons and those strange skis.

Opposite of them, five people he'd never seen before. Dressed in full-body white robes with baggy pants, a toga bound around their waists and a red collar with a golden ring at the front. All of them had bald heads and strange pendent organs on both sides of the head. They also had small and sharp horns on top of their heads, a bit like goats.

None noticed his presence, so entranced they were in their own fight. Blasts of bazookas flew around, along with rifles firing off with loud cracks.

Koga's intention had been to keep pushing through the battle, ignoring both sides as they fought (even when the Shandians were at an obvious numeric disadvantage). But his efforts turned fruitless as one of the white-robed goat-men suddenly stepped in his way.

Koga scowled deeply as he brought out his rusty katana.

"Out of the way." He growled menacingly.

But the goat-man only thrusted a gloved hand at him with a goat-like laugh.

"You're one of those Blue Sea Dwellers, right? Ba-a-a-a-a, I'll make sure you don't molest Eneru-sama's work!"

At hearing Eneru's name, Koga's scowl turned into a murderous snarl, almost animalistic. He heard the demon snicker at his obvious 'displeasure' -to say the least.

"You're with Eneru then?" He glanced over his shoulder at the other four goat-men. "All of you goat-men?"

"Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a! That's right, we're the Divine Soldiers, loyal subjects to Eneru-sama!"

During their conversation, somehow their positions had changed. The Divine Soldiers reunited with the one blocking Koga's way; the Shandians just huddled behind him, but kept an eye close to him.

Not that it really mattered to the chronicler, as his eyes were fixated on the goat-men.

Darkness kept creeping up his arm, his eyes reflecting a deep conflict within. The katana lost its form into the familiar scythe, but the darkness oozing from its edge and around the pole gave it an even creepier look than usual.

And the demon kept murmuring from the back of Koga's mind.

 _See those goat-men? They're in your way. Your friends are in danger, and they're not letting you go help them._

'My... friends... They need me...?'

 _Yes. Eneru is harming your friends. But these goats won't let you pass through._

For once, his fear and confusion took hold on his temperament, and transformed them into an unrelenting anger and fury. His vision turned a bright red, focused only on his prey.

They'd pay for standing in his way.

Somewhere, the demon laughed.

The leader Divine Soldier was still talking in a rather rambunctious way, but stopped mid-sentence when a roaring Koga sprinted towards him scythe brandished to cleave him in two, engulfed in a deadly darkness. The goat-man, albeit surprised, managed to jump out of the way along with the other henchmen he brought. Koga merely snarled as he looked up at the fleeing leader, and pumped up his legs with power before following after him.

The Divine Soldier let out a surprised yell as he activated his Axe Dial hidden in one of his gloves, firing a wide arc at the incoming enemy. But Koga neutralized it with a dark attack on his own, the two arcs exploding with a loud boom as they collided. The demonic-looking chronicler drew an aggressive smile, extending a claw-like hand to the panicking soldier's face to slam it forcefully to the ground (from seven to eight meters high, enough to crack someone's skull). Such plan failed when one of the goat-men minions at his right used his own Axe Dial and opened a gash on his extended arm; from the opposite side, another soldier slammed his Ski-dressed foot into his ribs and sent him flying to the ground with another loud boom.

However, the blond human only rolled a few times before doing a back-flip one-handed and landing on his own two feet. His arm was soon covered in abundant blood, but his face didn't show pain or any kind of emotion that indicated discomfort. Instead, he grew angrier at the thought of having been caught unprepared and growled, looking up at the fight.

So far, it it didn't look good. One of the Divine Soldiers had been put out of commission (whether permanently or not, Koga didn't bring himself to care), and two more were severely beaten up, excluding the leader of course. On the other hand, the Shandians seemed to have more problems, with two heavily wounded and the other two a bit winded because of the frantic fight.

That left three relatively unharmed Eneru henchmen, versus two extremely tired guerilla warriors and himself.

Odds weren't in their favor.

"Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-a! Give it up, infidels!" The leader soldier laughed in his weird goat-like laugh; his two allies managed to simultaneously hit the Shandians, sending them at Koga's either side with an almost uncanny precision. "You're too weak to confront Eneru-sama's loyal servants and hope to escape alive!"

"Dammit..." The warrior at Koga's left grunted out as he attempted to sit up, breathing heavily. "We cannot let them outmatch us! Wiper needs our help!"

At the writer's right, the remaining Shandian managed to get himself to his feet with the help of his bazooka, glaring at the soldiers murderously. "Today we will defeat Eneru and reclaim Shandora!"

 _Tsk. So lame. Just destroy them all and get done with this already._

And for the first time, Koga found himself agreeing with the demon. The auras belonging to some of his friends kept flickering with alarm, danger still lurking them. He didn't feel Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and Sanji, and worry was still nagging at the pit of his stomach and tying it into a knot. He needed to get rid of the obstacles in his way, as fast as possible.

 _Huhu, that's the spirit. Here, I'll lend you one of my techniques. Hope you like it~!_

Images flashed through Koga's mind at an alarming pace, almost not giving the chronicler time to process them. It lasted only a few fractions of a second, and once finished, he smirked evilly, the knowledge he had acquired from his demon perfect to end the nuisances once and for all.

First, he'd end the annoying Eneru worshipers. It only felt befitting, to finish the ones whose leader had managed to harm his friends.

And then, if he felt like it and they were annoying too, he'd kill the Shandians too.

The leader of the trio of Divine Soldiers was speaking once more, and again Koga interrupted him when he stood and sprang into a run, scythe poised to attack. Seeing as he was the objective again of the writer engulfed in darkness, the main henchman shouted orders to his underlings, who also launched themselves forward to stand in his way.

Koga sneered, readying his scythe to cleave them both open, but the sudden gust of wind either side of him revealed the two Shandians blocking the Axe Dials with their own weapons, a bazooka and a scimitar each. Confused for a moment, Koga blinked before snapping out of it as he still flew towards the slightly panicking leader.

Maybe he wouldn't need to kill the Shandians after the Divine Soldiers after all.

"Stop you scoundrel, in the name of God Eneru-sama!" The head of the small troupe of Divine Soldiers yelled as he brought up his Axe Dial forwards.

Time seemed to slow down...

 _Feel the ground beneath you._

The scythe sang as he flew.

 _Feel the tug of the gravity pulling at your body as you fly._

The leader charged up a devastatingly powerful arc with his Axe Dial.

 _Let yourself fall down._

He barely acknowledged the shouts from the Shandians behind him, encased in their own fights.

 _Let it embrace you whole._

The wind arc fired and got inches away from his face.

 _Embrace the shadows._

Just a little more...

 ** _Become one with darkness._**

* * *

It seemed to be going everything well, the leader thought. He'd smirked as the risky scarf-wearing young man still launched himself straight-on against the Axe Dial attack with fearless recklessness. The crazed look on his scarred face still concerned the white-robed man a little though, and _something_ kept yelling at him that the situation felt horribly _wrong_.

The bad feeling just confirmed itself when, just as the arc destined to cut the young man's face in two, _he vanished in thin air_.

Or rather, got _swallowed_ by the earth. The leader just numbly watched helplessly as the wind arc, not finding its original mark, cut through his own soldiers; caught unaware because of not facing their leader, the Divine Soldiers just let out a strangled dying scream before falling face-first into the ground. The Shandians could avoid the same destiny by launching themselves to the ground, the unforgiving attack destroying the trees behind them, causing destruction in its wake until it finally stopped.

The leader just stood there, hand still raised after the massive attack, mouth and eyes wide open at what he had provoked. His two underlings, dead by his own hand, and the Shandians slowly standing up with their weapons ready for another go.

And the scarf-wearing young man was still nowhere to be seen.

Had he not been standing there gawking at the corpses of his former underlings, he probably would've noticed the tendril of darkness a few feet away from his own shadow, strikingly resembling that of a human silhouette. He'd have seen it swiftly surrounding him at an impossible speed. And he _most certainly_ would've heard the distinctive clink of a dangerous weapon ready to strike his unprotected back with murderous intent.

He would've noticed all of those things, but the shock blocked all external signs except the sight of his former comrades in the ground, a bloodied mess all that was left of them.

In the end, the leader suffered a more merciful death that the one his underlings received. A clean cut that beheaded him, that gave him a quick ending and a finish to his suffering, of the thought of having been the one killing them.

He didn't even have time to dedicate his last thoughts to his revered God Eneru-sama. Maybe that had been a good thing. Or maybe not, as he died with the regret of the lives of his subordinates on his shoulders.

Good thing he wouldn't dwell on it any longer.

* * *

Koga rose from his crouched position behind the decapitated leader. Somewhere deep in his darkness-induced mind, his more human self felt disgusted and horrified of having ended a life _willingly_ , of having fallen prey of the demon's temptations so easily. But still, the demon had a bit of a hold of his more immediate thoughts, so the regret and self-loathing moved somewhere deep in his mind to be processed later on.

He eyed the Shandians briefly as they stood up and came over to their fallen comrades, checking if they were still alive. They seemed to be, as the men relaxed visibly and proceeded to tend to their wounds, not sparing a glance at the Blue-Sea Dweller still covered in darkness and wielding a scythe.

Maybe they deemed him a temporary ally.

 _Nonsense. Kill them all and let's just get going._

Koga frowned. He had seen the logic (somehow) in killing the Divine Soldiers, but the Shandians had helped him instead of stabbing him in the back to get rid of a problem. Killing them too just felt... wrong.

 _Your loss. It's your friends' lives what are at stake here. The more you stall, the less time you'll have to rescue them._

The bicolor-eyed young man growled as he brought a hand to his temple, unconsciously smearing it in blood because of the gash on his arm. He finally noticed when he looked down and saw it there, annoyingly pulsating and reminding him of its presence. He clicked his tongue, and used the sash of the dead leader to roughly bandage it the best he could. Once finished, the writer noticed the Shandians warily watching him; one of them supported their friends as the other held both his weapon and his friend's.

None of them seemed eager to fight against him. Still, maybe the presence of the darkness around him dissuaded them from a risky maneuver.

That, and their injuries and unconscious friends would hinder their ability to fight.

"Blue-Sea Dweller." The one holding the weapons nodded stiffly at the blond pirate. "Thank you for your help."

Koga huffed as he brought his scythe to his shoulder, looking away. "Didn't do it for you exactly."

At least his voice didn't sound dark, despite the presence of the demon partially controlling his thoughts.

"Nevertheless, we are in your debt. But we have to keep going. Duty calls."

They began walking past him, but stopped when the pirate called out to them.

"You're against Eneru, right? Could you tell me where can I find him?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Koga saw the two conscious Shandians exchanging somewhat wary looks before scrutinizing him. He merely turned his head and confronted their gaze head-on, noticing their fleeting surprise at his mismatched eyes.

Even surrounded by darkness, the one holding his friends seemed to notice something deep in the writer that earned his trust; enough to answer his question at least.

"... We will find Shandora. We will fight Eneru to recover our sacred land. Go to the Giant Jack, stranger, south from here."

Koga's scowl softened, and he directed a respectful nod at the warriors. They answered in kind, and used their skis to get away from the clearing, soon disappearing among the foliage.

Once alone, the smell of blood suddenly assaulted him, and the writer cursed weakly as he wavered on the spot. Luckily he managed to keep his footing, but his senses still felt somewhat dulled.

He felt the presence of the demon much stronger than before.

 _Thank you for the meal~!_

That simple sentence sent shudders down his spine.

Soon, his attention shifted as his intuition sounded in his mind. Apparently he was close to Zoro, Nami and Robin, somewhere South-Southeast from his present location. All the others' presences, though, kept clouded from his sight. Letting out another curse, he swiftly followed the direction where his friends were waiting for him and facing danger by themselves, hoping beyond measure that they would stay alive... at least until he got his hands on Eneru.

He quickly lost count of the soldiers, Shandians and Eneru's minions alike, that he found on his way; charred and unconscious all. He felt his blood boil as he noticed that not even his own subordinates seemed to escape the unrelenting attacks from Eneru.

 _He deserves death._

Yes. Death.

Eventually, Koga got out from the incredibly old forest to emerge into a massive white space. An enormous beanstalk teared the sky in the midst of what looked like ruins of a once-famed city, covered in foliage that long ago began to cover them in a green curtain. A giant snake bellowed to the skies in what seemed extreme sadness, and the kind soul inside Koga felt sympathy towards it somehow, though with unknown reason.

Suddenly, amidst the bellowing, a thunderbolt blasted the massive beast.

 _ **ZEE-RACK!**_

Koga had already begun moving once he noticed the giant lightning about to encase the snake in bluish-white light. He ran, hoping his friends wouldn't be caught in the blast, but stopped once he arrived to the outskirts. He felt Robin, Zoro and Nami's auras perfectly; somewhat beaten up, but alive.

Before relief got a hold on him, however, the blond pirate suddenly thought of the others. Where were they? Why couldn't he feel their presence? Did Eneru have anything to do with them not being around?

Rage began overwhelming him at the last thought. The darkness seethed around him, tendrils fleetingly caressing his skin and surrounding the edge of his scythe. The demon sneered evilly from the back of his mind, satisfied at the blood-lust its host exuded.

Koga didn't find out where he found the courage, but he suddenly found himself walking through the once-magnificent ruins of the city of Shandora, his weapon poised over his shoulder and a dark scowl in his face that oddly complemented the darkness that covered him. His free hand was on his pants pocket, and his face was slightly down, glaring at everything.

Eventually, in the distance, just in front of the pyramid building presiding the whole city, he found his objective, facing four figures. A bit behind the last people, someone was hidden behind a ruin.

His heightened eyesight distinguished a terrified and definitely battered up Nami, cradling a heavily-wounded and (hopefully) unconscious Chopper in her arms.

That sight served to ultimately make him snap in fury. The scowl drawn on his face darkened even more if possible, his hand tightening the grip on his weapon as he continued walking forwards, his entire frame shaking with a roaring anger he didn't know he held inside.

At first glance, Eneru seemed a pretty normal guy, if a bit weird-looking. Tall and muscular, he covered his light blond hair (much like his own) under a simple white bandana. He had unnaturally long earlobes weighted down by diamond-shaped gold earrings that stretched all the way to his naked chest. He wore loose, orange pants with a black pattern on them, and around his waist a blue, flowing sash, holding up a light-blue veil. His arms and legs were decorated with gold bracelets, and was barefoot. He held a golden staff in one hand, and four large Tomoe drums attached via a large ring to his back instead of the regular wings.

But still, his smug expression as he watched the four warriors in front of him boiled Koga's blood even more.

Koga swiped his gaze quickly over the ones facing the man slouched on top of a floating Cloud Ball. Robin was at his far right, a bit wounded but overall unharmed, her hands on her hips in a somewhat challenging manner. Zoro was at her left, a bit more battered up but undoubtedly ready for a good fight, two of his katanas already unsheathed. The Shandian warrior that warned the pirates about their confrontation against Eneru stood next to the pirate swordsman, both hands gripping a massive bazooka; Koga supposed it was the Shandian leader, Wiper, the one the other warriors were talking about. Lastly, Gan Fall stood proud beside the Shandian warrior, dressed completely in his armor and wielding his lance.

Apparently, Eneru was smugly talking to his 'hosts' in a taunting manner. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Koga could listen to his words as he got closer to them; though he still hadn't reached Nami's hideout.

"... A very petty game as well." The false God was proclaiming with a smile. "For all of you, will be competing against each other for my entertainment."

Koga's grip on his scythe turned murderous, his knuckles whitening from the tension.

"Well done; I'm glad so many of you have made it this far." Eneru extended his arms to either side in a grandiloquent gesture. "Now the six of us will continue with the final stage of the game."

"Six?" Wiper drawled, apparently questioning Eneru's sanity by the tone of his voice. "There are five of us here."

But the false god merely sneered as he nodded with his head forward, at their backs.

Being the one directly facing him, Nami was the first in noticing him. She abruptly turned her head towards him, and her face brightened in relief and happiness at finding her crewmate relatively unhurt and ready for combat. But then, she began noticing some odd details about Koga, like the darkness and the unnatural hatred shown on his face. Her face slowly morphed, from relieved happiness to confusion, then to worry, and finally to utter _terror_ ; he walked towards her, not directing his gaze apart from his objective.

The other four, maybe noticing the small whimper the navigator had unwillingly let out, turned their heads... And each of their eyes widened at the unholy sight of the chronicler clad in darkness, like the sinister Grim Reaper himself, a murderous look on his face. Hadn't they noticed his gaze fixed on Eneru, the others would've thought he would kill them all.

Once he stopped between Wiper and Zoro, ignoring their looks.

"One joined later than others, but I have included him as well, as you can see." Eneru smiled even broader, effectively turning everyone's attention away from Koga's unsettling presence. "I predicted that, in three hours from the beginning of my game, there would be six survivors."

The chronicler narrowed his mismatched eyes. There were seven of them there: Eneru of course, Robin, Zoro, Wiper, Gan Fall, Nami and himself. Did he miscount?

"In three minutes, those three hours will expire. In other words, it cannot end with seven people here. God's prophecy must come to pass. It is absolute." His gaze surveyed each and everyone standing before him, interest in his eyes. "Now then, who will disappear? Will you fight among yourselves? Or maybe I should pick one myself."

Interesting. Apparently, the false God couldn't feel the demon inside Koga. A useless detail at the moment, but maybe it could save his life later on.

"What do you think?" Zoro asked both Robin and himself.

"I'm not up to it." The raven-haired woman closed her eyes as she gave her indifferent answer.

"My answer should be obvious." The chronicler gripped his scythe tighter, and a tendril of darkness sparked through its edge like black lightning.

"That makes three of us."

Wiper held onto his bazooka, not taking his hateful glare away from Eneru. "I also refuse."

Gan Fall looked at everyone from the corner of his eye and grimly nodded. "I have made my decision."

Their intentions said, they all turned as one to look from over their shoulders at Nami, who was peeking over the ruin she used as hideout. The redhead startled and hid, before reemerging again.

"Hey, hold on! I-!"

But she never got to finish that sentence, as she watched dumbfounded what was happening.

No longer looking over at him, everyone held up their weapons (in Robin's case, a hand) to point directly at Eneru's smug form.

 **"You will disappear."**

Their simultaneous declaration only earned a sneer full of self-confidence from the false God.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! I'm somewhat satisfied with the chapter, short as it is, considering I barely had time to upload. And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Oooh, poor Foxy, don't cry~! I cannot tell whether Koga-kun's mom is alive or not though, so sorry!**

 **K: *holds an umbrella over both their heads* Hotaru is right, you could change the story; after all, the original plot isn't yours, but the moment you change things (like adding Hotaru) would give you somewhat ownership and a legitimate right to change some things, right?**

 **L: Yeah yeah! *notices Koga glaring at them* Maybe I should shut up...**

 **K: Yes you should. Well, I have a sad past, but I have some happy moments. Few, but I cherish them all the same. Um, and do I have to be that old? Being the who-knows-how-old granddad of someone doesn't thrill me...**

 **L: Well, you are kind of... You know, wise-looking for your age. You always behave as if you were older.**

 **K: Considering the crew I am in, I have to be, else we'll be doomed. *looks over at the Idiotic Trio dancing samba and sweatdrops***

 **-ZodiacQueen27: Hahahaha, you ship them aye? Let's figure out a name for the ship! Maybe Kobin? Or Roga? ... Both sound weird. And Kobin sounds like Coby xD**

 **K: Thanks Zodiac, see you soon.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King! Yes you are, take responsibility on what you've done to poor Boop!**

 **K: It's a bit weird, thinking how a natural phenomenon had that force to literally launch half an island to the skies. At least the other half remained relatively unharmed.**

 **L: However, Norland got executed for his 'lie', which is really sad. At least Luffy and the others managed to uncover the truth though.**

 **K: Hey! I may be a hypocrite, but the others are safe without knowing what's happening. I know they won't harm me, and I want to keep them safe, which for me is enough.**

 **L: *mumbles under their breath* Let's hope it won't backfire you, that hidden info you have... Anyways! Yeah, it sure is interesting! The fact that Koga-kun barely knows a thing about himself before being found by his old granddad and his adopted siblings is a pretty wild card I'm pulling here. You're right, he is the only one having memories in almost any place they visit! So far, the only one that still hadn't confronted his past is Zoro I think. Um, an entire arc dedicated to our favorite swordsman? Now that would be interesting! You're hearing us, Goda?! Well, see ya soon King!**

 **K: ... I barely got time to say anything...**

 **-Boopadoop: Wow that's expensive! Better begin loosening your pockets, King. Thanks so much, Boop, it's so nice to be back! Though reading someone in ch. 1 saying that my fic is a shit surely is a blow to my ego *sulks a bit* Seriously, I don't understand; if you don't like what you're reading, then why bothering leaving a comment and leave afterwards? Just don't follow/favorite them and done!**

 **K: Personally, I think it's envy speaking. Yeah, it's an unsettling dream. I've never dreamed of my original family before, so why start it now?**

 **L: *whistles when Koga looks over at them* I'll say that this isn't the first time you've dreamed of your family~!**

 **K: What?**

 **L: Nothing, nothing!**

 **K: ... Well, technically, I'm not afraid of lightning, and though I respect the Shandians, I don't fear them either. *crosses arms over his chest in a somewhat proud gesture* I may be a party-pooper, but at least I conserve my dignity.**

 **L: ... Read the next sentence, Koga-kun, please.**

 **K: ... Wait, Zoro did it too? ... I've lost all respect I had for him.**

 **L: Ugh, Doffy is strong, sure, but all that bratty attitude of "I have to regain my place as Noble whatever the cost" just... Ugh. And the people he'd harmed to achieve his current position. *shudders* I honestly don't know what to do when Koga-kun and the others confront him.**

 **K: Man, it won't get any easier from here on, right?**

 **L: *panics* Don't read that! Yeah, I'll go with Rowlet all the way! My brother picked Rowlet too, but his girlfriend chose Popplio, so at least I'll be able to get Popplio's data too. God I really have a vice on that game.**

 **-Guest-san: It's not that I don't like him (in fact I do, but not as much as Aokiji). It is true that, up to before the timeskip, he's one of those enemies to have faced Luffy and the others many times in one Arc, and still managed to defeat Luffy several times before getting defeated; I personally want to know his personal story (Iva-chan and his apparent knowledge had picked up my curiosity on the matter). But you forget about our dear Rob Lucci! He faced Luffy twice, if memory serves well, and only after much suffering from our captain he got defeated in the end! Oh, that's actually an interesting thought. Though personally I'm glad that Decken didn't get to marry Shirahoshi. *shudders***

 **-Guest: Right now, Koga-kun's alive thanks to the Curse that ties his soul to his body. Symbolically, that means his demon keeps him alive. So yeah, practically he's a zombie. Like one of Moria's. He's sentient, it's extremely difficult to kill him, and he's sometimes controlled by the demon inside him. In Moria's case, he gets to control his zombies thanks to the shadows he puts inside the bodies.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	62. God VS Humanity

**62\. God VS Humanity**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

' _Tension could be cut off with a knife._ ' The overly famous saying said something like that. No one could deny its truthfulness.

However, in their case, they would have to replace the knife with something far bigger and destructive. Maybe a claymore.

Yes. The tension was _that_ thick.

Three Blue-Sea pirates in search of gold, an old knight fighting for peace and a Shandorian seeking to recover the land that was once his stood in a straight line, weapons aimed at a single person. They just had declared war to the one that had self-proclaimed to be God; using that powerful name, he had psychologically tortured and enslaved his subjects, the Skypieans, reigning with an iron fist and the use of 'Fear' to keep control.

Not many could have stood so nonchalantly as the false God Eneru did. And certainly not many would have done what he did when he heard the defiance the five fighters gave.

His lips drew a confident smirk, before allowing a boisterous laugh to boom through the tense atmosphere, easily dismissing their defiance as if batting away a molesting fly.

"Insolence." Eneru finally barked once his laughter subsided. "You want _me_ to disappear? That's rather funny. I can see how you survived the Game. But the six of you…" He grabbed his golden staff and began directing electricity towards it. "... do not seem to know whom you are addressing."

He turned around in his Cloud Ball and extended his arms wide in the giant beanstalk's direction, like a holy man awaiting for his sacred fate. His arms, the warriors noticed warily, were charging up a massive amount of lightning.

"You do not yet know the meaning of the existence of _God_."

As alarming as the situation was, Koga felt hollow inside, even as his intuition began blaring its warning inside. The numb feeling he got when his demon gained control over his mind still remained, and fortunately kept away whatever doubts and fear he would have.

"A decrepit old man wishing for the prosperity of Skypiea… A warrior intent on taking back his homeland at any cost… And some thieves from the Blue Sea after gold." Eneru, still giving them his back, lowered his head and shook it as if in regret. "This world is full of problems. You lambs are free to yearn for anything you like. This land has always been so wrong."

The sound of metal shaking brought Koga's attention to the side, where Gan Fall's lance shook; whether from anger or an unadmitted fear, the chronicler never knew.

"If you have the time to speak such nonsense, then tell me where my Enforcers are! What is it that you desire?"

… Judging the tone of his voice, the old man seemed more angry than scared.

"Ascension, Gan Fall."

The answer, so blatantly declared as if obvious to the world, put everyone back in confusion. Koga frowned as he continued to glare at Eneru's back.

"Yes. When God Ascends, He returns to His rightful place."

"Returns?" Gan Fall piped up at that word. "You mean to say that you are leaving Skypiea."

Something told Koga that Eneru wouldn't be leaving peacefully.

Eneru stood from his spot, still giving them his back as if they were unworthy of his attention.

"Yes, I have a place to which I will return. Within the Sky Island where I was born, God truly exists. People call it Fairy Vearth. Within it lies a boundless land to behold! It is truly the World of Dreams which I desire! A land befitting to one such as myself: Fairy Vearth! Upper Yard is a tiny clump of Vearth not worth stealing. It's not even worth my _time_."

Hearing him speak, Koga felt something familiar stirring awake inside his subconscious. It was the same feeling he got when he heard Luffy talking about his dream for the first time; a desire to reach their goals with unwavering determination. Oddly enough, both Eneru and Luffy had at least that in common.

However, the chronicler knew when not to be deceived. Despite how passionate he described his dream, Eneru had overstepped his limits when trying to achieve it. Maybe, had his monumental ego not been in the way, or his enormously homicidal attitude, Koga may have considered him a fellow nakama.

But that was a remote possibility. And thus, Eneru would remain his enemy to beat.

Right now, the false God just kept rambling on and on, and Koga's patience was wearing thin with each word he spilled.

Until…

"As God, I am bound to adhere to the divine province of nature." Somewhere through his speech, Eneru had turned around once more, finally facing them on. "This unnatural nation will be ripped apart and pulled from the sky. Yes, I shall rip every man, woman and child out of the sky!"

In other words… Everyone froze at the implications of that simple phrase.

Eneru planned to obliterate Skypiea and reduce it to ashes. With all its inhabitants.

"Now, former God, Gan Fall. You're still worried about those Enforcers of yours, an I correct?" The false God smirked down at the trembling old man. "They served me well, but the seven of us are the only ones alive in this forsaken place." His shoulders rose in a nonchalant shrug at the pale-faced Gan Fall. "I didn't want to harm them, but when I told them my goal they dared to challenge me, and paid the price."

Koga's head lowered until the bangs of his blond hair -that had grown a lot since his last haircut- shadowed his mismatched eyes. The darkness swirled around his scythe and crept up the arm holding it.

"They had families on Angel Island…" Gan Fall breathed out, horror and dismay filling his voice.

"Oh, that's right." Eneru chuckled darkly. "I must dispose of their families as well."

That was the last straw.

"YOU DEVIL!"

An enraged roar left Gan Fall's lips as he charged like an angered bull, spear direct to Eneru's chest. His speed was admirable considering his age, and the aim was true, but…

They all had forgotten a vital detail.

The spear just went through Eneru's chest without making any harm. Eneru sneered as the weapon passed through him, throwing his own golden staff up high. The old man stumbled at his back and managed to regain his footing, turning to look at Eneru with dumbfounded eyes.

"Five million… Ten million… Twenty million volt…" Eneru's entire form turned a blinding bluish white as he charged up massive amounts of lightning between his fingers, pointing at the old knight behind him. "Vari!"

 _ **ZEE-RACK!**_

The smell of overheated metal about to melt and thoroughly charred flesh invaded everyone's senses for a moment. The knight, even unconscious, managed to stay upright for a few seconds before slumping to the floor in a heap, dark smoke billowing from his insides.

Koga watched with wide eyes through the bangs of his hair how quickly Eneru dispatched the former God.

"There is a God in this world." Eneru watched Gan Fall's body and then turned to look at the survivors with a condescending smile. "I am He."

"It's a Devil Fruit." Zoro breathed out, as shocked as the chronicler at this turn of events.

"The Goro Goro Fruit." Wiper added, chewing anxiously on his cigarette as he gripped his bazooka with a strength that turned his knuckles white.

"That fruit has the power of invincibility… The power of lightning." Robin finished the collective thought.

No words could describe the absolute feeling each of the survivors -excluding Eneru of course- were dwelling in. Each one of them had power enough to overwhelm a normal human, but against such a powerful Fruit, a Logia-type Fruit… What weapon could they use to defeat such a monster? How could they touch lightning?

How could they move at its speed?

Had Koga been physically stronger, he could've used his Devil Fruit powers to maximize his speed beyond human reach, but… The price he would've had to pay would be in kind. Power comes with a heavy price, and Koga knew that lesson better than anybody.

Right now, however, his speed simply wasn't enough to overpower that of lightning, Devil Fruit powers or no.

"And now…" Eneru extended his arms wide once more, this time facing the survivors as if welcoming them with a grand gesture. "My preordained time has come to pass. There are now six survivors! I congratulate you for surviving!"

His laugh made Koga scowl even deeper. The demon began murmuring dark thoughts in his ear once more.

But an idea it murmured in his ear suddenly sparked.

It may be… No, it _was_ the only chance he could get to catch Eneru off-guard.

"Now, you will accompany me as I embark on my journey to the World of Dreams. You may all join me! I shall make it the undisputable Land of God! Only the chosen ones who stand here before me may live in that promised land!"

There was a silence, only filled with Eneru's laughter.

"What will you do…" Robin's voice cut through the noise like a knife, effectively quieting the false God. "What will you do if we refuse?"

The extremely pale man blinked in what seemed genuine confusion. To such an egomaniac man like him, that someone would reject his dream seemed inconceivable. He couldn't even fathom the idea that his so-called 'chosen ones' preferred to die rather than share this 'promised land' with him.

Nami had hissed out at Robin from her hideout, scared. After all, rejecting Eneru meant a swift execution like the one Gan Fall just received.

"Refuse?" Eneru cocked his head to the side, grotesquelly imitating a curious child. "Why? I decided this. If you remain here, you will fall into the abyss along with this land."

To Robin's credit, she didn't even falter at the implicit threat. Her gaze kept unmoving, her soft blue eyes fixed in the false God's, with a strength and will easily admirable.

"Indeed, you could do that with your power. But, if you meaninglessly destroy this land, the object which you have sought will also fall."

Koga frowned as he glanced sideways at the woman at the far right of the small line. What was she talking about exactly…? It seemed like he had missed much about what was happening.

"Ah… The golden bell?"

Sensing the danger, the blond writer shuffled into a combat posture, Eneru didn't notice.

"You need not to worry about it." The false God directed a confident smirk at a suddenly confused -and a bit frightened- Robin. "I have already accounted for that. When I think back on your movements, there is only one place it could be. I suspected that it is in the same place you deduced. How unexpected…"

 _You'll have to be swift._

"Did you think that you could take advantage of me with that information?" Eneru slowly raised his finger at her, charging up another attack.

 _NOW!_

"Flash Step!"

A sensible person would've tried to push Robin out of the way to avoid getting hit by the lightning, but the counterpart would be being electrocuted instead. So, instead, Koga and his demon came into an insultingly simple but surprisingly effective plan.

Instead of going towards the archaeologist and try to save her, Koga would dive right into the danger.

He ran _towards Eneru himself_.

Later on, some would call him reckless and suicidal; but at that time, it seemed like the best alternative.

The ones standing saw him in a combat stance for a moment, but suddenly he disappeared. Then Zoro, Wiper, Robin and Nami watched wide-eyed as the chronicler emerged as if emerging from thin air behind Eneru, scythe poised to cut his head off, a crazed smile on his scarred face.

The darkness-covered scythe swung down.

 _ **SWISH!**_

But, just like Gan Fall's lance, it went right through Eneru's neck harmlessly. The pale man, however, seemed distracted; he frowned and lowered the dangerous finger poised at Robin, watching over his shoulder at Koga doing a backflip and get out of harm's way.

The plan had been simple enough.

First, he'd used Flash Step to cover the space necessary to use the new technique he used earlier with the goat-men. Then, in the next split of a second, his body'd lunged down towards the earth and his own shadow, merging with it. Not losing his momentum, the shadow that he had become surrounded Eneru at a breakneck speed, getting out of the darkness and try to sever his head from behind.

Keyword being 'try', because both knew that wouldn't be enough to kill Eneru.

But it would be enough to distract him and save Robin, which had been Koga's main aim.

This attack served for the others to snap out of their surprise and adopt combat stances on their own.

"You." Eneru nonchalantly declared, looking down at the kneeling chronicler.

And the blond smirked as he rose to his feet, scythe already resting on his shoulder. "Me."

Eneru's staff cracked with energy. Wiper, Zoro and Robin stood ready to intervene, but Koga stopped them.

"Leave him to me." The darkness swirled around the chronicler's form like a sheet and compacting around the scythe's sharp edge. His eyes suddenly flashed red, but only for a moment before he recored his strange eye colors. "This'll be over soon."

Eneru laughed.

"Interesting… I didn't know there were two souls inside you. Tell me… How is it that I can't read your thoughts as clearly as your friends here?"

Koga just tightened his hold over the scythe. It seemed that not even Eneru's Mantra could predict his movements; at least, not as accurately as Robin's and the others.

A ringing in his ear made him shake his head rather forcefully, but by the time he refocused on Eneru he had already moved. With a smirk, the false God raised a glowing hand to his scarred face, ready to electrocute him on the spot.

A gasp escaped from his lips as his body contorted backwards, but it wasn't enough to get away. He cursed as his vision filled with white…

But a blade cut right through Eneru's arm, cutting off the power flowing to the hand, giving Koga the fleeting opportunity to escape from being electrocuted to death. Meanwhile, Zoro jumped away as Wiper charged up his bazooka and blasted a bluish-white ray of light at Eneru, creating a thick cloud of dust.

"I told you to leave him to me." Koga protested weakly as he and the swordsman reunited with Robin.

The green-haired teen snorted as he glanced sideways at the writer.

"Stop your bellyaching. You're fast, but not even you can outmatch lightning's speed."

"We have to come out with a strategy to defeat him." Robin nodded, bringing the mismatch-eyed young man's gaze at her. "Going alone against him is suicide."

Koga gritted his teeth and then clicked his tongue. Admittedly, they were right. Fighting against Eneru one-on-one was asking for a quick death.

But… The demon kept insisting on letting it take control of his body.

The ringing reappeared, and this time Koga let out a low hiss of pain as he grabbed the side of his head. Fortunately, it went unnoticed as Eneru suddenly emerged from the cloud of dust and lunged towards the trio. The three dispersed as Robin sprouted a pair of hands to try to trip the false God, but a surge of electricity made her scream and let go of the god's shins, her hands sporting worrying burns.

"Robin, don't try to touch him!" Koga shouted at the black-haired woman needlessly as he charged up an attack on his own with a scowl on his face. "Just help us get away if you see he'll catch us!"

Wiper launched another hot fire shot at Eneru, but he merely threw a lightning bolt that didn't reach the Shandorian thanks to a well-aimed Dark Crescent Moon by Koga.

'I have to take advantage on the fact that he's unable to read my moves as well as the others'.' The chronicler gritted his teeth as another molesting ringing distracted him for a dangerous second.

 _Let me out._

'Never.'

Something tugged sharply at the back of his shirt, dragging him to the ground with a gasp. Confused, he watched as a lightning bolt blasted through the air, just in the way where his head had been just a fragment of a second ago.

Sitting up with a backflip, he managed to direct a grateful nod at Robin before looking up just in time to see Zoro getting smacked away by the bo staff Eneru carried. It was electrified, but at least it didn't knock the swordsman out.

 _Let. Me. Out._

'If you distract me then we'll both end dead! Now let me concentrate in the fight!'

Koga roared out of frustration and ran at a blinding speed with his scythe poised low. Eneru sneered as he turned to the chronicler, ready to electrocute the reckless blond. Koga scowled in concentration before sinking into his own shadow once more, emerging at Eneru's back-

-but found himself with a hand about to engulf his face.

"Mmph!?"

His feet never returned to the ground, his jump halted mid-air by the hand grabbing him by the lower part of his face. He flailed, trying to shake away the hand that held him captive, fingers digging deeply on his cheekbones and jaw. His scythe slashed through a bodiless torso, and Eneru laughed at the futility of his efforts.

"Koga!" He heard Nami call out, and Zoro cursed loudly.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Wiper with his bazooka pointing at them, finger already pressing against the trigger, but doubting to shoot.

"You are a molesting pest here." Eneru sneered up at him as his arm brought him even higher. "Your thoughts are veiled to me, and I can't stand it. I am however, interested in the story behind those eyes of yours. If you're one of _them_ , then why…?"

'Them…?' Even in the predicament he was in, Koga couldn't help but to frown in confusion.

He watched in even more confusion as the false God's face turned from curious to realization, a sneer crossing his features.

"Oh, I understand. Your blood… It's tainted."

'Tainted? What…?'

The bo staff cracked with lightning as Eneru directed his power to it.

"You know, it is really a shame. If you were a pureblood, then your role in my new kingdom would've been magnificent. All the things you could do for me… But now it's too late. Your power is not pure, and I cannot consent a bastard in my perfect army."

The bo staff rose slowly to point at Koga's chest, still not touching it, but the heat sending goosebumps all over his body; alarm at what was about to happen made him breathe rapidly. Zoro and Robin tried to snatch Eneru's attention to the soon-to-be-fried chronicler, but their attacks just went past his body harmlessly, as always. Wiper was still doubting, his bazooka still raised.

"Twenty million volt… Vari!"

 _ **ZEE-RACK!**_

"!"

He had faced multiple kinds of torture as a kid. Being almost drowned, thoroughly whipped, had his fingernails painfully removed, his every bones broken, acid sprayed over him. And still, nothing he suffered could compare at that one thunderbolt that engulfed him whole like a hungry wolf made of pure light. His agonized scream filled the air for about two excruciatingly long seconds before the attack ended.

But still he managed to stay partially conscious.

Eneru let go of his burnt-up body to kneel on the ground with a loud thump, his mouth exhaling a familiar dark smoke. His eyes were vacant as he looked up at the impossibly blue sky above them. His body then tilted and slumped to the ground at his side, looking without actually seeing his horrified and furious nakama.

Koga never knew how long he spent there, drowned in a sea of agony, but at some point during the fight he managed to breathe in some painful breaths, his smell only managing to catch burnt flesh and metal. His torso collided with a soft thud against the ground, and suppressing a pained groan, Koga actually rose his head to check his surroundings... And his friends.

Things weren't looking good. At all.

Robin was down. Zoro was too, but the writer actually saw him moving a bit. Wiper was kneeling on the ground, clutching his bandaged arm with an iron grip as he cursed loudly. Eneru, surprisingly, was on his back a few steps away from him. Not moving.

But, as he was watching, a light of azure lightning surrounded Eneru's body. Then another. And another one.

Horror filled the writer as he understood what was happening. Using his Devil Fruit powers, Eneru was restarting his own heart with electroshock.

Unable to move, he saw with frustration Eneru getting back to his feet, as if nothing happened.

"People do not feat God," Enel said with a dark look as he wiped the smudge of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Fear itself is God."

'Dammit, body, move!' Koga groaned as he dragged his burnt-up arms either side of his torso, trying to impulse himself to at least a kneeling position. Meanwhile, Wiper gave some kind of discourse about his past, but the chronicler couldn't care about it all in the least. Not with a bastard false God about to destroy them all.

The next to go down was the Shandian warrior when Enel's drum ''transformed'' into a lightning bird and electrocuted him. That was enough to get Koga standing up despite his body protesting it. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zoro run towards Wiper's skis and back to Eneru. He got the message from the swordsman and picked up the scythe that had been lying on the ground beside him, forgotten after he got electrocuted.

Zoro got beside him just as Eneru took notice of them, and dramatically sighed.

"You too, Blue Sea warriors?" He tapped his left drum near his shoulder and ''threw'' a lightning tiger at them. With a regretful smile directed towards his friend, Koga managed to move in time to tackle a horrified Zoro out of the tiger's way.

He knew that, if someone had a minimal possibility of standing against Eneru, it was the green-haired swordsman and not him.

Eneru's attack hit him on every part of his already mistreated body; this time it was much more worse than the one hit he took earlier.

 _ **BOOM!** **CRASH!**_

The attack and the shockwave sent the writer's body crashing into a huge ruin tempel where it buried him underneath a massive stone rubble.

Fortunately, the pain didn't have time to kick in before his whole world turned black.

* * *

 **I open my eyes and smile at the sea displayed before me from atop the cliff I am standing on. It smells of the sea, as usual. Today it doesn't rain like usual, so the beauty of the sea under the bright stars is even more breathtaking than usual.**

 **I hear laughter at my back.**

 **I turn.**

 **11-year-old Yuuto is making some funny faces to a Karen of the same age. They're both sitting under a willow tree, a lit fire just before them. I can see the hut not far among the ancient woods.**

 **I smile, despite the beatings I have all over my body. Sometimes it's worth escaping from the orphanage to enjoy some rare moments with Yuuto and Karen.**

 **The rest of the gang isn't there though. Maybe they're scared they will get caught. They're not as nimble as me.**

 **Karen notices me standing on the cliff watching them and waves a hand at me. Even from afar, I notice the strange illness eating away at her.** **But I can't show the pain it causes me to see her like that; I'll only sadden her if I do that.**

 **I shake my head and walk up to them.**

 **But my legs are frozen in place. I cannot move away from the cliff.**

 **Movement ahead makes me snap my head up. Yuuto is walking towards me, his eyes shadowed by his hair. With every step he takes, he grows older, until the one standing in front of me is the 23-year-old young man I met in Loguetown and Alabasta. The Marine Lieutenant keen to catch him, the brother filled with hatred.**

 **He just stands there, hatred in his icy blue eyes. His broadsword engulfed in blue flames roars at his back, but doesn't harm him.**

 **He opens his mouth. Talks. I cannot hear what he's saying. He's angry, I can tell, but no sound comes to my ears or leaves my mouth. I just stand there, watching helplessly, seeing without hearing my little brother getting more furious with each second I remain not answering whatever he's asking me.**

 **At last, in an impulse, he gives me a mighty push. Gravity pulls my body towards the roaring sea and the sharp rocks below. My arms flail, my mouth and eyes wide open as I see the figure of my brother watching me fall to my death.**

 **Just before the end, I finally hear the question Yuuto was shouting at me:**

 **"WHO ARE THEY?!"**

 **My world turns black.**

* * *

And suddenly Koga was back to the present.

But not abruptly. His eyelids hurt so much that he flinched when he tried to pry his eyes open. Every fiber of his being screamed in pain, protesting of the strain he'd gone through.

Finally, his pupils managed to catch the scene before him... before wishing he hadn't.

The rest of the crew was around him, thankfully, and they were reunited at the base of the Giant Jack; which was, now that he noticed, down to its side. No one noticed him awakening, so occupied they were in watching wide-eyed the scene displayed high above their heads.

Admittedly, Koga couldn't blame their fear.

After all, not always did they have the opportunity to stare up at an impossibly black thundercloud, roaring menacingly with the intensity of at least a hundred storms. It covered the entire sky, a shadow looming over them sometimes stricken by fleeting blue lightning. Koga didn't need ask to know this was all Eneru's doing. Probably, that had been his move to obliterate all Skypiea.

Did that mean... that they lost?

Shame overwhelmed the chronicler before a blinding anger substituted it. Fueled by the demon's presence inside him, his jaw tightened and his fists clenched, ire raging through his veins, purposefully ignoring the jabs of pain those gestures sent to his mind. If only he had been stronger...

Maybe, if he had just listened to his demon...

 _ **Cr... Crack... CRACKLE**_

Something was up. Along with the others, Koga blinked in confusion as the ball of cloud about to obliterate them suddenly froze and vibrated ominously. Then, it exploded with a loud boom, dispersing the threat with a massive gust of wind.

It suddenly went clear for the confused chronicler when Usopp, Chopper and Nami began cheering up Luffy's name. Hope overwhelmed him for some reason, a smile creeping up his extremely burnt face.

Against all odds, they had won once more.

"RING IT, STRAWHAT!" He heard Wiper bellowing to the skies, from the base of the downed beanstalk. "LIGHT THE LIGHT OF SHANDORA!"

"Let us hear it, boy." Gan Fall breathed out.. "The song of the island!"

Way up high, the sky flashed and raged time after time, with Luffy striking out against the false God and Eneru striking back.

A glimmer of gold hanging down from the sky, stretching out farther and farther... until it finally stopped.

And then... it rang.

 _ **CLAAAAANG!**_

For a moment, Koga's breath caught in his throat. Never had he heard such a beautiful melody, so breathtaking it was. Whereas is body was still horribly hurt, his entire soul seemed to take in the heartwarming melody, unadvertedly closing the deep wounds the demon inflicted on it. He barely heard the demon screeching on the back of his head before retiring completely, allowing Koga to fully relax for the first time in years.

Koga drew a small smile on his face. The other Straw Hats cheered, Gan Fall closed his eyes to listen the Golden Bell, and Wiper shamelessly cried in happiness, a small kid clinging to him.

It then registered to the writer how incredibly tired and pained he was. He let out a yawn before closing his mismatched eyes. Many doubts about himself lingered on his mind, many questions would be asked once he recovered. But, right then and there, he couldn't bring himself to care.

With a small smile grazing his lips, Koga let himself be dragged to the darkness, knowing a brand new day would welcome him when he woke up.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Most likely I've disappointed with the fight. If so, then I'm sorry. And now, review answers~!**

 **-ZodiacQueen27: Hahahaha, don't worry! I actually am updating whenever I can, so it's completely natural you're unable to read it just then. Aw, thanks for the hugs ^^! Koga-kun will calm down... eventually xD He was far angrier last chapter though, the impotence of fighting against a Logia user is something not even a demon can overcome. After all he's using Koga-kun's body, and it has limits.**

 **-Boopadoop: No worries Boop! As I said earlier, my updates are rather random lately, so it's actually my fault.**

 **K: Yup it is.**

 **L: *jumps in fright* Why are you awake?! Just go to sleep already!**

 **K: *grumbles something***

 **L: If you're too tired afterwards, don't blame me for your stubborness. Hm, that's a pretty good analysis you gave there, Boop, that is exactly what is happening to our dear Koga-kun! Fortunately, he's strong enough to avoid getting his soul trapped deep inside his body for long.**

 **K: Why the hell you make me pass through this torture you damn-?!**

 **L: Ah ah ah, no bullying the Author, Koga-kun! Oops. That was, uh...**

 **K: Author miscounted. See, they always failed Maths all their life.**

 **L: *gets incredibly red* SHUT UP! But yeah, that's what happened xD Well, it was just a random guest, so by now they should be gone by now. But thanks anyways Boop! I love how much you support me ^^!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hi there King! Well, I changed the rating to indicate that the stuff I'll be posting here from now on will be pretty sensitive. Here in this chap for example, I mentioned child abuse and torture. I didn't raise it any higher because I won't be describing anything else, only occasional mentions.**

 **K: Yo, King. Yeah, Author takes many MANY references to other animes to develop my powers it seems. I don't know who that Rogue Cheney is, but I'm sorry for borrowing his technique like that.**

 **L: I know it's a bit too quick, but that's precisely my intention. Koga-kun needs to be pushed to his very limit before getting to his storyline arc. Now that I think about it, I still haven't decided the name... Hm... The point is! I won't reveal how things will fare later on, but Koga-kun needs to realize the danger he is in, and the only way of knowing it is by him snapping. Believe me, I don't want him to suffer, but that's how thickheaded Koga-kun is. Wow, so many ideas! Unfortunately, as you may know, you'll have to wait up to see the developments of the story ^^!**

 **-Guest: Nope, not possible. It would be awesome, I give you that, but that can't be possible. Because of two main reasons. One: you need something to project a shadow (Up until now, he's used his own shadow, but that's a technique that can't last long because without an object to cast a shadow, it would disappear; Koga-kun has to move quickly to avoid disappearing too. Eventually, he'll learn how to enter other people's shadows). And two, he's still a Devil Fruit user; if he tried that move on the sea, he'd be affected by the salt water. We already know that he can do that over the clouds, but only because he's in Skypiea. Remember that normal clouds are nothing but water turned into vapor; he needs something physical to use his technique on. Huh, actually, that's three reasons: he needs a solid terrain to stand on.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	63. After the battle

**63\. After the battle**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Merry Christmas, and happy New Year boys and girls ^^! May this year 2017 bring you all happiness and love to you all ^^! Sappy phrase, I know, but hey, bear with me for a while xD Oh, and cheers to those who will still write 2016 instead of 2017 until March most likely xD (Of course, I am included in that category xD)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Another victory, another joyous celebration.

Somehow, the Skypieans and the Shandians that survived Eneru's onslaught managed to reunite at the ruins, having the moment of their lives celebrating both the end of Eneru's tyranny and the end of a 400-year-old war between Shandians and Skypieans. Nothing but laughter and drunken songs were heard, a massive bonfire illuminating the whole area.

Of course, there were time for mourning. Even though the Skypieans managed to evacuate Angel Island in time to avoid being obliterated by Eneru's mightiest technique, 'El Thor', they still lost their homes and their lives they spent there. And while during the Survival Game most of the Shandians only lost their consciousness, some still lost their lives during the cruel show. And, while utterly defeated and most likely unable to return, Eneru was still alive; some of the Sky Dwellers demanded justice to be done, but nothing could be done.

The Four Priests and several Divine Soldiers were apprehended and put into custody by the White Berets. The variety of emotions were wide, some enraged and some fearful, but most were only confused and showing some kind of repentance. Only time would tell if their deeds should be forgiven.

As for Gan Fall and his reveal as the former God, he had been surprisingly well-received by the Skypieans, if not a bit temerous of him. After all, they'd just come out of six long years of slavery and abuses for a crazy God with an ego greater than the Ark he used to reach the Fairy Vearth. The old man, however, explained that his intention wasn't to recover his throne, but to first help those in need to regain their lives. Most were satisfied with that answer, Skypieans and Shandians alike. For the moment, at least.

Wiper had fallen unconscious after the punishing fight against Eneru that had ended in utter defeat. He'd messed up badly with his arm, the one that had a Reject Dial hidden (a Dial that apparently had ten times the power of an Impact Dial and that its use often ended in the death of the wielder), and his condition was pretty delicate, but he'd recover with enough rest. When he recovered, his friends and allies would rejoice even more if possible.

Conis survived being blasted by Eneru too, thanks to her father that shoved her out of the way. She warned the Skypieans about Eneru's imminent attack and managed to get them out of Sky Island before it disappeared, thus saving everyone's lives. When she rejoined her friends the Straw Hat pirates, she'd been down because of her father's death. But, he suddenly appeared out of thin air and assured his daughter that he was alive and well, much to the girl's rejoice and happiness. They'd lost their home, but at least she still had her father.

As for the Straw Hats…

"PARTY!" Luffy hollered to the top of his lungs.

"PARTY, PARTY!" Usopp and Chopper screamed in turn.

Well, explanations weren't exactly needed.

All of them except for Nami were severely shocked to an inch of their lives, and had severe injuries that were quickly taken care of by their talented reindeer doctor. But, while hurt, they of course didn't want to miss the massive party, and had asked for powerful painkillers (except Zoro, of course, who chose to bear with the pain and still enjoy the party).

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper danced around the massive bonfire along the few Sky Dwellers that could stand on their feet, and a small girl named Aisa. They'd been at that non-stop for all four days already, but their energy didn't look like it was going to finish anytime soon. Not that anyone had any complaint about it, judging their laughter at the Dumb Trio's hilarious faces.

Sanji seemed to be having the time of his life, switching between making the most delicious pork ever made and swooning around the beautiful ladies, both Skypieans and Shandians alike. He'd been shocked twice by Eneru, and still he seemed to have adrenaline coursing through his veins, joy being his only insulator to stand on his feet.

Zoro and Nami were engaged with some Shandians and a couple Skypieans in a drinking contest (of course). Seemed that a Shandian with a mohawk was giving them quite a hard time, but still they seemed to be enjoying their time too.

Robin had huddled over with the elders of both tribes, earnestly listening to them and occasionally taking notes as they talked. Her eyes had an enthusiastic gleam in them as she asked questions that seemed to make the elders even happier, judging their glowing faces; she'd chuckle at the debates both the Shandian and the Skypiean elders would have.

And Koga…

He'd decided, as always, to stand aside the massive party, but close enough to see everything. His logbook was back on his lap, writing down everything he remembered and what the others told him that happened. He'd chosen to sit beside the tent Wiper was resting in, as it was the quietest place he found close enough to watch the others.

However, as he saw the others partying to their heart's content without a care in the world, the writer couldn't bring himself to feel the same joy. His soul felt heavier, his mood too sour. Much weighed in his mind, and he couldn't bring himself to put his thoughts all aside before understanding them.

Or _trying_ to, at least.

The first thing that worried him greatly was the death of that Divine Soldier. Yes, the one he beheaded so mercilessly. Not only remorse filled him when he thought about what he'd done, but also self-despise and a deep disgust at his actions. He was often relentless towards his enemies, and more if they stood in the way between him and his friends. But he'd never resorted to killing. Ever.

Thoughts of the Divine Soldier changed to the Mr Six-Miss Father's Day pair he also killed in Alabasta. It ashamed him to admit that not even once had he thought about them, though at the time he'd distracted himself with the situation regarding Vivi.

And his feelings weren't the only problem either. With the Divine Soldier, the demon had collected three souls. Now Koga didn't know how strong was the demon now, or how many souls he needed to collect to finally take over his body. But one thing he knew: he had to stop calling out to Sankaoken and ask it for help.

He had to recover his weapons. The scythe was too dangerous. If the chronicler managed to only summon his brass knuckles, maybe he wouldn't be so tempted to use the darkness inside him as with the scythe.

That meant a brand new training regime.

Koga bit his lower lip as he turned yet another page and continued scribbling down. The noise of the party echoed in his ears, lingering for a bit before vanishing altogether.

The second thing that soured his mood was what Eneru told him before blasting him to oblivion. It was evident that the false God had known (or at least had a minimal idea) of who the writer was, the true history about his family. He'd agreed with the Skypieans and the Shandians with capturing Eneru because he'd thought on interrogating him about what he'd said; but with the lightning-man gone, all answers disappeared with him. Now all the blond young man had some enigmatic words and a massive headache as he tried to puzzle it out.

Who were 'them'? What did Eneru mean with Koga's 'impurity'? What had he stored for the chronicler before realising his failure? Why couldn't the false God read his mind, even though his Mantra was far superior to the Four Priests'?

Too many questions, and no answer altogether in sight.

"It seems as though everytime I see you, you're in deep thought, Chronicler-san."

The sudden voice brought him abruptly back to the present and away from his grim thoughts. Koga raised his head just in time to see Robin standing before him, a mug in each hand and a smile on her face that he couldn't interpret the meaning of.

She tilted her raven head to the side as he sighed and closed the logbook, accepting the mug of orange juice she extended to him.

"I'm not very fond of loud parties." The chronicler admitted in a half-lie as the archaeologist decided to sit beside him. "Should've taken that into consideration before joining Luffy's crew."

Robin chuckled, both watching the rambunctious trio with sticks inserted in their nostrils.

"That is not everything, right?"

"... It's only part of it, yeah." Koga grunted out as he lifted his light blue scarf up to his nose, glad he cleaned it up before the party. It'd miraculously been spared in Eneru's attacks, all the other clothing protecting it from being burned.

"Would you like to speak to me about that?"

Surprised at her nonchalant offer, the bicolor-eyed young man watched her from the corner of his eye. Before, he'd refused her proposal altogether, but he admitted she hadn't shown interest in her crewmates before. She'd acted as if she'd been only a random pickup, a stowaway, like Vivi had been.

Only recently, she'd begun to act as a proper crewmate.

And suddenly, it dawned on him. Maybe the archaeologist could help him, in at least one of the topics that plagued his mind.

"... Remember the day we fought in Alabasta?" He suddenly asked, turning to see the party still ongoing. "When you drove a Kairoseki dagger into my guts?"

He felt Robin tense beside him. Maybe she'd misunderstood him.

"... Yes I do. Do you want to take revenge on me for what I did to you that day?"

Koga couldn't help a snort. It surprised her, judging her slight jump at the sound.

"Please. I may be vengeful, but I'd never lay a hand on a crewmate." He took a swing on his orange juice. "Unless you intend to harm any one of us, then you're safe."

And turned to smile at the woman. Somehow, he managed to turn his apparently innocent and friendly smirk into one with a menacing undertone. Robin managed to suppress a shudder and hide it under an unsure smile on her own face.

Neither of them thought of how similar they looked then. Both hiding their own impressions of the other behind a smile. Both opting to offer a hand in friendship while the other held a knife at their backs.

Or that was the impression both of them gave.

Koga's smile dropped as he turned into serious mode, his eyes once more in the party.

"I meant about what you told me back then. The verses you recited?"

Her face showed surprise and remembrance, apparently knowing what the chronicler talked about.

"Yes, I remember. Do you want me to recite them again?"

At his silent nod, she cleared her throat and spoke quietly:

" _'And the world then saw, born from the ashes of that burnt sacred place, the rise of a newborn race, whose eyesight far reached beyond those of humans'. Nothing differed them from the rest of humanity, except the color of their eyes, each different. Three great families were created, each with a sacred, unbreakable rule. A rule that later in their history… would lead them to their unavoidable doom.'_ "

Koga's lips tightened in thought as Robin finished. Just as he thought, the archaeologist might be the one able to answer his questions.

"You have questions about yourself." The perceptive woman tilted her head while watching the writer mulling over the words.

He snorted. "That evident?"

"Considering Eneru's words to you, your reaction is understandable. That, along with the words I gave to you back in Alabasta… It's logical you would begin to ask questions about yourself."

"What surprises me is that I wasted so much time dilly dallying before finally asking." The blond turned on his seat to look directly at his companion. "You have answers that I need."

Her cool gaze kept unwavering, locked firmly in his mismatched eyes.

"I may not have answers to all of your questions."

"If you could only answer some of them, then I'm satisfied."

She assessed him before finally giving a small nod. "What do you want to know?"

Koga's brow furrowed in deep thought, absentmindedly swirling the drink in his mug before giving it a swig.

"The words you spoke to me sounds like a prophecy of some kind." He finally said almost in a whisper. "What do they mean?"

Her own lips pursed, as if an unpleasant thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"It's not a prophecy in truth, Chronicler-san. It's an epitaph." The young man blinked at her. "A memorial for a race that rose around 600 years ago, but quickly were vanquished by a force stronger than them."

"Who?" His grip on the mug was murderous as he tried to pry the answer out of the woman.

She shook her head. "No one knows."

Frustrated, the chronicler deflated as his hand let go of the mug before he destroyed it. Robin assessed his moves as if analyzing a test subject. A long silence settled between them, only interrupted by the ongoing party, still as animated as before; only this time, the Skypieans and Shandians seemed to be dancing hand-in-hand, all previous animosity forgotten.

"Who _were_ they, Robin?" Koga finally asked as he watched the people having the time of their lives. "Why were they special? And what do they have to do with me?"

Robin diverted her gaze from the bonfire and to her companion, opening her mouth to answer…

… And stopping in her tracks with slight surprise showing on her face.

His profile, illuminated by the bonfire, suddenly seemed very old. His eyes showed an age that no 25-year-old young man should show, pained and burdened by countless secrets and regrets.

She felt sympathy for him. As someone invested in investigating the past, she knew the importance of knowing your own history to help develop yourself as a person. Out of everyone in the crew, Koga was the only one whose real history had been hidden from him, shrouded in darkness, unreachable.

And that lack of knowledge ate away at him, though he tried to hide it. He felt unfinished, broken, without that vital piece that would answer all of his questions about himself.

Why did he have those strange eye-colors? Why was he able to know someone's trustworthiness? What did Eneru see in him that made him 'impure' at the false God's eyes?

Breathing deeply, Robin accepted the challenge. As an archaeologist, her job was to unveil the past; right now, Koga needed to know his.

"They didn't have a specific name." She finally answered, and Koga's head whirled to look at her with huge bicolored eyes. "But a common name among normal people was 'Watchers'. Their mission, that sacred rule on the epitaph, still remains a mystery. But I suspect it is linked with their powers."

"Powers?" Koga inquired, almost exploding in impatience.

"Visions, I think. Books barely mention their existence, much less what made them so special. But the epitaph mentioned an 'eyesight that far reached those of humans'. I think they were able to see in time and space."

"See in time and space?" Koga frowned skeptical. Even in Grand Line standards, even with the existence of Devil Fruits out there, that sounded… almost surreal.

"That is only a theory I reached, however."

"Alright… And what about the families? And the eye-colors?"

"I don't know. But I suspect the eye-colors were like yours."

His frown deepened. "There are many with mismatched eyes like mine."

"With those unique colors?"

As she watched him, she saw his whole body tensing at what she was implying.

"What, you're saying that I'm a descendant of those 'Watchers'?"

It sounded rather unlikely, being the offspring of some kind of race vanquished centuries ago.

At the lack of a response, Koga groaned and ruffled at his blond hair in frustration.

"Listen, Robin, I can't be one of them. True, I may have the eye-colors, but that's it. I can't see 'through time and space'."

Her mouth opened slightly to answer, but promptly closed with a small meditative frown. He was right, and no one could deny it. His intuitions had nothing to do with visions.

In the end, Koga had come out with even more questions than before. After what felt like hours debating about that enigmatic epitaph (that she had read from a book she still conserved back in the Merry), both came out with the conclusion that whether Koga belonged or not to that race wasn't worth a headache in the morning.

Still, he made her promise to lend him the book as soon as they were back on the Blue Seas.

* * *

The next morning, Koga awoke still thinking about what Robin had tried to explain him and the little he knew about the 'Watchers'. Unless he miraculously found some kind of vestige of those people somewhere, he'd most likely never find the answer to his questions.

That perspective both angered and terrified him at the same time.

Robin suggested coming with her to help the Shandians and Skypieans setting down the golden bell in the middle of the ruins of Shandora, its rightful place. He accepted, aching to get his mind out of those confusing thoughts.

The job occupied them most of the morning, but finally they managed to place the bell where it belonged; even Robin found out that Gol D Roger had been up there in the skies thanks to an inscription embedded in the bell.

As a token of thanks for liberating them from Eneru, the Shandians and Skypieans agreed on giving them a giant column of pure gold that had been spared from Eneru's pillaging somehow. Robin and Koga both showed surprise at their generous gift, but Captain McKinley explained to them that up there in the skies, gold didn't have that much of a value as in the Blue Seas. All gold they found (except the golden bell of course) had been fused together in that giant piece. Wrapped in thick pieces of cloth and dragged by most of the strongest men, the present looked like a cannon of some sorts.

"It's the least we can do to thank you all for what you've done." The White Berets' Captain smiled warmly as he walked between Koga and Robin. And then he grew a bit sheepish while rubbing the back of his head. "And also, it's an apology because of the dreadful treatment we gave you back on Angel Island."

"You were scared of a tyrannical bastard with an ego bigger than the White-White Seas." The blond chronicler shrugged nonchalantly. "Not that I agree with your methods, but I can't blame you for the motives of what you did."

Even then, the blond young man noticed the small wince of fear McKinley let out almost unknowingly, as if expecting the dreaded God to fulminate them.

"Heh…" The Captain let out a weak chuckle once he noticed himself standing unharmed. "It seems it will still be some time before I am able to speak freely without fearing being fried by a thunderbolt. Or able to not fear thunder at all. The next time there are storms, most likely the populace will be terrified of it."

"The process may be slow, but all of us will be able to push through this together." A lovely Skypiean commented from behind them with a kind smile.

"Yes, I agree." Said a Shandian warrior, his body covered in bandages but able to walk properly with the help of a fellow warrior.

The Captain watched as the others rose their voices in eager agreement, before allowing a small smile to form on his face.

"Yes, you're right. We'll be able to get through this. Together."

Both Koga and Robin shared a look from behind the White Beret Captain and smirked. With that sentiment, the pirates knew the Sky people wouldn't have any problems.

Finally, they arrived at the shore where the Going Merry awaited to depart. In the distance, Koga saw his crewmates with what looked like sacks. Zoro and Sanji seemed to be fighting again, but their struggle stopped when they noticed their arrival.

"OI, KOGA, ROBIN!" Both pirates heard Luffy scream loudly, waving his arms over his head. "Hurry up, we gotta leave! We stole some gold!"

"Huh?" Koga frowned in confusion. "What are they talking about?"

"Shut up!" Sanji screamed in turn. "The Sky people are behind them, they can hear you too!"

… If they knew that, then why the hell were they still yelling like banshees?

"AHHHH, IT'S AN ARMY!" Chopper was the next to follow in their line of screaming.

"No~! Not good!" And now Usopp wailed pathetically. "That giant thing can only be one thing… A CANNON!"

Now sincerely lost, Koga turned to the equally confused Sky people, and mainly to McKinley.

"Do you even have cannons up here?"

"... I don't even know what they are." The White Beret captain deadpanned at him.

"Right."

"Hey, they all have bags on their backs…" A Skypiean noticed. "Don't tell me they're leaving already!"

"STOP YOU GUYS!"

However, that yell had the exact opposite effect; thinking they'd been caught red-handed in stealing their gold, Luffy and the others turned tails and ran the opposite direction.

"LISTEN! WE ARE PIRATES WHO WORKED HARD TO GET HERE!" Usopp tried to give an explanation while running away. "WE CAN'T LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED, SO WE WON'T GET CAUGHT! WE'RE VERY SORRY!"

Koga couldn't help but snort in amusement at the absolutely bewildered look on the Sky people's faces. Even while acting as pirates right in front of them, the Sky people couldn't see it, as they were fixated in giving their thanks; their sweet naivety resulted both troubling and touching.

"Hey, miss, mister, aren't you guys gonna take this gold?" One of the Sky people carrying the heavy load of gold asked the pirate pair with them, confusion evident on his face.

Robin then smiled at them sweetly.

"It seems as though we won't need it." She simply said before running towards the crew, leaving the crowd of angels even more confused than before.

"You're not going to let us thank you for what you've done with this gold?" Captain McKinley turned to Koga in search for a sincere answer.

"We're pirates, McKinley; we rob gold, not accept it as present." The blond chuckled at the utter bemusement the captain showed. "Just a thought: maybe you should use that gold to make Shandora the 'Golden City' again? The giant snake may appreciate that."

And with a final smirk and a friendly wave, he also followed after his crewmates as fast as his legs could carry him. The screams of the angels begging them to come back and let them thank the pirates properly didn't deter him, but made his smile grow wider.

Once onboard the Merry, Conis and Pagaya decided to guide them for a bit towards the Cloud End. Although excited because they finally managed to get some gold (Robin and Koga decided to keep the 'golden cannon' a secret from the others, mainly Nami), the perspective of going back to the Blue Seas and leaving their new friends behind somewhat damped their light mood.

"So, we're finally going back huh?" Luffy mentioned amidst the quietness, something akin to disappointment evident in his tone.

"It's been quite the experience." Koga nodded, watching the impossibly old trees both sides of the river they were navigating on.

"I'll admit, I'm going to miss this place too." Sanji lit up a cigarette after saying these words.

Zoro nodded, for once agreeing with the cook. "It's time to say goodbye to this pure white sea."

"The Sky Island was fun!" Chopper chirped in excitement, before growing kind of wary. "Though it was scary too…"

Beside him, Koga patted the top of his hat with a fond smile. It seemed all their adventures were that way; fun, but at the same time, dangerous.

"So, once we go through that gate, we'll be heading straight down to the Blue Sea?" Usopp asked Conis and Pagaya, following beside them aboard their Waver.

"Yes, it will be just outside this forest, indicated by a giant port acting as a gate." Conis pointed forwards; the trees were beginning to disperse just ahead of them, until they came out to the White-White Seas. A gate like the one they saw when they arrived to Skypiea welcomed them, but they couldn't see what was beyond.

Conis and Pagaya then stopped towards the port of the gate and got off their Waver. As the Merry continued forwards, the blond girl ran along the coast following them, waving her hand at her new friends.

"Please take care everyone!" Conis exclaimed as she continued to run along the coast towards one of the poles of the gate.

The Straw Hat pirates also brought their hands up in goodbyes. Except Zoro and Robin of course, who merely smirked in farewell.

"Thanks for seeing us off!" Nami exclaimed with a brilliant smile on her face.

"Conis-chan~, take care of yourself~!" Sanji waved both arms wildly with his eye turned into a heart; that earned an eye-roll from Zoro of course.

"Thanks for everything!" Luffy yelled next, his trademark smile on his face.

Conis stopped beside the pole and shook her head in earnest. "No, we should be thanking you guys! I'll never forget you all!"

Luffy's smile widened, if possible. "You all take care!"

Amidst the goodbyes, they were almost at the gate, and Pagaya quickly took notice of that.

"Now, furl the sails immediately and hold on tight to the ship!"

They quickly obeyed, Zoro and Koga quickly taking care of the sails as the others grabbed onto something.

Suddenly, they all heard a weird, but familiar, cry.

"JYOH~!"

Astonished, they saw the South Bird they brought up with them to guide them towards the Knock-Up Stream the first time fly to them and land on Koga's head. He gave one indignant cry before falling quiet, fuming.

"He says, 'don't leave without me!'" Chopper translated while watching the South Bird nodding.

"Why do you have to perch on my head of all places?" Koga mumbled angrily as he took ahold of the railing with both hands.

Of course, the bird ignored his protests.

Once everyone grabbed onto something, they felt the Merry slowly tilting down and beginning to sail down the Milk Road beyond the gate.

"Once we get off from here, we'll start on a new adventure again… Blue Sea, here we come!" Luffy cheered with a whoop.

"AYE!"

But for some reason, Koga's stomach did a double-flip as he felt the Merry continue to tilt down even further. It only worsened when the South Bird suddenly switched places and perched on his shoulder instead of his head, its claws grasping the shirt he wore tightly.

"Everyone, grab onto something!" They heard Conis at the very edge of the coast. "The free-fall is about to start!"

…

… Wait… Did she say 'free-fall'?!

Time seemed to freeze as the Merry flew off the Milk Road, leaving them all in empty air for a few agonizing seconds. The last they saw were Pagaya, Su and Conis, waving with big smiles on their faces and saying 'Heso!' There was no time for screaming before they dropped down to their deaths at break-neck speed, plummeting down down down… Before their fall was abruptly stopped mid-air.

Not expecting it, the entire crew slammed back on the deck. It was only after a few seconds of ensuring they wouldn't fall to their deaths, that they incorporated slowly.

Latching around their ship, what looked like a giant pink octopus had halted their fall, inflating its body so as to act like a parachute.

Danger already gone, Usopp slumped down to the deck in relief.

"For a moment I thought we were goners…" He breathed out with a shaky voice.

 ** _DONG!_**

Everyone's heads snapped up at the familiar sound.

 ** _DONG!_**

"Seems like the Sky people also wanted to say their goodbyes to us." Koga smiled.

The rest of the crew silently agreed, as they stood listening to the soothing sound of the Golden Bell. It would serve as proof that the Sky Island really existed, though many people denied it vehemently. And also, it would serve as testimony that Montblanc Norland, Cricket's antecessor, wasn't a liar.

Maybe the Straw Hat pirates had begun a retelling of an old legend.

The descent was slow, but enough for Koga to finish uploading the logbook before setting down with the book Robin had promised to lend him. An hour later, he'd already settled down comfortably against the railing to get a good read of the book.

Luffy was at his typical spot at the figurehead of the Merry, excitedly giggling at the new adventures they'd find. Nami stood beside him, checking the course in her Log Pose with a frown on her face, while Zoro had returned to his beloved weights. Sanji was outside the kitchen, taking a few drags of his cigarette before setting back to work, and Robin laid on an ostrich beach chair while reading a book too. Koga didn't see Chopper and Usopp, but the sounds of hammering and iron planks below deck confirmed they were fixing the Merry the best they could.

The book Koga had in his hands had merely the title of 'Ancient Civilizations', written by a S. L. Murouge. It was pretty thick, but the fragment concerning what he was looking for barely covered four or five pages out of the whole book.

Though frustratingly little, it was a place to start with.

As Robin had told him, the 'Watchers' was the title given to a race that existed roughly 600 years in the past, but found their end rather abruptly by an unknown hand. With human appearances, but distinctive mismatched colors that identified them from the rest of the population, their aim remained also in the shadows, their beliefs firmly protected. There were suspicions, however, that their sacred purpose somehow held relation with the famed Devil Fruits.

'Devil Fruits…?' Koga frowned at that tidbit of information. 'Robin hadn't told me about that.'

They would stand aside everything, not taking part in any kind of policy. Even after the creation of the World Government and the establishment of the Five Elder Stars, or Gorosei, the 'Watchers' somehow remained neutral to all the shenanigans and attempts to control of the new rulers of the world.

Too little time to eliminate a 600-year-culture in the blink of an eye. Obviously the force that erased them was powerful, and resourceful.

As he turned the page, he saw what looked like a representation of hooded monks facing some kind of brilliant things floating mid-air. Above the painting, three pairs of eyes were looking down at the hooded figures, as if watching over them… or at them.

Koga held a breath at the color of the eyes each pair showed.

The pair of eyes on the left showed: right one red, left one golden.

The pair of eyes on the right showed: right one blue, left one silver.

But the pair in the center gave him the most attention.

Right one silver, left one golden.

Just like _his own eyes_.

Suppressing a shudder, Koga closed the book rather abruptly. Somehow, somewhere deep within him, he'd hoped Robin's suspicions about him being one of those 'Watchers' would remain as only that, a suspicion. But that simple drawing vanished every doubt.

Koga tried to sort out how he felt about this new information.

Happy; even if he didn't remember, he had a history after all. He had family, had a place to belong, had some kind of place to call 'home'.

Sad; for some reason no one knew, the people he belonged to had been hunted down and eliminated. He supposed some of them escaped (or else he wouldn't even be there), but most were killed.

Angry; at the people who eliminated them, for whatever reason.

Confused; this new information about himself only left him with more questions than answers, as always. What kind of hidden ability they possessed? What caused their fall? If there were any survivors, then where were they? Hidden? Trapped? Or maybe even killed? Was he the only survivor of a race that vanished about thirty years ago?

Thinking about this, Koga frowned, and then opened again the book.

There! If they were born about 600 years ago, and vanished only thirty years ago, then that meant that they had to have witnessed the Void Century.

Then _maybe_ …

No. The writer shook his head forcefully as he closed the book again. Living through the Void Century didn't necessarily mean that they spread the information of what they saw to their predecessors.

He had to wait for more information before making any assumption.

"Oi guys! The octopus balloon is deflating!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, drawing Koga out of his thoughts. "Usopp, Chopper, get back up here before we land in the ocean!"

"Right! Come on Chopper!" They heard the sniper calling out to their local doctor.

Soon afterwards, the whole crew was on the deck watching the octopus balloon deflating. Suddenly, it reverted back to a small form and into Luffy's hands, causing the ship to crash back on the ocean with a loud splash.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." Luffy walked to the side of the ship and dumped the octopus into the ocean. "Thanks octopus!"

"Bye! Take care! I hope you make some good friends!" Chopper waved. It gave a wave in return before sinking back into the depths of the ocean.

"Well, there he goes." Koga commented, and then turned around to look for the South Bird, but didn't find it. "Huh. Must've left already."

"Alright then… Let's set sail for the next island!"

As the others cheered, Koga went to Robin still laying on the beach chair and extended the book to her. She rose her eyebrow at him in silent inquiry.

"You knew I had some kind of connection with them." Koga said, trying to maintain the animosity off his voice.

"I had my suspicions." She calmly answered, taking the book off his hand. "Would you have believed me if I told you you were one of them?"

"... Probably not without proof."

"Does this count as proof?" She waved the thick book.

"..."

Did it? It was a history book and, as such, the information it had should have been truthful. If not all of it, then some of it.

"We will find some more clues then." The archaeologist apparently saw the doubt in his face, because she gave him a kind-looking smile. "If this doesn't convince you."

The writer observed her with a critical eye before offering a curt nod at her, turning on his heels to climb up to the crow's nest. Though he felt the look she threw at his retrating back, the blond chose to ignore it as he climbed up, then sat down on the crow's nest's floor and put his katana over his folded knees.

It was time for his private training.

He'd never willingly entered his mind to confront his demon in fear of being controlled by it, but desperate measures called for desperate remedies. If he wanted to keep his insanely bloodthirsty rage under control, he had to face the very same root of it.

Breathing deeply to concentrate, Koga felt his consciousness slip away from his grasp, falling deep into the realm his inner bdemon created for itself. It hadn't changed one bit; black skies, blood red moon, volcanic scenery.

Even the demon identified as _Sankaoken_ stood before him, eyes closed and body slightly tilted forwards, as if asleep. Then it opened its blood-red eyes and directed a dangerous smile at its host, who returned a blank stare.

"Why, are you eager to fight against me." It taunted evilly, smirking.

All Koga did, was to draw out the rusty katana out of its sheath, still blocked, and stand in a battle position.

"I've let you in my body for nearly ten years, damn demon." He growled, gripping the katana tighter. "I think it is time for you to begin listening to me."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! So, this is the beginning of Koga's private training, but we'll only see the results of it next chapter. I don't wanna bore you. And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Yo, Foxy! Glad to see you're doing well! Oh, so you have a crush on Koga-kun, Hotaru-chan? (smirks evilly)**

 **K: *sweatdrops* Don't. Whatever you're planning, just... don't.**

 **L: ... Party pooper.**

 **K: I'm not suicidal! I only waged who had more possibilities on defeating Eneru, and I acted in consequence.**

 **L: Still a pretty reckless choice of action, Koga-kun.**

 **K: Shut up, you maniac!**

 **L: *pouts, then puts a pack of ice on Foxy's head* Wow, that's a lot of stuff they have to take care of. I have exams in January and I literally have almost no time to enjoy my holidays because I'm also studying like crazy.**

 **-ZodiacQueen27: Hi Queen! Thanks for the compliment ^^! Meh, I neither like him nor dislike him really. I mean, sure he is an egotistical bastard, but I personally think that he seems like a kid in the body of a grown adult, unable to move from his state of previous wonder and might (from when he was a Noble, I mean). And he hurt his own brother and poor Law when he was a kid, so...**

 **-King0fP0wers: Heyo King! Well, take in mind that the kids were those whose parents didn't want in their families. Those with illnesses, discapabilities, any kind of disorder that stood out of ordinary... They were kicked out and dropped at the orphanage. If at that situation you add some kind of 'teachers' that acte more like jailors... Well, the atmosphere wasn't precisely stable around there.**

 **K: Oh come on, I'm a bit hotheaded, but I'm not trying to break any kind of record here. Zoro had more possibilities of standing against Eneru than I; even more with my unstable state of mind.**

 **L: You saw that as a foreshadowinf, huh. Honestly, I don't even know if Koga-kun's gonna conserve that Devil Fruit or not... Enough power he has already with the whole demon situation, I mean...**

 **K: Well, yeah, bullshitting is the rule around here, but Author here gives the word, and I have to follow like a Goddamn puppy.**

 **L: *watches as apparently Koga can't hear what King is saying* Huh, I have to get one of those for me... Well, yeah, Luffy achieved it, but remember that every time he uses one of his Gears (not sure which) reduces his lifespan, so... But I'll take that into consideration. Oh, and about his eyes... Well, that is already answered in this chapter, but I'll say it directly: the bicolored eyes was what made Eneru think that Koga-kun was pure, so it doesn't have anything to do with the eyes sorry. See ya soon ^^!**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yo Brunch! Long time no see xD Well, he'll simply stay as objective as possible, even if it means asking the others instead of writing down his own experiences. Remember, he keeps secrets away from the logbook so as not to reveal weaknesses to rivals in case someone reads it. It's not a diary after all. Hm, I like those names! Honestly I haven't thought about a name yet, maybe I'll post a poll about that. Hm, Raiden? I'll watch it then, thanks for the recommendation! See ya soon ^^!**

 **-Guest-san: Huh, Justin Law... Well he will be a major pain in the ass, I agree. Koga-kun will have to watch out for when he finally confronts The Chapel guys then. So far, no, but I'll think up of a weakness of some sort. I already thought about him being unable to maintain that form for long without something casting a shadow.**

 **-zerom1v: Yo! Hehe, epic moment indeed! Oh you can ask all you want ^^! I'll try to answer in any way I can. Wow, that soundtrack is epic! I admit I sometimes use that OST for Koga-kun's battles.**

 **-Boopadoop: Yo Boop! Yeah it sucks. I think this is the shortest battle Koga-kun had ever faced.**

 **K: You try to fight against someone who is as fast as lightning and then try to stand for more than ten seconds straight!**

 **L: Um, I'm the thinker, not the fighter, Koga-kun. And of course I don't hate you! It's just that you need to grow! In a... rather... painful way. Well, suck calculus, and suck those who don't appreciate yoyr comments! They're just idiots, I tell you. Oh, Happy New Year to you too ^^!**

 **-Guest: ... You know, that is partly the reason why I chose to raise the rating to T: because the moment of shit and giggles will NOT be present from now until Koga-kun's arc is over. He suffered a lot in the past, he is suffering now, and in the arc, he'll have a lot of angsty moments. Sorry if you don't like my ideas, but this is what I've come up with. Oh, no promises there, but I don't think Enies Lobby is precisely peaceful xD Davy Back Fight will be hilarious, that I can promise.**

 **-Guest (2): Sorry, I'm uploading whenever I can amidst my studies xD**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): Yo King! Happy New Year to you too!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See ya guys next time.**


	64. World makes a move

**64\. World makes a move**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Yo! Hope you have awesome ideas and dreams for this 2017!**

 **So, a couple days ago, I happened to stumble across a story that had been reviewed by a fellow Author (whose name I won't post out of respect), who apparently is quite famous in giving harsh reviews. Out of curiosity, I searched through the site about this author and the reactions their reviews provoked on people, and found out about a certain... I don't know if I should call it 'fanfic' or even 'hatefic' because as soon as I began reading the first chapter I had to close it.**

 **I'll spare you my rambling and get directly to the point here. Honestly, no author likes to see their work criticized, and of course I'm not exception to that rule. If any, I have to admit that I'm particularly proud of my job here, and any small critic is a huge blow to my ego. I'd whine and complain in the safety of my room about how some readers are 'simply unable to understand the way I write and conceive the views of my work'. I'd never reported anyone or deleted negative reviews, but I've been damn near to do just that.**

 **But I just saw what the supreme and sheer inmaturity can do. And honestly, even if some comments may molest me at first, I think I should be able to correct that attitude sooner or later.**

 **I think that moment had arrived.**

 **So, to all people who had ever posted a critic review on this story and I have answered negatively, I'd like to apologize to you, and encourage you to do that again. I won't lie, I'll still get mad at seeing it, but I promise that I'll give a moment to actually think and see this story from your perspective.**

 **And to all the nice reviewers that had encouraged me and left me so flattering reviews, I also beckon you to do the same. Try to see the flaws I may have been overseeing, and don't be afraid of posting it! I'm a mature writer, I'm still able to resist the blows to my ego. I won't bite you, I promise!**

 **Yet.**

 **WELL! Enough with this... unexpected confession xD ON WITH THE STORY! This is not technically a chapter, or a long one to that matter, but it's vital for the plot later on, so make sure to get a good read on it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxSOMEWHERE IN THE GRAND LINExXx**

In a great, rounded room, three people were sitting at a rectangular table, a Den-Den Mushi already active and transmitting. The giant windows at their backs didn't help discerning their identities, so blinding shone the sun at their backs.

Though there was no need of trying to figure their identities out. Everyone in the entire compound knew who these people were.

The one in the right, the smallest of the three, had reclined back in her seat, thin arms crossed over her feminine chest and leg crossed over the other. Her pure white hair rested on one shoulder, tied in a low ponytail, and her severe face and piercing gray eyes showed the displeasure of having to wait. She wore what looked like a navy-blue jumpsuit, with a whitish silver vest and low-heeled boots and a long, sky-blue trench coat. On each shoulder, she had sown a white four-leaf clover.

The figure of the center had the bulkiest figure, and also exuded the most intimidating aura of them all. He had reclined forward, arms resting on the table and hands tightly grasped, as if containing himself from slashing everyone with the huge halberd oh-so-strategically posed at the back of his chair. He was a familiar guy, one with gray hair and steely blue eyes that scanned everything with the professionality of a veteran soldier. The golden clover amulet hanging at his chest was fairly visible, distinguishing itself in the military garment he wore.

Lastly, the one in the left clearly showed disinterest in the whole ordeal that had forced them to reunite them there. He was a young fellow that looked more like a delinquent than a proper Master, with light-blue eyes and spiky, short blonde hair, and wore an orange sleeveless hoodie with an orange clover sown on its chest, black jeans, orange gloves and black and orange sneakers. He had also reclined back on his seat, but his posture was far more slouched and relaxed than the woman, his elbow resting on the armchair and resting his head on his closed fist. Occasionally, everyone in the room heard a not-so-subtle yawn escape from him.

Standing before them, in three straight lines of five people each, stood soldiers of different ages, heights and even races, both male and female -though the latter were far less numerous. Each wielded different weapons and displayed different positions.

However, two were missing still, reason why the reunion hadn't started just yet.

Suddenly, the great door at the side of the room burst open, revealing a tall, black-armored knight and a smaller woman of light pink hair rushing inside and taking position in the spare spots at the front of the three files.

The giant grey-haired man nodded at the newcomers and stood up, immediately shutting up what whisperings were heard.

"As you may know, we have reunited you all to address an important matter." He declared in a deep voice, grasping his hands behind his back and straightening his spine to look even more imposing than before. "Unfortunately, our fellow Master of Hope had been unable to attend today, due to being forced to protect our main headquarters, but all of you present here today are more than enough for our task."

Some glanced at each other, others fidgeted uncomfortably in their positions, but absolutely no one dared to say anything.

"We are facing a disaster of immeasurable proportions." The man let out the gravity of the situation show in his voice and crinkled face. "The presence of the Cursed increases every day, despite our best efforts to contain them, and the menace that showed in the horizon before suddenly finds itself at our doorstep."

That earned some scandalized murmurs between the soldiers. Albeit of considerable experience, the perspective of an imminent threat far greater than the average Cursed exorcism far exceeded their expertise. Or that was their general opinion.

Only a few managed to keep their faces devoid of any expression.

The bulky man had to rise his hand to placate the slowly-rising panic.

"I assure you, the situation presents itself at an ill-moment to us all. Even if all of you here are our most trusted and experienced soldiers, I… We know that not all of you are prepared to face the task we are going to present to you." The murmuring stopped, and the man lowered his hand again. "Thus, we present you two missions. But you can't carry out both; we will have to choose the ones to fulfil each."

Multiple eyebrows rose in confusion.

"One of them will be carrying out our daily duty of eradicating the Cursed and exorcising the minor demons across the Blues. The other, significantly more dangerous, will be the exorcism of the Eight Demon Princes, that had all resurfaced once more, at the same time."

Shivers spread through the soldiers. Unnoticed by most, but not by the pinkette standing beside him and the leaders before him, the black-armored man suddenly stiffened, his face showing… something, that no one could interpret. The pinkette looked up at him in worry, but kept quiet.

"Excuse me, sir, but aren't there Seven Demon Princes, as in the Seven Deadly Sins?" A female voice spoke up, rising her hesitant hand from the back lines.

"According to the information Master Milovic recovered from a demon prisoner in our headquarters, that is only half-true." The grey-haired man gestured to the blonde young man half-asleep in his seat. "The existence of the Eighth Demon Prince, unregistered by us until now, apparently emerges only once each six-hundred years; unlike its fellow Demon Princes, who are reborn each century. Our Order didn't have any recording of an encounter with it due to how young it is… until now."

"But sir, how do we know the source is reliable?" The same voice insisted, inquisitive and somewhat sceptic. "For all we know, that demon can be lying about this Eighth Demon Prince."

There were murmurs of agreement, but not many. The woman talking had been granted the title of Great Soldier recently, and thus didn't know that the info gathered by the Masters themselves was fairly reliable, and often backed up with proof.

"We know that it is speaking the truth… because the Eighth Demon Prince had already been confronted."

"What?" "That can't be!" "An Eighth Demon Prince really exists?"

The grey-haired man's eyes locked with the black-armored guy's ones.

"Black Knight, would you mind informing your fellow soldiers what you said to us?"

All eyes suddenly fixated in the tall, green-haired man as he put a fist on his breastplate in sign of respect.

"Yes sir!"

In far more words that he had needed to tell the leaders, he summarized his encounter with the Cursed that harbored the demon known as the Eighth Demon Prince, its power and abilities, and its apparent lack of known weaknesses. His grim report brought no less distress than before. It served, however, to make the woman that doubted of the existence of said demon fall quiet, both in shock and fear.

The pinkette standing beside the knight watched him with worried eyes, biting her lower lip in an obvious display of indecision. She'd been all her life watching from afar the broad back of her idol, but now that he was standing right beside her, she could finally see (and feel) the tremendous weight that rested over his shoulders.

"The situation is like this." The woman at the right side of the table suddenly declared, standing up and letting her airy voice cut out every whispering. "Never had we seen more than two Demon Princes manifesting at once, so the presence of eight of them appearing now speaks of dark times approaching. The demons out there-" she pointed to the windows behind her, "-know about that."

"We are the last stand between humanity and the demons and yada-yada-yada." The blonde, lazy young man stood up too, his droopy eyes glancing at everyone. He ignored the surprise in his subordinates at his obvious attempt to involve himself in all this.

"We are going to choose four of you to aid us with this matter of the Demon Princes." The woman continued, shooting an icy glare at her uninterested companion, who let out another yawn. "The rest will be fulfilling our daily matter with the Cursed all over the Blues."

"One for each of the four branches of our Order." A young-sounding male voice suddenly came out from the Transponder Snail. "I, Benthos, Master of Hope, choose Justin Law."

A tall, slim, priest-robed young man raised his head in acknowledgement and nodded. It was really a miracle he'd heard a thing with his headphones blaring metal music.

The blond young man sighed and shook a hand. "Alright, alright. I, Milovic, Master of Luck, choose Giriko. Go out there and show what you can do."

"Yeah! Finally a bit of action!" A brown-haired man with piercings exclaimed while raising his fists to the air in triumph. "I'll need to look for my buzzsaw then…"

"I, Granham, Master of Faith, choose the Black Knight." He nodded at the green-haired young man. "our knowledge will be useful. Do us proud."

"I will. Thank you, sir." The youth nodded with an impassible face.

"And I, Rose, Mistress of Love, choose Rune."

The pinkette gasped in surprise. "What? Me?!"

"Yes, you." The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes at the suddenly dubious girl. "Are you questioning my decision?"

"O-of course not ma'am! But… I just got promoted, and… I'm still a bit inexperienced…" Rune's face turned a bright scarlet and avoided the gazes of everyone, twisting her hands in front of her.

Rose's face still kept with the same cold expression as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, you are those things. You're weaker than any of us, and think naively of the world." Rune flinched. "But you worked hard to be where you stand now. And I think you're ready to face this. I wouldn't have chosen you if I thought otherwise."

Shock showed in her face as the pinkette rose her head to lock hazel eyes with her Leader. The latter still saw the doubt in her pupils, but she didn't back up on her decision.

"Don't disappoint me, Rune."

And with that, the fear, though not completely gone, placated immensely. Rune stood straighter than before, trying to show determination as she held a fist to her chest.

"Yes, ma'am!"

And Rose nodded, satisfied with her answer.

* * *

 **xXxABOARD A MERCHANT SHIPxXx**

"Mifu-chan, I'm bored!" A young girl whined, throwing her small arms up.

Beside her, watching the crewmembers go to and fro with their cargo, a familiar long-haired swordsman sighed in frustration. Since their contract with Montblanc Cricket ended, the mercenary pair had to go look for another job to keep themselves occupied and to sustain themselves.

However, that meant saying goodbye to Cricket, Masira and Shojo, and that supposed a huge blow to his little partner, who still resented having to leave them behind. As much as he kept telling his partner to not attach themselves to their contractors, she was still a kid, and she had enjoyed their stay with the monkey divers.

Maybe a bit too much. It'd been a week since they left the Saruyama Alliance, precisely shortly after the Straw Hat crew set sail to get to the Knock-Up Stream, and still she got nostalgic about their time together.

"MIFU-CHAN!"

"Argh! Stop screaming in my ear, Angela, I can hear you perfectly well!" He couldn't help but to snap at the hat-wearing kid clinging at his arm.

Undeterred though, the girl hugged his arm even tighter. "But I'm _bored_! I miss Sho-Sho and Masi-chan and Cricket-ossan! They were fun!"

The swordsman slipped another senbon into his mouth, watching the sailors attentively. "Not everything in work is fun, kiddo. Deal with it."

That got the opposite effect though. She pouted, slipping to the deck and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring up at her much taller co-worker.

Who had to sigh as he ruffled his long hair in exasperation. "We'll see them soon, okay? But first we have to finish this job."

At that, Angela shot a beaming smile before hugging him around the waist, her feet dangling a few centimeters from the ground. Not bothered by the light weight, Mifune asked a nearby sailor for the morning's newspaper and went through it in a routine check-up.

His sharp eyes scanned the news over, overlooking the positive situation at Alabasta Kingdom, the alarming increase of pirates emerging from everywhere, and even the subtle influence of the Shichibukai on their territories.

His attention was elsewhere as he looked over the news.

And he found it.

However, the news weren't _good_. Or at least from his side.

It wasn't a long article, but the finality of it felt like a thousand-pound weight on his shoulders. The swordsman actually had to reread it a couple times more before grasping the crude situation. His slim hand went through his long hair, his mind blocking the horror he felt.

Curious about Mifune's reaction, Angela tried to sneak a peek on the article, but he quickly rolled it up and threw it away. Muttering under his breath, he paced, unconsciously dragging the still-clinging girl before she let go.

"What's up, Mifu-chan?" She asked, her big brown eyes glancing at her partner in confusion.

Mid-pace, he suddenly stopped, a surprisingly shaky hand grasping the one katana at his waist, teeth furiously gnashing at the senbon between them. Everything on him screamed of frustration and helplessness.

And terror too.

"This is getting way too out of hand." He murmured to himself, apparently not having heard his co-worker worriedly call out to him. "If I had a way to contact _him_ …"

His gaze fell on the discarded newspaper, thin lips down into a scowl.

"We can't let this happen. We have to stand up to them. Or else…" He gazed over to Angela, but quickly averted it to the wooden floor, a menacing glare threatening to burn a hole into it. "Or else, we're gonna be _wiped out_."

* * *

 **xXxIN A DARK BAR, WATER 7xXx**

Three figures sat around a small table, no lights entering the dark, closed bar except a single candlelight in the center of the table. One of them was reading a newspaper in the dim light the flame provided, but it wasn't enough to figure out their faces in the dark.

"News?" A deep, rumbling male voice asked.

A woman sighed, lowering the newspaper with a fatalistic gesture.

"Not good. We may have to do our move."

Someone yawned, before a young girl's voice drawled out:

"Paulie's gonna have my ass for this if I'm late, ya know. Just get to the point already."

"All you do is snooze in the workshop. No one's going to miss you if I retain here for just a couple more hours. Now listen: I've read the signs."

Two heads turned to the woman holding the newspaper and folding it on her lap.

"Someone will come. Someone like us. We may need his help in all this."

The one who yawned suddenly let out a soft snort, shrugging her shoulders.

"Don'tcha find weird that _now_ of all times we're gettin' signals from all of them? I mean, most of us prefer to lay low in-case those bastards come along stickin' their noses in our business."

"Unless something really big is going to happen…" The only male in the room rumbled again.

"I'd rather keep things like they were before all of this mess began." The woman let out another sigh, worry dripping from her silky-soft voice. "Now, it seems like a confrontation is inevitable."

"Stop pretending ya psycho. We all know you wanna fight."

"No, you're wrong! How can you say that?"

"Oh great, now drama queen mode's appeared."

"Please, you two, stop fighting."

There was a tense silence, before the woman declared in a cautiously-neutral voice:

"In sight of this, all we can do is contact the newcomer before the others get to him, and convince him to join our cause. If not, then we'll have to change their minds. But whatever we do from now on..." The woman slammed the newspaper against the table, causing the flame of the candle to flutter before vanishing. "... There will be war at our doorstep."

The girl and the man kept quiet after that somber declaration, and then…

"Uh, girls?"

"What is it?"

"... I'm hungry."

* * *

 **xXxTHRILLER BARKxXx**

A certain invisible man with body parts belonging to animals sighed as he read the newspaper. He was currently outside of a massive mansion, sitting against a zombie-tree who was reading the news over the shoulder of his superior. Above them, what looked like a translucent ghost with a wide smile floated silently.

"Trouble again, and this time he hasn't done anything. Or at least not directly." The man growled in an animalistic undertone, showing the sharp teeth in a snarl. "Well, it's not like they can do anything."

"Moria-sama can be pissed if he hears about this though." The ghost suddenly declared with a feminine voice, and the blond man looked up at it. "And even if he doesn't, there's still the issue of the newbie and his… relatively insane issue of fighting anyone, be it friend or foe. The news do concern him, after all."

The man thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. "Nah, the perspective of fighting is enough to drive him nuts. Let's keep it from him for the moment."

"I still don't know why Moria-sama recruited that psycho though." The ghost floated down to the man's side and peered over his shoulder at the newspaper. "All he does is wreaking havoc whenever Hogback creates a super-powerful new Zombie, trashing it before it becomes useful."

The man shrugged before folding the newspaper and getting to his feet, returning back to the mansion with the ghost following him.

"He's powerful after all." The half-animal growled with a scowl. "I can't decipher what our Master is planning to do with him, but maybe we'll be getting a new powerful Zombie on our ranks soon."

The ghost giggled.

"Horohorohoro! Whatever it is, I think we'll be seeing trouble up ahead."

* * *

 **xXxABOARD A CERTAIN MARINE SHIPxXx**

"Huh?! You want to be _transferred_?!"

"Geez, not so loud, four-eyes."

"But why do you want to be transferred? I mean, you want to be stronger, right?"

"I'm only interested in getting revenge. Enlisting into the Marines seemed the fastest way to get stronger, but now I feel I'm being dragged down."

Smoker breathed heavily before pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, as his two most trusted soldiers argued at the other side of his desk.

Frankly, the sudden proclamation hadn't been a surprise. It was true that the boy was far more interested in getting revenge for whatever that happened in his past than in keeping the civilians safe from the pirates and bandits. Not that he dismissed their suffering and left them to perish, but it was plain clear that his first priority would never be following the Marines' code.

The boy wanted out of their division, but only because he'd realized that, with his selfish attitude, he would only bring problems to Smoker.

"... duty as Marines is more important than-!"

"Tashigi, enough." Smoker's gruff voice cut off her protests as she still tried to change her companion's mind.

Surprised by his intervention, the glasses-wearing girl put a strange face before glaring at his dark-haired companion, arms crossed over her chest and tapping the floor with her foot.

The Marine superior let out another sigh before directing his famous glare at his other soldier, who still stood stoically and hands behind his back.

"So? You wish to enlist into another division?"

"That is what I've said, Captain Smoker." The boy nodded, face cautiously neutral for some reason.

"And your reason for doing this is…?"

He lifted a nonchalant shoulder. Others would've thought he wasn't interested in getting transferred or not, but Smoker knew this was the first time the boy had asked him specifically for anything.

He sighed, a puff of smoke leaving his lips.

"I suppose I can't do anything to change your mind." To the pair's astonished eyes, the smoke-man held out some papers that read -Transference- and began writing down something. "If he's interested, I know the perfect division that could train you. But until he accepts, you'll stay here. Now get out of here, both of you."

"Yes sir!/Yes sir."

Unlike other times, it seemed both Tashigi's and Yuuto's personalities had been interchanged; the woman left with an angry stomping and the boy sported an uncharacteristically wide smirk as they left him alone in his office.

The Logia user frowned at the closed door for a moment before checking the papers displayed before him. The loss of an admittedly powerful officer would be a blow for the morale of his soldiers, but he hoped the damage wasn't massive. To be honest, the boy hadn't spent much time with his subordinates and never gave them the chance to actually meet him beyond his name as their superior; much unlike what Tashigi did.

But still, if you didn't bring the delicate issue of pirates and families out, Yuuto resulted to be a smart person to hang around with. Quick-witted, with an even quicker tongue, he disguised his intelligence with a shroud of disrespect towards authority… and still managing to earn their respect somehow. He _always_ spoke his mind, whatever the situation, and honesty was a quality that most people lacked nowadays.

Both he and Tashigi often butted heads due to their different personalities and how disrespectful he proved himself to be in more than one time. But still, more than once Smoker had found the two in the deck engaged in an intense play of chess while surrounded by the rest of the soldiers.

Of course, he'd had to stop them more than once too when they were supposed to be working.

Smoker grunted as he signed the papers and stamped them before taking the cradle up from the Snail at his side, dialing a number. He waited for a minute before a voice answered.

"Yes?"

"This is Captain Smoker. I'd like to inform of a certain situation with your superior. Is he around?"

"O-oh, Captain Smoker, sir! Just one moment, I'll wake him up immediately!"

Smoker lifted an eyebrow as he heard from the offlines the unmistakable sounds of someone roughly waking up, then a yawn and some messing around. Then he heard the voice he'd been expecting.

"Hello there! You better have a good reason to wake me up so suddenly and at this ungodly time."

Confused, Smoker looked outside of the window. The sun blasting at some time before supper.

But he preferred to stay quiet. Not worth being pummeled.

"It's regarding one of my officers. I have a request for you, Vice-Admiral Garp."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Admittedly, though short, I think I add quite a few things in this. I also have interest in finding omeone interested in making an AMV or at least that knows how to make an animated video, to help me create a customized opening for my original storyline. I even have in mind the song and the cutscenes, I only need someone to draw them** **xD** **And now, review answers~! P.S.: I'll be answering the reviews, Koga-kun isn't here at the moment.**

 **-Kakusei: Thanks~! The confrontation will be intense, I assure you ^^! Or at least I'm gonna try to portray that intensity in my chapters. Honestly, I still think I lack enough vocabulary to write down that powerful sensation without the feeling of getting rushed. Well keep an eye out ^^!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo! Ho-ho, who knows~! I won't be telling you just now hehe! Honestly, I'm not sure anymore. I didn't add the G-8 Filler Arc because honestly, I couldn't see how Koga-kun could contribute to that situation, so I simply disregarded it. And if I decide to post the Achiino Arc or not... I don't know. Actually, the whole thing about the Cursed people and demons comes precisely thanks to Jabra and that remark he does! I don't know if in the original anime and manga Oda wants to relate demons and Devil Fruits (somehow I doubt it) but here in my fic, they ARE totally related. So yes, the powers of Devil Fruits come from the demons, and the Cursed people are (somehow) Devil Fruit users without the natural weakness of Seastone and the like. And how many Cursed exist...? I hadn't thought of a specific number, but there are like 1000. More or less. Dangerous Cursed people, there are like a dozen or so, but there could be about 1000 or so, yes. A small army, in fact. Well, remember that Yuuto said (when he and Koga-kun reunited in Loguetown) that his demon was a 'she', so King Hassan (as badass as he is) can't be his demon. Sorry! Shame that I can't use that idea, it'd been absolutely amazing!**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Happy New Year Brunch! Aw, thanks so SO much for your support, it absolutely makes my day~! Yep, there are many things happening with our Koga-kun. In fact, I'm thinking that (probably in the far future) I'll add a SECOND arc line! (Thoughts about that please?) After all, now that I think about it, I can't add th** **is much info in his storyline without you being overwhelmed by it. Yeah, when I saw how many people read that chap, I was shocked! And I honestly thought that adding the whole 'Watchers' thing wouldn't be a good idea. I'm glad it turned out okay! Yeah, Koga-kun and Robin have a LOT in common, and I love portraying them together, just like him and Zoro. Enies Lobby will be quite a shock for our chronicler, that I will assure you. Oh yeah, I watched those videos. Raiden was absolutely BADASS! Hahaha, it'll be fun writing about Foxy and his crazy loving crew ^^! P.S.: I gave the explanation to King, but yeah, they ARE related. Keep in mind that, so far, the powers each demon possess have something in common with a Devil Fruit user:**

 **Koga-kun: Blackbeard**

 **Yuuto: Kinda(?) Marco (Blue Flames from Phoenix)**

 **And maybe some more. Well, that's all! Please keep supporting me like you do~! See ya soon ^^!**

 **-JayH120: Yo, welcome ^^! Thank you so much for your words~! I totally agree with you, sometimes we need to whump around our little OC's a bit. But I also think that I whoop him a bit TOO much xD Please keep supporting me, and see ya soon ^^!**

 **-Guest-san: Yo! Sorry about that, but the fact that the crew is pretty much separated from most of the arc makes it a little more difficult to write if I want to keep it with my OC's perspective. Maybe I'll add chapters from other POV's too, if only to make the arcs larger. I posted this chap as an example. I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations in Eneru's arc, but I hope I can remedy that with more improvements! Oh don't worry, you didn't offend me at all! As I explained at the beginning, I was angry before, but then I saw that you're right, I DID rush up a bit this arc. I'm honestly glad you spoke your mind about it ^^! Please feel free to continue to do so further on in the story ^^!**

 **-Boopadoop: Yo Boop! Don't worry, I'm also terribly busy, thus the untimely updates and the horribly short chapters I'm posting. Not sure how the hell readers hadn't rebelled against me, TBH xD Yeah, it will be a hard time, but our Koga-kun can do it ^^! Come on, go to sleep and relax a bit! Aw, and thank you! Your reviews always make me giddy in the inside ^^!**

 **-Guest: Thank you! Hope you continue liking it ^^!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**


	65. Long Ring Long Land

**65\. Long Ring Long Land**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Yo! Happy Saint Valentine's Day!  
**

 **...**

 **Okay, sooo... THe lateness. I actually HAVE an excuse, so don't gang up on me PLEASE! I found a job the first week of February, and well, let's just say the the timetable is trying to murder me. But I swear this won't deter me from writing down this fic!**

 **Even if I have to write awfully short chapters, bundled up and in a bit of a mess. Sorry about that.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 ** _BOOM CRASH!_**

"Goddammit!"

In the kitchen, Nami sighed after taking a small sip of her hot coffee, already feeling a small headache forming. In front of her was a bundle of cartography papers, one displayed before her. Robin sat beside her, holding a thick book in one hand and the other grabbing a mug of hot coffee too; she hadn't reacted at all at the loud yell, unlike the navigator.

Sanji, the only one awake aside from the two females of the crew, raised his head and whistled under his breath as he heard loud stompings coming their way.

"Looks like someone still hadn't gotten much progress with his training." He commented, coming back to the bacon and eggs on the frying pan.

"He's been at it for three days already." The navigator put aside her maps and with great care saved them into a folder. "Honestly, it's like-"

 ** _BAM!_**

Unimpressed, Robin, Nami and Sanji turned towards the blasted-open kitchen door, where a positively furious and frustrated Koga stood. The writer was holding a hand against his temple and a grimace distorted his face. He wore nothing on his feet, and had on dark-blue cargo pants and a long-sleeve shirt with a black tank top underneath. For the first time, his beloved scarf wasn't around his neck, but held on the hand he wasn't holding against his head.

Out of the three, the first one to come out of their stupor was Robin. She merely lowered her mug and smiled at the newcomer.

"Good morning." She greeted with a mellifluous voice.

The writer opened an eye and glared at the three in the kitchen, before stumbling to sit beside Nami with an unceremonious flop.

"Yeah, morning." He mumbled under his breath, slouching on the table with his head hidden under his arms.

"Not much of a morning person today, eh?" Sanji smirked at the prone figure of the normally uptight young man. Then the chef narrowed his eye. "By the way, isn't that-?"

"Yeah, it's one of Zoro's shirts." Koga grumbled miserably from the nest of his arms, not bothering to look up. "I asked him to lend me one. Don't ask me why."

"Your call." The chef shrugged, serving Koga's breakfast in a plate- two scrambled eggs, bacon and a loaf of bread with butter. On his other hand was a steaming mug of coffee.

"Not hungry."

"I don't care. My job is to feed you, and unless I'm kicked out of the crew, I will make sure you're all well-fed. So go on, dig up before Luffy hogs it all up."

Koga raised his blond head to direct a half-glare at the cook, but knew the younger man wouldn't be deterred. So, grumbling under his breath, he incorporated himself, picked up a fork and began slowly eating. Satisfied, the black-clad chef nodded and went back to his business.

"So, judging by all that turmoil outside, I take it you're not making much progress with your training?" Nami filled the suddenly-awkward silence with conversation. Worry drew a frown on her face as she looked at the older man.

After all, Koga had only explained them that he'd decided to do some training, but that was it. And considering his current foul mood…

As expected, the chronicler hesitated before glancing sideways at the ginger-haired navigator. His brow crinkled as if in deep thought, lips tight and mismatched eyes a turmoil of feelings.

Finally, he let out a loud sigh as he sipped on the hot coffee, looking away from his worried friends.

"I'm not." He begrudgingly admitted, sounding displeased with himself. Whether it was because he was admitting his failure or because of the mood he was, no one but himself knew.

"What kind of training are you doing? If it's your Devil Fruit, then-"

"It's not with my Devil Fruit, okay?" Koga snapped for some reason, before groaning in pain and grasping his head. "Dammit…"

Sanji lifted a swirly eyebrow as he turned towards the oldest man of the crew.

"You'd best talk more nicely to Nami-san, shitty writer." He warned in a matter-of-fact voice. Everyone knew the chef didn't take lightly someone talking bad to a woman.

They saw him tremble, as if trying to restrain himself of doing or saying something rash, before closing his mismatched eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. As if on a second thought, his other hand raised the light-blue scarf and tightened his hold on it, like he feared it would disappear.

"... I'm sorry." The chronicler mumbled, actually looking miserable. "I think I need a break." He rubbed his forehead with another grimace. "And some damn painkillers for my head."

The frowns the other three sported slowly disappeared, as they watched their friend's sincere apology. He worried them, and all they wanted to know was what was happening to him. But they knew he hated being interrogated.

And so, after exchanging glances, Sanji sighed before beginning to prepare a chamomile tea for Koga, wordlessly.

 ** _BAM!_**

"MEAT!"

Koga flinched as the incredibly _loud_ Luffy banged open the door and screamed for his favorite food with all the strength of his lungs. Zoro, Usopp and Chopper were after him, the latter two looking tired. The swordsman raised an eyebrow at the sluggish position Koga had adopted, but otherwise kept quiet as he scooped a place beside him. Sanji shook his head and placed a steaming chamomile tea in front of him.

As those that awoke late began taking their breakfast, Nami clapped her hands and began announcing their plan for the day.

Apparently, if everything went well, they'd arrive at a new island by midday. And not a moment too soon, as their supplies were beginning to wane- once more. As always, the crew had to watch out for Marines and other pirates, as well as crazy-as-hell changes in the atmosphere.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Once everyone finished, the pirate crew got out of the kitchen and went to their designated places.

Relieved from his duty as lookout thanks to Usopp volunteering, Koga went to the railing and re-donned his beloved scarf once more around his neck, sighing heavily. He turned his back to his friends and, elbows on the railing, watched the blue sky blending with the sea in the horizon.

Honestly, his little outburst had taken him by surprise too; apparently his training with the inner demon he had also put him in a very bad mood. His intentions had been to recollect all the info he could about the Cursed and the demons they housed from _Sankaoken_ , and to somehow submit it and obligate it to train his demonic powers.

So far, neither had succeeded, even after three days of voluntarily entering the dark pits of his mind. _Sankaoken_ , being the sarcastic bastard it was, snarkily refused to lend him help or answers unless he beat it in combat. Of course, Koga had expected it, and promptly agreed.

Problem was, the human didn't remember that, with the four souls it'd collected already, _Sankaoken_ was now _stronger_. Every time they had confronted each other, Koga had been thoroughly battered and reduced to a pulp by the merciless demon, without being able to even scratch it.

So, the continuous defeats he'd gotten had put him in a far-worse mood than he'd feared. And now his friends were being affected by it.

The sounds of footsteps stopping at his side and a whiff of smoke revealed him the presence of Sanji, that had for some reason decided to approach him.

"You're not in a good mood today either." The chef commented, puffing out smoke.

Unable to answer, Koga sighed again and ruffled his blond hair in frustration. He looked over at the younger man to find him watching the writer with an inexpressive face, holding a cigarette between his fingers as always.

"Can I bum a smoke?" He finally asked, pointing at the cigarette with his chin.

Sanji raised an eyebrow as he took out the pack and offered a stick to him. "I thought you didn't smoke. Hell, you call me 'cancer lung' because of it."

"Yeah, well…" Koga lit the cigarette with the lighter the cook offered him, and then blew out the smoke. "I quit long ago. Or… tried to, at least. I hope I don't fall in the habit again."

For a moment, neither of them talked, contentedly smoking and watching the horizon and ignoring the shenanigans of the others behind them.

"You know, you can talk to us from time to time." Sanji finally cut the silence. "You smoking can't be a good sign. It's not good for your health."

Koga snorted, but the chef saw the forced amusement in his face. "Like you're one to talk."

"I'm serious. Look, maybe I don't know what kind of training you're doing, and I certainly don't have a clue of what's going through your head half the time." He scrunched his face in thought and corrected himself. "Make that all the time."

'Like I intended to.' The writer thought, curious despite himself at the point Sanji was trying to make.

"But holding up so much can't be good. If you're in a bad mood, Nami-san and Robin-chan worry too. And you know I can't allow my dear ladies to worry about a scumbag like you."

The writer sweatdropped.

But then his face turned back to his carefully-neutral expression as he watched the sky once more. He'd gotten the point Sanji was trying to make, even when disguising it under an insult.

Anyone of the crew would be willing to help him, but first he had to talk.

And honestly, the mismatched-eyed writer wasn't sure if he wanted that. He'd been so long bottling everything that worried or angered him up, he feared he'd break the dam he'd been building since first going to the orphanage as a kid. All that effort, all that strength he got for masking that rage would be for naught if the dam broke.

There would be fury, and pain. And sadness, too. A lot.

He wasn't ready.

But…

Maybe it didn't hurt to talk to Sanji about the training session he'd put himself. And after all, it was a troubling matter for him, and the reason he was being such an asshole lately. Of course, there was much more in his mind that worried him, but it was a beginning, right?

A veiled truth was better than the whole of it, and far better of course than elaborated lies.

But _where_ to begin?

"I uh… I've been training to have better control of the demon inside me." Koga finally admitted, raising the scarf up to his nose.

Clearly surprised that the writer had actually opened up to him, Sanji turned to his friend with a raised eyebrow. Under his stare, Koga suddenly found himself avoiding his gaze as he fiddled around with the half-consumed cigarette.

"And what's the problem with it? Clearly it's not going the way you wanted."

The writer's body relaxed a bit. "The fact is, it's too powerful and sneaky. I can't even land a punch on it. It can mold the terrain around us at its will, and summon weapons to attack me with. Me, I just have my fists and a katana about to fall apart. I've been at it for three days, and so far no luck whatsoever."

Sanji hummed, raising a hand to his chin as he looked up at the sky in thought, staying like that for a couple minutes.

"You're training with your demon in your mind, right?" He slowly began to say, still scratching his chin. At his nod, the chef continued. "Then doesn't that mean that you also have control over your mind?"

"Eh?" Confused, the writer blinked.

"I mean, even if the demon apparently has the superiority in controlling it, it's your mind after all." He raised his slim shoulders in a half-shrug. "Just a thought I have. And… Does your demon also use its powers whilst fighting against you?"

Another numb nod.

"Well, if the demon refuses to teach you, then you can always observe it and try to imitate what it does whenever it uses a technique. You have its powers as well, no? Then use it to your advantage."

For a moment, all Koga could do was stand open-mouthed at Sanji, who merely waited for him to react in any way.

How didn't he think of that? It made perfect sense, all of it! As much as _Sankaoken_ had made of that dark corner in his mind a fortified fortress against him, it didn't mean that it was a separate part of himself. And if _Sankaoken_ refused to teach him, he could always watch. It was _perfect_!

He closed his mouth and smiled in gratitude.

"Thanks, Sanji."

And turned on his heels to shelter himself in the boys' room, leaving behind a thoroughly surprised Sanji by the expression that had crossed the chronicler's face for a moment.

Once secluded in the room, and after making sure that he wouldn't be molested, Koga strode straight to the sheathed katana at his hammoc and sat cross-legged against the farthest wall from the stairs. It actually took him some more time to fully relax and enter his mind, so eager and confident he felt for getting what he wanted from the demon.

When he finally entered the dark realm _Sankaoken_ reclaimed for itself, the demon actually looked surprised to see the human. Slouched over some unnatural stone pillars red as fire, it glanced over at him and scratched its side.

"Back so soon? You really want me to pummel you again, huh." It taunted, not moving at all from its relaxed position.

Koga's lips pulled into a frown as he concentrated deeply. If Sanji's theory was true, then he could manipulate the reality around them, as well as the weapons he could wield. He knew it would take a good while, because whereas he didn't consciously enter his own mind often, _Sankaoken_ practically resided there; the demon had time to discover what it could do with its mental powers, time that Koga didn't possess.

But still, the human had it now. And practice makes the master, as the saying goes.

Apparently the red-eyed humanoid demon sensed something off, because it suddenly incorporated and watched as Koga's rusty katana distorted and warped in an unnatural way.

Satisfied, Koga smirked as the blade changed its form and covered his knuckles, the weight of the iron on them familiar.

First victory against _Sankaoken_ 's control.

The writer clanked the brass-knuckles together with a defiant smirk to the suddenly stoic demon.

Who, seeing the danger he'd become, stood up from its relaxed position and drew a savage smile on its face. The third eye on its forehead glared at the human.

There were no words after that. Only action.

In Koga's favor, he lasted far longer than before, but his low knowledge of how imagination worked in his own mind made everything just a bit harder than normal.

Still, unlike before, he didn't scowl as fiercely or curse as loudly whenever Sankaoken would outsmart him. Instead, he'd watch with hawk-eyes at each and every movement the demon made in hopes of being able to imitate it; certainly not now, but maybe in the nearby future, he'd be able to control the demon's powers as if they were rightfully his.

He lost, again, but knowing he had a possibility of defeating the creature filled him with hope and strengthened his will of becoming even stronger.

Right now, though, the chronicler would regain consciousness to find himself -and the rest of his crew- in a rather… shaky position.

Mainly, a massive wave almost sunk them.

Strapping the old katana at his hip, Koga climbed the stairs and got out of the boys' room just when everything passed. Of course, his absence in helping the others got him a beating from a furious Nami, but at least they were all still alive, so that was a plus on Koga's side. It was funny seeing the others drenched from head to toe too, though he made sure he kept that thought to himself.

Just then, Usopp saw something on the sea that made him shriek like a banshee and alert everyone on board.

"Emergency alert!"

"What now?" Nami groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"Unknown ship spotted at twelve o'clock!"

Frowning, Koga swiftly escalated the net ladder to the crow's nest and looked over Usopp was pointing at.

Sure enough, a caravel that looked at least three times bigger than the Going Merry was drifting away there, still as a statue. But there was something weird in it.

Just to make sure, he asked the sniper for his binoculars and looked through them. Yep, no sails, no flag. Even the number of crewmembers was awfully low, not really fitting with a ship that size. More than a proper caravel, it looked like an unfinished prototype that drifted off into the sea unattended. He really pitied the poor sods trapped in that mobile coffin.

But why were they out here, with no way of navigating? The next island wasn't far, but without sails or oars, they wouldn't be able to reach it. And what was more, there were no signs of a struggle in the ship, so how did they lose so many people and-?

He got his answer as soon as he thought of the word 'lose'.

Slowly lowering the binoculars and a harsh expression forming on his face, he gritted teeth. The sniper, when he turned to him to comment something, immediately noticed the change on his expression and paled.

But before their writer could explain anything, his intuition tingled at that moment. Gasping, he whirled around while grabbing onto the railing…

… And saw a giant wave hovering over their heads.

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy ordered once the others also saw the danger. "Sea Monkeys!"

Sea Monkeys? As Koga jumped down to the deck, he saw forms in the waves that he could've sworn were faces. He admonished himself, though; his first priority was to get away alive.

"Crap, there's no wind!" Sanji cursed loudly.

"Quickly, furl the sails!" Nami ordered. "We have to start rowing!"

If Koga escaped having to face the Sea Monkeys before, now he knew what the crew suffered to get away from those animals.

Usopp and Luffy hurried to fold the sails, but their ship was facing the side of the wave instead of going forward. Amidst the frantic activity in the ship, Sanji, Zoro and Koga managed to take out the oars and row as fast as they could away from the wave, just barely setting on-course while riding a freaking tidal wave created by stupid animals!

* * *

Once calm at last returned, Nami announced after a few minutes that they had just entered an island climate zone. Considering it felt warm but not overwhelming, Koga supposed it was a Spring Island. At least he hoped so; his experience in Alabasta and scorching temperatures was enough, thank you very much.

"Any islands ahead, Robin?!" Usopp called, his position switched with the archaeologist at the crow's nest for a while. Admittedly, the writer didn't miss the position… Not much at least.

Right then, he was with Chopper, helping with medicines. Though the good doctor had to explain him quite a few times the properties of some of the herbs, spending time together felt refreshing. The blond young man lately felt that he'd been neglecting the small reindeer, and had tried to make it up to him somehow.

"We've been approaching one for a while now." Robin commented, her hand supporting her chin as she lazily pointed ahead.

That comment -and the reactions it got from the two-thirds of the Kid Trio elated a small chuckle from the oldest male of the crew before turning his attention back to the reindeer.

"So, the agrimony is good for coughs, right?" He asked, holding the large medicine book for Chopper as he smashed some seeds with a mortar.

"Yeah!" He nodded enthusiastically with a big grin at the mismatched-eyed man. "But not only that, but it's also used for loose bowels, fevers, digestive troubles and asthma. And also, for skin sores, but not too much, or it could make the skin more sensitive to sunlight and increase the risk of sunburn."

The chronicler hummed in interest as he watched the little reindeer work. After dropping the 'seed powders' into a small sack, Chopper turned to his nakama and thanked him with a big smile on his furred face. Koga only chuckled and patted his pink hat affectionately.

B, after retrieving the doctor's things to the infirmary, rejoined the others as they talked about the strange bare ship they found earlier. Some time before the crew had arrived at the plain-looking, pacific island and lowered the anchor.

"... their ship was in perfect condition, no signs of battle!" Usopp had exasperation and confusion in his face as he argued with Zoro, who merely shrugged.

"Are you talking about the ship of before?" Chopper asked in interest.

"Yeah." Sanji let out a small sigh as he ruffled his hair. "Honestly, it's kind of weird finding a ship with no flag or sails or even oars. Besides, the guys onboard seemed like catatonic."

Koga scratched his stubble with a frown. He had a pretty solid theory of what could have happened to the poor fellas, considering the lack of flag and captain. But considering that very few pirates actually wanted to risk their crews with such practice (excluding some like the Yonkous), the method had been practically almost vanished from existence. Hell, Koga hadn't heard about it in the news since a long time ago.

Still, there were too many signs present to discard the possibility.

"I think…" He interrupted whatever Sanji was commenting, and the crew turned to him. His mismatched eyes were hard as steel as he looked back. "I think I know what happened to them."

"You do?" Nami raised an eyebrow, being imitated by at least half of the crew. Of course, Luffy didn't react at all, too oblivious about the whole thing.

"I-is it dangerous?" Usopp's legs shook violently already, fearing the chronicler's answer right before he heard it.

"If you mean 'dangerous' as 'life-and-death-confrontation' kind of dangerous, then no. It's not that kind of dangerous."

"OHTHANKMERCIFULGODABOVE!"

Koga bit back a retort about a certain 'God' they defeated, but couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at their friend as he literally deflated on the deck in relief, followed by Chopper.

"What do you mean 'that kind of dangerous'?" Their cook immediately caught on what he was implying, and he nibbled on the end of his cigarette in nervousness.

Before answering, he ruffled his hair with a sigh. "Incredible or not, there are actually ways of losing entire crews by just playing a seemingly innocent game."

A small silence. Then…

"Are you serious?" An almost-unanimous deadpan went through the majority of the crew -again- as they asked their writer.

"Do you see me joking?" His serious expression got them the answer. "Its practice have decreased a lot lately, but there are still crews that keep playing the Davy Back Fight."

"Davy Back Fight? What's that?" Usopp asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Simply put, it's a game between two pirate crews to win each other's crewmates to strengthen the crew." Luffy's face shifted a bit after that, but otherwise kept quiet as he listened to his chronicler. "I don't know much about its origin, but I suppose it was created to avoid unnecessary bloodshed while at the same time gaining crewmembers easily. The game consists in three challenges, and though there are a ton of rules, three of them are the most important: one, any crewmembers or symbols lost during the Davy Back Fight may only be retrieved through another Davy back Fight." He raised a finger. "Two: selected crewmembers must immediately swear loyalty to their opponent's captain." Another finger. "And three…"

He paused here, frowning. The others watched him expectantly, and at his silence Nami urged him:

"What's the third rule, Koga?"

"... If your symbol is taken (and not retrieved), you must never raise it again."

Cue tension in the crew at those words, just as the blond expected. The implications in that last rule were known to everyone, as some of them raised their heads to their own Jolly Roger.

"So…" Chopper cut through the silence with a whisper. "That's what happened to those guys back then?"

Koga nodded grimly with a frown on his face. "Most likely. They lost some crewmembers, including their captain, and their own Jolly Roger."

"That's cruel…" Nami let out a horrified mutter with a hand over her mouth.

"It's more merciful than a bloodbath for sure." Zoro commented apparently nonchalant, but the tense posture revealed otherwise to Koga's eyes.

"What are the challenges?" Sanji's scowl rivalled Koga's in depth.

"That's up to the challenger to decide, but the last one is always a captain's one-on-one duel."

There was another silence, in which they all looked at each other in nervousness.

"What's with the gloomy faces?"

And then, Luffy of all people managed to divert their attention to their captain. Surprisingly, he stood there with his hands behind his hat-covered head and a goofy, completely carefree grin on his face.

"Idiot!" Nami snapped at him, and the rubber-man looked at her in confusion. " Haven't you listen at all?! This game is dangerous! We could lose someone in our crew if we lose those games! What's more, we could lose our flag, and lose our right to sail free as the Straw Hat pirates! Even an airhead like you should understand the consequences of this!" She took air and spilled the last thing. "We can't be your nakama if we lose our symbol, Luffy!"

Instead of worrying though, their captain only snickered and re-donned his smile, even wider than before.

"But that won't happen, ain't it? You're my crew after all!"

That simple sentence destroyed all the doubt and fear that momentarily possessed the crew, as they watched dumbfounded at their usually idiotic captain. No one, not even Nami, dared punishing him for saying the only thing in years that made sense. Sure the risks were already there, but the unfathomable trust and confidence Luffy had in himself and his crew just by being themselves was… overwhelming and heart-warming at the same time.

Almost without realizing it, Koga drew a smile to his face, thanking whatever thing that brought him and Luffy together, and not for the first time.

"Shishishi!" Luffy snickered. "Well then, I'm gonna explore the island! See ya guys!"

"Huh-? Wait, Luffy!" Usopp followed after him.

Too surprised still to say anything, the remaining members of the crew just watched as their captain disappeared in the distance, followed by their sniper.

"Should we remember the day as the day our captain actually made sense in something he said?" Koga numbly worded.

"Agreed." Chorused the remaining five members of the crew that stayed in the Going Merry, as surprised as himself for this turn of events.

A few minutes went by, with them beginning to spend their time until Luffy and the others returned. Sanji went to the kitchen followed by Robin, Chopper entered his infirmary, Zoro continued his training and Nami went to her room to draw the map of the island they were currently on.

As for Koga, he chose to lend a hand and reinforce Usopp's work in the insides of the Merry. Considering his skills weren't as good as the sniper's though, he resolved to do an easy task and reinforce the iron planks holding the main mast and the figurehead together. So, equipped with new planks, nails and a hammer in hand, he set to work.

As he hammered the planks to the main mast and removing the old ones carefully, his stern expression didn't falter.

"Damn, we really made a mess on you right, Merry?" He spoke in a whisper, almost without realizing it. "We'd better get a proper shipwright soon. Usopp's work is good, but he can't repair you completely."

"..."

"Huh?"

Blinking in confusion, the writer raised his head and tried to listen, his work halted for a moment. He'd sworn he'd just heard something, like a voice. But it sounded so faint…

 ** _Bang!_**

Distantly, a firegun went off, distracting Koga. He dropped everything in his hands and ran to the railing, squinting his eyes and straining his intuition in search of danger. He ignored the others emerging and asking at the same time.

The danger, however, didn't come from the island, but _behind_ them, from the sea.

Two massive anchors suddenly shot and trapped them between the island and a massive fox-themed ship loaded to the brim with pirates, who roared and cheered at having them trapped. Though the three remaining members of the Monster Quartet readied their weapons to fight, one of them told them to disembark and they would explain everything, reassuring them of their interest to fight.

After a quick debate, the five agreed, and soon both pirate crews confronted each other with tense glares and snickers and condescendent smiles.

"So?" Nami urged on, tapping the grass with her foot and fingering her Clima Tact menacingly. "What's the meaning of this? Where's your captain?"

"Let's have peace." The self-proclaimed ambassador raised his hands amicably, still with an irritating grin on his face. "Our Boss, Foxy the Silver Fox, is now challenging your captain to a game of Davy Back Fight. You know what it is?"

Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes as the others shouted in shock. How did they know Luffy wasn't with them? Was this actually planned?

"Yes, we know." Robin, the only one who didn't scream in shock answered blandly.

"Oh! Good! That saves us time then! Now all we have to do is wait for your captain to accept the challenge!"

"How are you so sure that our captain's gonna accept?" Koga crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, he will. After all, it's a matter of pride between captains, and men."

The chronicler's frown deepened into a scowl. Yeah, when faced with a challenge, Luffy wasn't of the types that run away from it, but rather face it all on.

"The pirate crew we saw earlier… Did you defeat them?" Sanji theorized.

"Why yes we did! Our Boss is powerful like that!" Proclaimed one of the pirates, eliciting a cheer from his fellow crewmates.

Nami stomped the ground with her foot angrily, the cheering instantly stopped.

"We _refuse_ to play!" She declared.

"... Uh, Nami?" Koga put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "That's not for us to decide. It's a captain thing."

"WHAT?!" Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she shook him in a mixture of despair and rage. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT!?"

"Because-I-didn't-know-we-would-face-this-situ-STOPSHAKINGMEDAMMIT!"

After prying Nami's iron grip on his shoulders, the chronicler skidded away a few steps from the raging redhead and straightened his clothes.

"Well, maybe the insight Luffy had earlier can help him make the correct decision." He argued. "Besides, Usopp's with him, and there's no way he's gonna-!"

 ** _BANG BANG!_**

Two distinctive gunshots pierced the air, and his arguments. For a moment, everything went still except for the distant cawing of an extremely long crow…

Until the Foxy Pirates exploded in loud cheers.

"... I think that was asking a bit too much from him."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Again, sorry for the delay and the shortness of the chapter. I'll try to find more time to upload and make the chapters far longer.** **And now, review answers~! There's so many!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo, King! I'm so sorry, don't hit me! I still have a lot of work to do! Yeah, there's a lot I revealed last chap eh? Let's see... Yup, those are the Exorcists I chose. Let's see what they're gonna do... Yay, Mifu-chan and Angela, I love them both so much; though it's hard for me to portray Mifune without him ressembling Koga and Zoro. I swear the three of them have awfully similar personalities for my liking. We'll see if those Cursed actually want to recruit Koga-kun... *smiles evilly* Well, yeah, it is Akim, but don't worry, he's not a Zombie, he only looks like one. Oops, spoilers xD Yup, Yuuto in Garp's Division, oh boy. He's gonna have a huge power boost here. xD Uuuh, I won't say anything about the Marineford Arc, sorryy! *whispers* But I already planned on doing it xD Yup, this is gonna be a blast! Let's get to it!**

 **-Guest-san: Of course, don't worry about it! Then maybe more chapters like this will be uploaded later on, who knows~! Yup, they are all connected to Koga-kun, in one or other way! Hahahahahaha, great pun bud, I loved it *gives a thumbs up*! And nope, those are OCs but inspired in videogames. You'll see when we enter Water 7.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Thanks so much Brunch! I actually didn't think it would work well, but I'm glad this proved me wrong ^^! Yeah, Seishiro got himself a cute admirer! Let's see how everythign fares for the two of them, aye? Yup, that's my intention actually: Akim's not gonna have a fleeting presence in Thriller Bark. Sorry, that's a surprise~! Well, as you said, Free is in Impel Down, so it's actually quite hard for me to explain his presence in last chapter. But waaaaait a minute... WELL, I know how to introduce him, but that'll be next chapter! And what do you mean by using your username? P.S.: I sure hope so, Oda's theories are quite hard to unravel and modify.**

 **-Guest-san (2): No worries, bud! I'm actually glad that you found it, I had forgotten about my promise of publishing the fic in my profile, so... My bad.**

 **-Guest: Hi, glad to have you here! Those are actually pretty good ideas, but the Super Mode would be mastered after the Time-Skip (yay, mega-spoiler xD). And about the tattoos... Honestly, I'm not very fond of them. But I'll give it a thought, promised.**

 **-Guest (2): Hi! Thanks so so much for your kind review! I hope you continue liking it ^^!**

 **-Guest (3): Hi there, long time no see! You mean Doom Marine 54, right? Yeah, I heard about him, but I think the answers of those whose stories were reviewed by him are plain inmature. I mean sure, someone who lets a 'This story is a shit' comment and then leaves is stupid, but I don't care about those kind of reviewers. If they don't like them, no one's making them read. I say let them say whatever, that doesn't have to stop you from doing what you like. Thanks for the heads-up though ^^!**

 **-Guest (4): Hi there! Yup, it's not restricted to races. However, a half-mermaid or a half-giant can't become Cursed, because demons are obsessed with the purity of blood. Wow, that made me think of Harry Potter xD**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**


	66. First Round: Donut Race

**66\. First Challenge: Donut Race**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Wow! I actually updated before two weeks xD  
**

 **I managed to get some time and I got inspired, so here are the results. There are barely any changes, but well... I'm satisfied.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Once Luffy, Usopp, Foxy the Silver Fox and his lackeys came back, the Straw Hat crew was allowed to be updated in the situation and chill while the Foxy Pirates did their own thing.

At first, Nami had been more than ready to indulge in 'teaching' Luffy some common sense. And by 'teaching', it meant more like 'thoroughly beating their idiot of a captain to a senseless bloody pulp' kind of teaching.

Of course, Usopp had been about to suffer his destiny too, but actually he managed to explain the reasons why Luffy had agreed to the risky gamble.

How they both met an extremely weird but kind old man who not only had been alone for ten years, and his lovely white horse, his only friend until he met with his family. How, in a surge of (dumb) inspiration, he'd decided to challenge the world with stilts as high as old oaks and break a world record.

Thing is, the poor (idiot) old man got stuck in those impossibly tall stilts for ten years, thus being abandoned by his nomad tribe and only leaving his horse, the loyal Shelly, as sole company. Luffy and Usopp managed to get him down from the stilts (by accident, of course); and although thankful, the poor Tonjit (the old man's name) lamented that he couldn't see his family because of the high tides dividing the island, named Long Ring Long Land.

The emotive reunion of Tonjit and his horse Shelly, who dutifully awaited for her master to come down from the stilts even after ten years, was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of Foxy the Silver Fox, captain of the Foxy Pirates.

Just by doing one of the most despicable things...

"He shot Shelly and _captured_ her?!" Nami and Chopper screamed in rage.

Usopp's hands were tight into fists and trembled. "Yeah. And he said he did it just because he could."

The rest of the Straw Hat crew members (except Luffy) shared a look with one another, grim gestures on their faces. Their captain's intentions were clear, but still, accepting such risky gamble…

Koga sighed and cleaned an invisible speck of dust out of his scarf.

"Well, whatever the reasons of why Luffy accepted this challenge…" Sanji gained the others' attention. "The thing is, we're on it."

"Indeed." Robin glanced at the large group of Foxy Pirates. "But the only thing that they have and we don't is sheer numbers."

"Hmph!" Zoro snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't mean they have any qualified soldiers."

"I'm not so sure about that…" Koga commented with narrowed eyes, eyeing the Foxy Pirates as well. "There's something… off about them."

"Off?"

But as something did feel strange for him, the writer couldn't determine what exactly. A dark aura, a hidden malice in the crowd… Who exuded that malicious intent?

 _Can't figure it out, shitty host? A pity…_

"So… What do we do now?" Chopper hesitantly broke through his thoughts as he looked around.

"As hosts of the Davy Back Fight, the Foxy Pirates must think of three challenges before communicating them to us." Robin explained while caressing her chin with a finger, deep in thought.

"That means they have advantage over us." Sanji bit on his cigarette.

"It doesn't matter, we'll defeat them anyways!" Luffy glared at his friends, for once serious… before picking on his nose. "But I wanna fight now against Split-Head…"

"Could you please not call our Boss with that offending name?" A sudden voice interrupted their conversation.

'Huh? That voice…'

Koga and the others turned to the newcomer.

The chronicler's eyes widened.

"Gohan-san?"

The Foxy Pirates' crewmember, a lanky-looking man with greyish-brown hair and bulging green eyes, blinked in surprise at the sound of his name being called. Then he squinted his eyes at the meager pirate crew before exclaiming in surprise:

"Koga-kun, is that you?" His tone held unmistakably confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"That's my line! Why are _you_ with the Foxy Pirates? What about your own crew?"

Meanwhile, Luffy and the rest looked between the two, positively lost.

"You… know each other?" Until Nami asked the obvious question.

The young man and the older one looked at each other before chuckling. The Foxy pirate, named Gohan, came over and clapped the other's shoulder with a smile.

"Well, the story's a bit long, but to sum it up a bit… Yeah, we know each other."

"I actually came on-board his pirate ship as a stowaway before I got caught." Koga sheepishly admitted while rubbing his head in embarrassment. "After that, Gohan-san agreed to take me from the Grand Line to the other Blue Seas via the Calm Belts."

"Wait, _the Calm Belts_? How did you evade the Sea Kings?!"

"Hehe…" Gohan drew a confident smile. "Why, thanks to a coat of kairoseki in my ship's hull. Cost me a lot, but it was damn worth it, for the sake of my crew."

"Speaking of which, where are they?" Koga turned to his companion with a worried expression on his face. "And why are you on this crew?"

A flash of… _something_ across his face, before wiping it off with a brilliant smile. That brought to Koga's attention.

"Well, you know us, we can't be together without fighting at least twenty times a day. So, we ended it." He shrugged. Then, as if remembering his reason of approaching them, gasped and brought out a piece of paper from his satchel. "But enough of that! I came here to inform you about the Davy Back Fight challenges and the rules! I even brought the book!" And showed a heavy book that looked like an encyclopedia, with the rules of Davy Back Fight.

Though still with his head in the previous topic, Koga narrowed his eyes and let it slide.

For the moment.

"Just tell us what the challenges are. I know the rules of the book by heart." He said.

"Haha, that's right, forgot about your photographic memory!"

"You have photographic memory?" Usopp asked in wonder at his nakama.

"Did I never tell you guys? I can memorize any book I want, if the topic interests me enough."

"Of course you didn't! We could turn a hundred years and still you wouldn't reveal all your secrets to us!"

"You're too secretive, Koga!" Luffy and Chopper chorused with silly expressions, making all the others sweatdrop and the blond writer sigh and ruffle his hair in annoyance.

"C'mon guys, it's not even that important…"

Suddenly a pair of hands clapped, and everyone turned again to a bemused Gohan as he held once more the paper.

"If we could go on please… Well then, now that Koga-kun has the matter of the rules covered, I will explain the challenges. Please pay close attention!"

The first round, he explained, was the Donut Race. As the name suggested, it was a race where three teams from each crew were given materials (mostly barrels) and must build their own boat using them. Each team then used their boat to go around the island and the first person to reach the finish line wins.

Rules for the Donut Race: Teams are allowed to carry weapons and do practically anything. The other members of the crew can support the teams.

The second round, was called the Groggy Ring was played normally with three players. One player was the "ball" on each team, and it was the goal of the opposing team to knock the player that was the "ball" into the opposing team's goal.

Rules for the Groggy Ring: no weapons allowed. Everything else could be done.

The last challenge was named Roller Skate, or Run Roller Around. It had five rounds. If one team got three wins, the game was automatically over. The goal in this game was to skate as many laps as one could before the time ran out. When the first twenty seconds passed, there would be a signal to call the next group to skate.

Rules for the Roller Skate: Players are not allowed to skate backwards or out of the ring or they will immediately lose the round, although the air is safe as long as they do not touch the ground.

"Those are the games and the corresponding rules for each of them!" Gohan beamed under his Foxy Pirate mask, handing them a sheet of paper. "This is the roster sheet. You guys get to compete up to twice. Once you fill that, get it to our Party Organizer please!"

"You seem pretty used to deliver this information." Sanji commented as he took the sheet and gave it a look.

"Glad you noticed, mister! I'm actually rather new in this affair, and I want to make Boss happy and proud of me!" Drooling came from the corner of his mouth as his face turned a bit uh… lecherous. "And Porche-chan too~!"

 ** _POW!_**

"You pervert!" Nami's furious punch made him fly a few feet.

He seemed to be used to punches though, as he hastily stood up holding a hand against his bleeding nose and smiled at the Straw Hats.

"Well I'll be going with my crew now! See ya in the games!"

And swiftly escaped. The rest sweatdropped, before soon forgetting him and getting into business with the challenges.

"Well, how do we do this?" Usopp asked as he settled down on a table, the others around him. "Koga, what do you think?"

Koga scratched the stubble around his jaw. "Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't chosen any more difficult challenges. But just in case, let's not underestimate them. Maybe Split-Head is stupid, but there may be someone in their crew who isn't inept."

"Like that Gohan guy?" Zoro frowned at him.

"Yeah. He may seem small fry, but no one gets a ship with kairoseki coatment by being small fry. He's more than he lets out." He warned the others, gaining a chorus of worried and slightly frightened faces.

"Okay!" Nami clapped her hands. "Let's see what we've got. From what we've seen, in the first challenge the whole crew gets to participate, but in the second there's only three, and the third five people."

"OH! OH!" Luffy's hand shot up in excitement, like a kid would do. "Sign me up in all three!"

"We can do that, Captain-san." Robin chuckled. "We each get to participate twice."

"Aw, bummer."

"I think I'll pass on participating in the first round." Koga raised a hand. "This way I'll be able to assess our rivals and participate in rounds two and three."

"Well it is true that you can enhance your speed, so you being in the third round is a must." The redhead nodded with a thoughtful expression.

"And what about the second and third round?" Sanji asked.

Koga thought about it for a moment.

The logic thing would be putting the most powerful fighters in the second round, and the fastest and most resilient ones in the last round. He wasn't so worried about the first round because mostly everyone could participate with no problem, but organizing would be a pain.

Finally, he proposed…

"In the first round, everyone but me gets to participate. That is logical." A chorus of silent nods. "In the second, me, Zoro and Sanji will be more than enough. And in the third, Luffy, Robin, Nami, Usopp and me."

"Huh?" Chopper blinked, and then shouted. "EEEH?! What about me?! Why do I only get to participate once?!"

Looking down at the shocked and slightly offended reindeer, the writer pulled his lips into a frown. If he had to be absolutely honest, he had a bad feeling about the whole situation. And he knew that, would they lose a round, the first one they'd request was a doctor. Maybe taking him out of most of the challenges would be the best thing to do to avoid getting attention to him. The blond writer was worried it wouldn't work though.

But he managed to direct a smile and pat his hat.

"Well, we don't want them to know our trump card, right?" That surprised the small doctor.

"I GET TO PARTICIPATE WITH _HIM_?!" Zoro and Sanji growled at each other in unison, of course butting heads with one another and small rays of lightning flashing from their eyes.

"What am I, a third wheel?" Koga sweatdropped at the antics of the two.

 ** _BONK BONK!_**

"Settle down already!" Nami growled at the pair of monsters already downed.

After a few shenanigans, Koga volunteered to deliver the paper to the party organizer, and bid goodbye and good luck to his friends until the end of the game.

With the help of some Foxy Pirates, he managed to get out of the suddenly impromptu festival they organized and find said organizer. A thin man, with a big mouth dressed in a white-striped cap, a purple coat, yellow gloves and white pants. He carried a shoulder bag with a Den Den Mushi on it, and a pigeon-like giant bird settled at his side pecking his hat.

"Are you the Party Organizer?" The blond young man asked.

"Hm?" The man turned to him. "Why yes I am! My name is Itomimizu, and I'm the Party Organizer and commentator of the Foxy Pirates! Nice to meet you!"

"Koga, of the Straw Hat pirates. Here's our roster." He handed him the paper.

"Finally!" He snatched the sheet out of his hand and went to mount on the giant bird, which apparently had some kind of saddle to sit upon.

"Wait! Can I mount too?"

Itomimizu evaluated him before shrugging and gesturing him to hop on. Koga smirked secretly and obeyed.

This was an incredible advantage. He would be able to see everything from bird's view and discover if the Foxy Pirates were to cheat; the chronicler had the nagging suspicion the name 'fox' in Foxy's nickname wasn't only for show.

 ** _BOOM BOOM BOOM!_**

Fireworks exploded in the sky as everything was settled down at last.

In the ground, the five-hundred or so crewmembers of the Foxy Pirates crew surrounded almost the entirety of the eastern coast of the island, the place where the hosts decided to start the race. The participants were a bit away from the main bulk, surrounded by three barrels, oars and tools to build them together.

" **AHEM! NOW, IT'S TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE ROSTERS THAT EACH TIME HAS CHOSEN TO REPRESENT THEM IN TODAY'S EVENTS!** "

He rose two papers up and began shuffling into them.

" **FIRST UP! COMPETING THE DONUT RACE, IT'S THE ENTIRE STRAW HAT CREW - MINUS DARK REAPER KOGA! PARTICIPATING IN ROUND TWO, THE GROGGY RING: KOGA, SANJI AND RORONOA ZORO! AND PARTICIPATING IN ROUND THREE, THE ROLLER SKATE: MONKEY D LUFFY, NICO ROBIN, NAMI, USOPP AND KOGA!** "

"I could have commented that since it's my crew you're talking about…" The blond writer muttered to himself.

" **ALRIGHT! LET THE MERCILESS DAVY BACK FIGHT BEGIN! A WINNER WILL BE A CROWNED WHILE THE LOSER WILL BE FORCIBLY DROWNED! I AM ITOMIMIZU! YOU MAY KNOW ME AS THE FOXY PIRATES' PARTY ORGANIZER BUT TODAY I WILL BE YOUR COMMENTATOR! NICE TO MEET YOU!** "

Just to mess around a bit, Koga snatched the transceiver and talked into it with all the tranquility in the world.

" **And I'm Sarugaki Koga, co-reporter from the Straw Hat Pirates. Nice to meet you too.** "

"Give me that!" Itomimizu glared at the writer as he let him take the transceiver back. " **AHEM! OUR FIRST EVENT OF THE DAY IS ROUND ONE: THE DONUT RACE**!"

From above, the chronicler squinted his slightly enhanced eyes to see his crew divide into three teams with one Devil Fruit user in each.

'An intelligent strategy.' Koga nodded in approval. 'This organization will ensure that no one gets drowned.'

" **LEGAL BOATS FOR THE DONUT RACE CAN ONLY BE CONSTRUCTED USING OARS AND THREE EMPTY BARRELS! YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF YOU USE ANY OTHER MATERIALS! THIS IS THE PERFECT CHANCE FOR SHIPWRIGHTS TO SHOW OFF! OH WAIT, THOSE GUYS DON'T HAVE ONE!** "

 ** _POW!_**

"OW!"

"Don't pick on my crew."

Itomimizu went to respond, but the murderous glare in the other's mismatched eyes made him shut his giant trap. For the moment, at least.

" **IF YOU LEFT YOUR EMPTY BARRELS AT HOME COME ON UP HERE AND GET SOME!** " He attempted to make a joke, partly to ignore his aching cheek. " **ALL FOR FREE, 'CAUSE THAT'S HOW _GENEROUS_ WE ARE!** "

Koga sweatdropped as Itomimizu explained the rules of Long Ring Long Land (which he already knew) before paying attention to his friends once more. While the group formed by Usopp, Nami and Robin were doing fairly well in building a decent boat with the limited tools they had, Luffy and Sanji were doing a complete disaster with theirs. If he enhanced his hearing, the writer was almost sure he'd hear the curses the chef would be spitting to his captain. At least Zoro and Chopper were a bit more coordinated, although their boat wasn't as good as Usopp's.

'I really hope this doesn't end in a disaster…' He bit his lower lip nervous.

Fireworks exploded once more, indicating the imminent beginning of the race. The teams finished building their boats and got onboard.

" **AND TIME IS JUST ABOUT UP! I HOPE EVERYONE IS READY!** "

Itomimizu's bird landed for a moment so that the bigmouth could get a paper before taking flight again. The man glanced over at the paper and let out a whistle.

" **OOH! GATHER 'ROUND FOLKS! THE FINAL ODDS ARE IN! I'LL ANNOUNCE NOW THE CONTESTANTS IN ORDER OF THEIR POPULARITY!** "

Koga peeked over his shoulder, trying to be subtle about it. He got the text memorized in about thirty seconds.

" **TOP SPOT GOES TO OUR IDOL AND FELLOW FOXY PIRATE: PORCHE! JOINING HER IS THE FISHMAN CAPOTE! THEIR VESSEL IS 'THE CUTIE WAGON' LED BY THE STAR SHARK MONDA!** "

The crowd -and of course, Sanji- erupted in cheers in adoration for the idol, who blew kisses at her fellow pirates. Behind her, his companions posed arrogantly, exposing their muscles.

'A fishman and a shark, this is bad.' The scarf-wearing young man bit his lower lip again.

Knowing who came next, he quickly snatched the transceiver again -ignoring the 'Hey!' from Itomimizu.

" **Second in the popularity poll, it's the Straw Hat Team conforming of our navigator Nami, our sniper Usopp and our archaeologist Robin! Their official craft is 'The Barrel Tiger'! Get them guys!** "

"THANKS KOGA!" He faintly heard Luffy yell from below, and the cheers from the others. The writer smirked and raised a thumbs up in return.

"You-! HHMPPH!"

Koga closed his lips with his free hand and glared at him. "Listen, this is my crew you're talking about. So, to avoid you badmouthing them with that big trap you call a mouth, I will be commenting on them. Understood?"

His face turned a pretty red, but otherwise nodded.

"Good." He gave the transceiver and let go of his mouth.

" **ALRIGHT! COMING IN THIRD ON OUR LIST IS 'THE HAREM NOCTURNE', A BEAUTIFUL BOAT FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!** "

'Ugh! This will be problem too, especially with Sanji.' Koga groaned as he slipped a hand down his face in frustration.

" **IN FOURTH PLACE WE'VE GOT 'THE CRAB CRANE' AN OLD FAVORITE IN THE TOP RANKS! IN FIFTH AND SIXTH PLACE ARE 'THE SWORDSFISH KING ONE AND TWO'! AND IN SEVENTH PLACE, 'THE PARTY, LOVE AND PLEASURE BOAT'!** "

'That last ship is a bit too large to be only composed of three barrels…' Koga squinted his eyes at it. Maybe it was only appearances.

Seeing as he was about to put aside the paper, and hearing below distant cries of protest from Luffy and Chopper, the writer turned a murderous glare at Itomimizu again.

"What about my captain's boat? And Chopper's?"

"Ah, uh, well… Let me see…"

Koga rolled his eyes before taking the transceiver and the paper -and daring Itomimizu to stop him with another glare.

" **Ahem…! Doctor Chopper and Swordsman Zoro's boat is 'The Basically Barrels'! What the hell guys, you could've picked a better name… And their position in popularity is… It's clear that they don't know you guys, because you're third to last!** "

"WHAT?!" Chopper screamed in rage before being held by Zoro.

" **Captain Luffy and Chef Sanji created the, ugh, 'At Least it Floats' boat…** " Itomimizu snorted in laughter, and Koga gritted his teeth as he held in the temptation to cave his face in. " **And they're… Second to last? Wait, who's the-?** "

And the transceiver and paper were back in Itomimizu's hands.

" **AND COMING IN LAST ON THE LIST OF POPULARITY, WE'VE GOT THE GIANT BARGE 'THE BEHEMOTH MOTHER SHIP COASTER'!** "

The chronicler's mismatched eyes almost bulged out from their sockets as he saw the absolute _behemoth_ of a boat coming in from behind the rest of the boats. He cursed; he hadn't thought about the size of the barrels. Sure they were limited to only three, but the rules didn't specify _how big_ they had to be.

" **OKAY! ALL OF THE BOATS ARE NOW AT THE STARTING LINE! I'LL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE COMMENTARY THROUGHOUT THE RACE WITH A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE ACTION FROM ON TOP CHIRP CHIRP, A RARE SOUTH BLUE SUPER SPARROW!** "

Huh. So it was a sparrow and not a pigeon. Good to know.

" **TO ENSURE YOU DON'T GET LOST, WE'RE PROVIDING EACH TEAM WITH AN ETERNAL POSE!** "

Knowing the 'we' included himself, the Straw Hat chronicler took three Eternal Poses and threw them at Nami, Zoro and Sanji, who got them no trouble. He directed a smirk and a nod, getting equal bobs of head in return.

Once Chirp Chirp got higher, Koga could see something weird in the starting area. Whereas Porche, Zoro and Chopper, and Luffy and Sanji's boats were pulled up alongside each other on the side of the starting line closest to the island. However, the rest of the boats -minus the giant one- had all moved on the far side of the starting line and away from the island.

'Too organized to be casual.' Koga thought, frowning. 'They're plotting something.'

" **NOW ON YOUR MARKS!** "

Below, Koga saw Usopp scream something to Luffy, Sanji and Zoro.

" **GET SET!** " Itomimizu raised a pistol and pointed up. Koga put his hands over his ears.

 ** _BANG!_**

" ** _GOOO!_** "

As one, the barrels-turned-boats began getting away from the starting line, rowing as fast and hard as the participants could go. Apparently they began well, but each of the boats were a bit disorganized-

'Wait, what the-! Why didn't the giant one move _yet_?!'

Koga's torso tilted forwards, a frown crossing his features. Yep, the behemoth hadn't moved an inch from its original positions. What were its sailors doing?

With his Eagle Eye, the chronicler could watch the Foxy Pirates moving around the boat at high speed, getting… 'something' ready. And the ones closer to them… _were Robin, Nami and Usopp_.

 ** _SPLOOSH!_**

The end of the front barrel slid open and came washing out. Soon, more barrels came as a huge wave, filling the spaces between the ships.

'It's forbidden to use more than three barrels to build a boat…' Koga thought, as more and more of those barrels covered the water and surrounded his friends and foes alike. 'If so, then those down there have another purpose. Which one…?'

Intuition danger! His eyes came wide as saucers as he suddenly understood.

They were not for the boat, of course! They were _weapons_!

Fast as lightning, Koga caught the transceiver and yelled into it, putting a hand on Itomimizu's face to keep him away:

" **GUYS! DON'T TOUCH THE BARRELS! THEY'RE BOMBS!** "

" _WHAT_?!" Nami yelled in fury.

"Give me that!" Itomimizu managed to grab the transceiver, but didn't speak into it yet. "How the hell did you know about that?!"

The writer glared at him darkly. "As if I would tell you, bigmouth."

Seemingly offended, the Foxy Pirate actually stood his ground before proclaiming into the transceiver. " **THEY'VE BEEN RELEASED, THE OLD BARREL'S MINES! THE COASTER'S TRUMP CARD! SEE? THEY'RE _WEAPONS_ , AND ALL WEAPONS ARE LEGAL IN THE DONUT RACE!**"

'Shit, he's right.' Koga cursed with a scowl on his face. 'We can't accuse them of faulty play. They've actually found the loophole in the rules and exploited it. Dammit…'

 ** _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_**

Suddenly, three successive explosions resounded back down. Both avoided their murdering glares and watched what happened.

Itomimizu clicked his tongue and Koga's face showed a feral smirk, before the latter got again the handset.

" **I'll announce it if you won't! The Behemoth Mother Ship Coaster has been blown to smithereens! That means they're out of the race!** "

However, the fall of the Behemoth actually caused a mini-tsunami that threatened to overthrow the boats. Fortunately, Luffy's, Usopp's and Zoro's boats managed to ride it and also take advantage of it as they got the 'Swordfish King One and Two' out of commission, albeit only temporarily.

"' **The Straw Hat crew's boats are using the wave to zip to the front of the race!** "

"Amazing…" Itomimizu breathed out, before snapping out of his daze and wrestling for the handset once more.

Koga let him though, as the wave died down and the boats settled again on flat sea once more. First came Porche's whatever-its-name-was boat, followed by Luffy's, then Chopper's and Nami's. However, just as the Foxy Pirates' Idol's boat suddenly accelerated thanks to the shark fishman, the other two (the one filled with women and the other one) rounded on two of the Straw Hat boats and started to distract them. Nami's however managed to get away and follow after Porche.

'Damn, that's also allowed to do.'

" **UPDATE! IT LOOKS LIKE THE 'PLEASURE' BOAT AND THE 'HAREM NOCTURNE' HAVE MADE THEIR MOVE, THE PARTY DISTRACTION! THEY'VE LUNGED IN TWO STRAW HAT BOATS FOR A K.O.!** " Itomimizu directed a sly look at Koga with a grin. " **WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT, DARK REAPER KOGA? HUH? YOU GUYS FELL FOR IT, HOOK, LINE AND _SINKER_!** "

Indeed, Nami's boat suddenly got attacked by Capote as he began tearing it apart, thus slowing it down.

But the chronicler had the best counterattack for that one. With a sigh, he silently asked for the handset and, once received -with a look of confusion of course-, he began speaking.

" **I'll say I haven't had that much hope in their IQ, but there's an easy remedy for that.** " He breathed deeply… And then shouted at the top of his lungs. " ** _SANJI!_ NAMI AND ROBIN ARE IN DANGER!**"

 ** _FWOOOM!_**

"Huh?" Itomimizu blinked.

" ** _CHOPPER_ , I'LL INVITE YOU TO A MOUNTAIN OF COTTON CANDY ONCE THIS IS FINISHED!**"

 ** _FWOOM!_**

"THAT'S A _PROMISE_ ~!"

Suddenly, Itomimizu pushed at Koga's face as he pulled on his arm to shout at the transceiver.

" **HEY, NO INTERFERING IN THE RACE!** "

 ** _Pow!_** A punch in the cheek.

" **THE RULES SPECIFY THAT THERE CAN BE EXTERNAL INFLUENCES TO HELP THE CREW! SO WHAT I'M DOING IS ALLOWED!** "

 ** _Bam!_** An elbow ramming into a stomach.

" **SHUT UP! THIS IS _MY_ DEN DEN MUSHI! _GET YOUR OWN!_** "

 ** _Pam!_** A foot pressing on a hand.

" **AND THAT'S _MY CREW_ YOU'RE INSULTING, SO _BACK OFF_ YOU LOUDMOUTH!** "

"DO YOUR WORK AND TELL WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Itomimizu's captain, Foxy, suddenly roared from below, followed by at least half of his lackeys.

Both commentators straightened their clothes with ticks on their foreheads and watched down the race.

" **ALRIGHT FOLKS, CURRENTLY IN THE LEAD IS EVERYONE'S ALL-TIME FAVORITE: 'THE CUTIE WAGON'!** "

The crowd roared.

" **NOT FOR LONG!** " Koga exclaimed not even a second later. " **Closing in behind them is 'The Barrel Tiger' with Nami, Usopp and Robin on-board! Kick their asses, guys!** "

"YOU BET!" Usopp screamed in response.

 ** _Bam!_** Itomimizu got the handset. " **AND IN THIRD PLACE IS 'THE CRAB CRANE'!** "

And still Koga shouted into it: " **The 'At Least It Floats' boat and the 'Basically Barrels' boat each occupy fourth and fifth position! Seems like the rest of the Foxy Pirates' boats are out of the race!** "

" **WHAT IS WITH YOU AND YOUR INFORMATION SKILLS?! THEY SUCK!** "

" **I'm a _writer_ , not a commentator! At least I have a pass!**"

"COULD YOU STOP IT ALREADY?!"

 ** _SHOOOM!_**

The sudden sound of rapid waters got their attention as Luffy and Sanji's boat sped off at a frightening speed, quickly gaining terrain towards the 'Barrel Tiger' and the 'Cutie Wagon'. Zoro and Chopper's, however, got ganged with the 'Swordfish King One and Two', and although the swordsman destroyed them completely, one of the Foxy Pirates threw a counterattack in the form of a bomb…

 ** _BOOM!_**

… Which blew the 'Basically Barrels' into pieces. Zoro wasted no time and, seeing that Chopper was underwater, dove in to rescue him.

" **THE 'BASICALLY BARRELS' AND THE 'SWORDFISH KING' BOATS HAVE BEEN SUNK! THEY'RE ALL OFFICIALLY DISQUALIFIED!** "

'Don't worry guys, you've done a great job…' Koga thought with a frown. 'We still have Nami and, unbelievably so, Luffy to win this. Get a rest now.'

Usopp apparently had the brilliant idea of using a Dial to speed their own boat, but the 'Crab Crane' wanted nothing of it and they attacked him. For some reason Koga couldn't see, the sniper got so angry that he solved the question with a well-aimed (as always) shot at the middle of the 'Crab Crane'-

 **KA-BOOM!**

Destroying it like it happened with the two 'Swordfish King' boats.

" **THE 'CRAB CRANE' HAS BEEN DESTROYED AND IS NOW DISQUALIFIED!** " Itomimizu screamed, more from shock than from actual excitement.

" **Great job Usopp!** " Koga congratulated him once he got ahold of the handset -while pushing its rightful owner away. " **Now there's the 'Cutie Wagon' with Porche, Monda and Capote on board, the 'Barrel Tiger' with Usopp, Nami and Robin in it, and coming in fast are Luffy and Sanji in the 'At Least It Floats' boat!** "

"ALRIGHT!"

Not even a few minutes later…

" **AND THE RACE HAS OFFICIALLY ENTERED ITS CLIMACTIC MOMENTS! THE 'CUTIE WAGON' IS HOLDING ONTO ITS LEAD SPOT, BUT THE 'BARREL TIGER' IS RIGHT BEHIND THEM! AND THE 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' BOAT IS… HEY… WHERE'D THE 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' BOAT GO…?** "

Koga snickered and snatched the handset.

" **You're looking too far _behind_ the other boats, Itomimizu! They're about-!** "

 ** _SHOOOM!_**

" ** _TO SURPASS THE 'CUTIE WAGON'!_** "

True enough, much to the Foxy Pirates' shock, Luffy's impulse had allowed their boat to go from last place to stay neck by neck with the 'Cutie Wagon'. As they surpassed the 'Barrel Tiger', Nami latched onto it and got pulled with them too.

However, something made Koga's jaw go slack, and Itomimizu, realizing it, got the handset and proclaimed with a triumphant tone:

" **BUT IT SEEMS THE 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' BOAT IS LOSING ITS IMPULSE! AND WITH IT, THE 'BARREL TIGER' TOO! THEY'VE COME INTO A STOP! OH, AND THE 'CUTIE WAGON' IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION AND IS ONCE MORE IN THE FIRST PLACE!** "

 ** _Bam!_**

"Give me that!" The chronicler shoved the man's jaw and spoke into the handset. " **Hold on, they have a trick up their sleeves and they're using the 'Cutie Wagon' boat's momentum to be dragged along! Thanks for the help, Porche and company!** "

"WE'RE NOT DOING THIS FOR YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Porche shrieked with an earsplitting sound.

"You're so annoying…!" Ito got the handset. " **THEY'RE NOW APPROACHING THE MOST FEARSOME OBSTACLES OF THE COURSE! FIRST IS THE LONG CORAL REEF, AND JUST BEYOND THAT FOREBODING AND DIFFICULT PATCH IS THE DREADED LONG RING WHIRLPOOL OF LONG CAPE!** "

And sure enough, up ahead of the three boats was a coral reef with long pink coral sticking out of the water for a good fifteen feet. Past the coral reef was a large dark whirlpool and a path of land that jutted out from the island.

'The reef and the whirlpool won't be a problem with Nami down there…' Koga bit his lower lip. 'What worries me is- What the-?'

" **OH! AND WELL I'LL BE… TALK ABOUT _UNEXPECTED_!** "

Below, running along the coast and keeping up to the three boats, were…

" **IT'S FULL DASH HAMBURG AT FULL SPEED! AND RIDING ATOP HIM IS THE MASTER OF OBSTRUCTION HIMSELF, THE SCOURGE OF FAIRNESS AND THE GREATEST SCOUNDREL OF ALL TIME, OUR BOSS: SILVER FOX FOXY!** "

The two Straw Hat boats halted just at the edge of the reef, but Porche's continued forward, maybe thinking that the others were chickening out.

Up on top of the sparrow, Koga smirked; these guys didn't know Nami's innate abilities.

" **THE 'CUTIE WAGON' TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY AND PLUNGES FORWARD INTO THE LONG CORAL REEF! AH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!** "

 _ **SWISH!**_

Apparently, the strong spiraling currents took control of the 'Cutie Wagon' and whipped it around the coral, even with the help of two mighty fishmen. After a few seconds, the boat got pushed back and away from the reef, coming to a stop where they started.

" **WHAAT?! THE 'CUTIE WAGON' HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK OUT OF THE REEF! WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN THERE?!** "

Koga snickered, earning a furious glare from Itomimizu. Not bothered by his look, he lifted a nonchalant shoulder and got the handset.

" **It's a relief you guys apparently don't have a navigator with the godly gifts our Nami has. If a Grand Line navigator has the power to dominate the weather, Nami can dominate the seas, the earth and the skies…** "

 ** _SWOOOOSH!_**

" **Even not having been in the Grand Line ever, her knowledge is far superior of that of any navigator that had existed! Hence, _this_ is only a walk on the park for her!** "

Koga smiled broadly, Itomimizu and the rest of the Foxy Pirates watched astonished as the two Straw Hat boats (with Nami's in the lead) daringly entering the coral reef.

" **And the Straw Hats are picking up speed! All three boats are about to enter the Long Coral Reef at the same time!** " He couldn't keep from grinning as he saw who got expelled and back to the start. " **THE 'BARREL TIGER' AND THE 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' BOAT HAVEN'T BEEN PUSHED BACK OUT! Awesome job, Nami, as always!** "

"Thank you~!" She sang.

Suddenly, the coral reef exploded in a cloud of thick fog, and Koga's grin evaporated in a frown.

 ** _Yoink!_**

" **Ha- _HA_! THERE IT IS, THE DEVILISH INTERFERENCE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!** "

The chronicler tilted his body a bit to see Foxy standing proudly with a bow and a handful of arrows beside him. Scowling, the blond narrowed his mismatched eyes before snatching at the handset with a devilish grin on his own face.

" **Unfortunately, the strategy of Split-Head is completely useless and lame! True, they can't see the corals, but Nami's able to sense the currents and thus, pinpoint where the safe route is!** "

 ** _Bam!_**

He saw Foxy collapse on his knees and an aura of depression surrounding him, and smirked in satisfaction.

" **WAY TO GO GUYS! THE STRAW HATS ARE SAILING THROUGH THE LONG CORAL REEF WITH EASE! AND THE 'CUTIE WAGON' STILL CAN'T EVEN MAKE IT MORE THAN FIVE FEET IN!** "

 _ **Pow!**_

"SHUT UP! AND GIMME THAT! **THEY WON'T BE CELEBRATING FOR LONG! ONCE THEY'RE OUT OF THE REEF THEY'LL HEAD STRAIGHT INTO THE LONG RING WHIRLPOOL!** "

'He's right…' Koga thought with a grimace as he looked down at his crewmates. If he forced his eyesight, he'd be able to see Nami planning things to the others. He saw Robin connecting her boat with Sanji's, and Usopp rummaging inside of his satchel to take out a… pink shell.

A shout sounded:

"IMPACT!"

 ** _SHOOOOOOM!_**

The 'Barrel Tiger' was blasted forward into the whirlpool, dragging Luffy and Sanji along behind them. That earned slack jaws all along the Foxy Pirates of course, and a triumphant cheer from the Straw Hat crew, including Koga.

" **THE 'BARREL TIGER' AND THE 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' HAVE PICKED SOME TREMENDOUS SPEED AND ARE EVEN FLYING OVER THE WHIRLPOOL ITSELF! THEY'RE LEAPING RIGHT OVER LONG CAPE!** "

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Itomimizu shrieked with his hands gripping the sides of his head.

" **SEE IT FOR YOURSELF BIGMOUTH! SEE IT AND TELL ME THAT IT'S IMPO-!** "

 ** _CRACK!_**

" **Huh?** "

 ** _SPLOOSH! KRAASH!_**

A huge cloud of dust and a wave suddenly rose in the direction the two boats were directed, and for a few agonizing moments no one could see anything. Worried about the safety of his friends, Koga strained his mismatched eyes as much as he dared to, gripping the handset tightly.

However, it was Itomimizu the first to see something. Fast as lightning, the Foxy Pirate got back his transceiver.

" **HA- _HA_! THERE GOES YOUR VICTORY! 'AT LEAST IT FLOATS' HAS CRASHED ON LONG CAPE AND BROKEN INTO PIECES! IT CAN NO LONGER CONTINUE THE RACE! THEY'RE NOW _DISQUALIFIED_!** "

 _ **Yoink!**_

"Hey!"

" **But the 'Barrel Tiger' is still standing and have passed the three obstacles and are close to the finish! Come on Nami, Usopp, Robin, the 'Cutie Wagon' is-! What the hell?! They managed to get through the coral reef?!** "

"WHAT?!" Usopp and Nami shrieked in panic below them.

 _ **Yoink!**_

" **OF COURSE THEY GOT THROUGH! USING FISHMAN MUSCLE AND THE FINS OF A SHARK, THE 'CUTIE WAGON' HAS DOUBLED ITS SPEED! THEY'RE BLAZING THROUGH THE CORAL AND CLOSING THE GAP! THIS RACE IS _FAR_ FROM OVER!** "

Koga saw Nami suddenly stop in front of a sign and he narrowed down his eyes at the culprit. Of course, the navigator didn't buy whatever was written on top of the table and threw it right at Foxy, who fell with a painful cry.

" **SHE BROKE IT! OUR BOSS' PLOY NUMBER 18: OPERATION FAKE DETOUR HAS FAILED! WHAT A FORMIDABLE WOMAN! DOES SHE NOT BELIEVE IN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD?!** " Itomimizu apparently pretended it to be a hypothetical question.

"CAN IT, JACKASS!"

" **WOW, AND SHE'S FOUL-MOUTHED TOO! ANYWAYS, THE RACE CONTINUES WITH THE 'BARREL TIGER' MAINTAINING ITS STRONG LEAD!** "

"Keep up at it guys." Koga muttered to himself.

" **THIS RACE WILL SOON BE DECIDED! THE 'CUTIE WAGON' IS CLOSING IN QUICKLY! THESE ARE THE FINAL MOMENTS OF ROUND ONE'S DONUT RACE! WHO-WILL-WIN!?** "

'Has Foxy really put a fake 'Goal' sign down there?' Koga tilted his head in puzzlement and slight amazement. At his stupidity.

Of course, the redhead 'kindly returned' the fake sign to Foxy… who looked a bit more battered and desperate than before.

" **SHE EVEN SEES THROUGH OPERATION: FAKE GOAL! FORMIDABLE! TRULY FORMIDABLE!** " Itomimizu took a deep breath and made Chirp Chirp glide down and beside the 'Barrel Tiger'. " **AND NOW, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR HER! WHAT IS IT LIKE TO GO THROUGH LIFE SO JADED?!** "

Koga noticed Nami's irk before scooping over a bit away from Itomimizu, grabbing on the bird's saddle even tighter. Just in case, of course.

"Piss off!" Nami snapped at the commentator.

" **IT'S TOO LATE FOR HER! HER HEART IS COLD! SHE HAS NO SOUL!** "

"The one who's gonna lose his soul is _you_ , dumbass…" The blond young man muttered as the navigator whirled her head around and glared at the loudmouth.

With one swift movement (and probably helped by Robin), Itomimizu was swung from the saddle of the bird and onboard of the 'Barrel Tiger'... before being smashed in the face with one of the oars, sending him flying and crashing down onto the shore of Long Ring Long Land.

Koga whistled as he straightened on the saddle.

"Phew, so glad to finally have this for me. Thanks Nami, and keep the good work!" She only gestured at him before he got the bird to fly higher once more. " **Alright folks, seems like I'll be your commentator until the end of the race! Of course, I'll be rooting for my own crew.** "

"Way to go, Koga!" Luffy cheered from below, earning a low chuckle from Koga.

He assessed the situation before informing:

" **The 'Barrel Tiger' is racing towards the goal, still on the lead despite the absurd schemes they suffered. And about the 'Cutie Wagon'... Uh…** " He felt a giant drop of sweat at the back of his head. " **They seem to… have stopped the race. Apparently the ones who fell for that fake goal were the Foxy Pirates after all.** "

"WHAT? THIS GOAL IS A FAKE?!" Porche shrieked.

"WHO WOULD DO SOMETHING SO EVIL?!" Capote demanded.

" **Blame your stupid Split-Head captain for that.** "

 ** _Bam!_**

And down went Foxy. Man, he had an even more depressing attitude than Usopp, and that was saying a _lot_.

" **The 'Barrel Tiger' has increased their lead and, according to this map Itomimizu so kindly left behind, they are now approaching the Long Bamboo Cape. The real goal is just beyond it. The Straw hats are in the home stretch!** "

As soon as Nami's boat entered the bamboo cape, the writer noticed the 'Cutie Wagon' closing on them. He went to comment on that…

 ** _BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!_**

Koga smirked.

" **Thanks to Usopp's skillful shooting, the Straw Hats have slowed down the 'Cutie Wagon' using the long bamboo. It looks like they knocked down that fishman! Heads up guys, seems like Porche is using that baton as a weapon!** "

Sure enough, Porche, infuriated at the 'loss' of her fishman comrade, threw sharp blades disguised as flowers at Nami, Robin and Usopp. Luckily, they didn't get injured, but…

" **The 'Barrel Tiger' has been hit! They're taking on water! Keep paddling guys, the goal's just ahead!** "

Apparently they understood what he meant, because they took the oars and began paddling as fast as they could considering their slowly-sinking boat.

" **Both boats have made it almost all the way around the island! The finish is in sight. The first round of the Davy Back Fight is about to finish!** "

The 'Barrel Tiger' still kept its advantage, only fifty feet away from the goal. But the 'Cutie Wagon' was quickly closing in thanks to the shark and its perfect shape.

What was more, the writer noticed movement on the shore (apart from the crowd) and distinguished the figures of Foxy and Hamburg once more. Distracted by it, Koga narrowed his eyes at the captain, whose right arm was extended and his hand had a weird hand sign. The tips of his fingers suddenly glowed purple-

" **Guys, be careful! He's about to do something!** "

 _Too late!_

A purple beam flew out and engulfed the 'Barrel Tiger'. Suddenly, the boat seemed frozen in time, and Koga watched in impotence as Porche surged forward past the Straw Hats and crossed the 'Goal' line.

" **And the winner is…** " He grunted out with gritted teeth. " **The 'Cutie Wagon'...** "

The Foxy Pirates erupted in cheers.

Sighing in frustration, Koga hung up the transceiver and ruffled his blond hair. Even if he hadn't taken part in the race, part of him felt guilty because of not participating. Maybe he could've done something, avoiding the boats from capsizing…

But it was too late now. They've lost a challenge, and now they had to pay the price.

Without being asked to, the bird apparently noticed his current mood and gently landed on the shore, near his crewmates. Shaking awake from his daydream, the blond hopped off and patted the sparrow's head in thanks before jogging towards his friends.

"Are you guys okay?"

Even if he saw the overall expressions of defeat and tiredness, he felt the obligation to ask anyways. His heart grew cold as his friends turned towards him and nodded grimly, muttered 'Alright' and 'Okay'.

"What the heck happened out there?" Luffy asked, confusion and worry filling his voice.

Koga's face grew grim. "A Devil Fruit ability, most likely. When you were hit by that purple beam, you slowed down marginally. You were like frozen in time."

"Fehfehfehfehfeh!" Foxy laughed as he strutted over to the Straw Hats, followed by Porche and Hamburg each side of him and the rest of his crew behind. "That's what happens when anything gets hit by my Slow-Mo Photons."

"Bastard, what'd you do to Nami-san's team?" Sanji all but snarled.

Foxy's back suddenly straightened (a great feat considering his bulging stomach) and his voice turned even more condescending than before:

"They are particles unlike any other known to modern science. Whatever the light touches (be it an animal, a liquid, a solid or even a gas) will lose a fixed amount of its velocity while simultaneously losing all its other energy."

Perking at that information, Koga frowned as he lifted his scarf to his nose. Was it possible-?

He ignored as Luffy insulted Foxy by calling him dumb and concentrated in his thoughts. If he was hit by a Slowmo Photon Beam, could he still use his Devil Fruit abilities and enhance his speed back again? And if so, could he overcome Foxy's powers?

'Interesting…'

 ** _BANG!_**

He came back to reality when Hamburg suddenly shot a cannonball right at Foxy's face, but he used his Devil Fruit powers to slow it to a near-stop and drift forward.

"Gah! A floating cannonball!" Usopp gasped.

"The Slow Slow Beam! Fehfehfehfeh! The effect lasts about thirty seconds! After that time, the object will regain its original speed as if nothing ever happened! Fehfehfehfehfeh!"

'... Is this guy an idiot?' Koga sweatdropped as the cannonball regained its original speed and exploded in Foxy's face. 'Why's he revealing everything about his Devil Fruit powers? Well, better keep it to ourselves.'

"So that's why we didn't win the race." Nami grimly stated.

"And that explains why they're so overly confident about these games." Sanji took a drag from his cigarette. "What a joke of a Devil Fruit power."

"Shut up, it doesn't matter!" Porche snapped at him as she was kneeling beside her downed Boss. "You guys _lost_! You know all the rules, and you agreed to all the terms!"

At that, Foxy seemed to recover from the blast and sprung back to his feet.

" _EXACTLY_! The Donut Race is over, and _we are the winners_!"

Obediently, though with gritted teeth, the Straw Hats followed after the Foxy Pirates to a stage, where Foxy strutted up, along with Itomimizu and his bird Chirp Chirp. The Foxy Pirates and the Straw Hats were facing each other, but Luffy's eyes were on Foxy's, as if daring him to do something. The only one calm enough was Zoro, as he was drinking from a jug he got from… somewhere.

" **AND THAT CONCLUDES ROUND ONE!** " Itomimizu announced on stage. " **NOW, WE SHALL COMMENCE WITH THE AWARDING OF THE PIRATE! THE WINNING CAPTAIN WILL SELECT A MEMBER OF THE OPPOSING CREW!** "

'I'm positive they won't pick me, since there's only need of one chronicler to keep the logbook updated.' Koga reasoned with a dark expression. 'They seem to have a lot of manpower, so that leaves Zoro and Sanji out, fortunately. Maybe Usopp too, if they have good snipers. The problems are if he picks Nami, Chopper, Robin and Luffy.'

"My first selection is none other than…" Foxy couldn't help to keep the suspense by being silent for a few long seconds, before jamming his finger forwards towards the Straw Hat pirates.

Koga's whole body grew tense and his eyes widened as he noticed the finger point down and to his right. He turned his head and saw the terrified first victim look at Foxy with bulging eyes.

"YOU! THE DOCTOR, _TONY TONY CHOPPER!_ "

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Well that went well. Least it's longer than last chapter.** **And now, review answers~! OH! And Koga-kun's back from training, so he'll be alongside me answering reviews as well~!**

 **-zerom1v: Yo zerom! Yeah, it'll be really fun! I hope you enjoy the ride~!**

 **-JayH120: Hey Jay ('I'm AJ!' Hehe! Kudos for those who understand the reference, please~?) Well, technically Koga-kun's intuition is impossible to control, soo...**

 **K: And anyways, all I could predict was danger to my friends or myself. I couldn't see when Foxy would use that strange beam on Nami and the others.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo King! Yeah, I'm afraid so. Sorry if you don't like it, but it's the only case scenario I could come up with that actually made sense. I mean, Koga-kun can't fight Sankaoken in the real world if it's inside his own body. And theoretically, yeah... That would be possible... But he won't be getting into that conclusion anytime soon, I'm afraid. The demon's getting far stronger than himself after all.**

 **K: Well, I love reading, and Davy Jones is a common topic to write about in novels in the Grand Line. So my curiosity picked up, and eventually I came to learn everything I could about the Davy Back Fights.**

 **L: I really hope so~! Yeah, the significance is not that much. Apart from being the prelude to some shit-eating arcs like Water 7... Enies Lobby... Thriller Bark... *shudders* Sabaody Archipelago... Speaking of Sabaody, I have a small surprise regarding Koga-kun that will happen in there *smiles ominously* OH! And of course we can't forget about Koga-kun's story arc! Well, for the moment we will enjoy with the Foxy Pirates and their captain's insanely delicate self-esteem xD!**

 **-Guest-san: Don't worry, I'll go with the anime version of the Davy Back Fight Saga so I can make more chapters before meeting Aokiji! And don't you fear either, I'm having too much fun writing this to put it in hiatus! Oh, speaking of specials, maybe I could write down one of them before the crew goes to Water 7... Or maybe one of the films! What do you think about it?**

 **K: *sighs* I sometimes wonder what would've happened if Luffy had actual brains. Would he have accepted the challenge either way? Hm... Oh, I'm sorry, I just got back from training and I got a headache because of the stupid demon, so...**

 **L:Hey, maybe we could invite Sankaoken to-**

 **K: NO!**

 **L: Aw...**

 **-AthenAuthor: Welcome AthenAuthor, and thank you so much for your support! I decided to answer to both your PM and review here since both have the same main topic, which is the issue of making this a Robin/OC fanfic. I'm sorry, but it's highly unlikely that I write about a romance here in this fic. ANd it's not because I don't like it (in fact, I love writing about Koga-kun and Robin together, it makes me feel so fluffy inside~!), but it's because I SUCK at writing romantic scenes. And let's be honest: though One Piece have slivers of romance, it's not the main topic. Most of the canon character pairings are purely fans' speculation (like the ones Luffy/Nami, or Zoro/Robin). The storyline you suggested me via PM is interesting, but as I said, romance is not my forte, sorry. I hope this doesn't disappoint you too much however. See ya soon!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	67. Second Challenge: Groggy Ring

**67\. Second Challenge: Groggy Ring**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Immediately, half of the Straw Hat crew grew in protests. Poor Chopper even struggled when two of the Foxy Pirates came over and began dragging him away from his friends.

It was a painful sight, the scene of their doctor being squished in Foxy's and Porche's arms in a tight embrace, but Koga endured it with a scowl and arms crossed over his chest in displeasure.

"HE'S JUST SO DAMN CUTE! AND HE'S OURS NOW!" Porche squealed in delight as she hugged the struggling reindeer even tighter, ignoring his attempts to break free and run back to his real friends.

"Chopper!" Luffy called out, a distressed expression on his face that mirrored their stolen doctor's.

"So that creep had his eye set on Chopper, huh?" Sanji questioned as he brought a cigarette to his lips to hide his angered frown. "Well, I suppose he is among the rarest of rare animals."

"That, and another doctor is always welcome, no matter how big or small the crew is." Koga raised his scarf up to his nose. "I tried to avoid getting their attention on him, but…"

"You tried, that's what's important." Nami patted his shoulder, but kept her gaze on Foxy with an expression of disgust and anger. "True, Chopper had many more chances than either of us of being taken, but not only because he's an awesome doctor. Maybe he took him because he collects cute things."

"You know, I wouldn't rule out a fur fetish." Robin stated unexpectedly, caressing her chin with a slender finger.

"WHAT DOES IT EVEN MATTER?!" Apparently exasperated with their aloofness, Usopp whirled around and exploded. "FOCUS PEOPLE! THAT FREAK OVER THERE JUST TOOK OUR FRIEND!"

"You guys…" Chopper whimpered as he was placed in a chair on stage, as if displaying a trophy.

Everyone watched in silence, ones with trepidation and excitement and the others with silent anguish and frustration as Foxy strolled forwards and stood before the stolen doctor, smirking down at him a tad condescending.

"Alright, doctor Chopper. Enough of all that. You're on my crew now. You need to pledge your loyalty to me. And you can start by putting on this mask." He reached out and put a slanted-eyed Foxy mask on Chopper's mask, a standard mask that wore every Foxy Pirate.

But the reindeer's teary eyes just focused on Luffy and the others, letting out another pained whimper and calling out to them. Foxy and his goons began bragging about having a talking reindeer now in their crew, and Koga had to bite his lower lip behind his scarf to avoid spitting out profanities; instead, he opted to fulminate everyone with his piercing mismatched glare.

But as he swiped over them, the blond young man suddenly noticed the sheepish expression Gohan shot at Luffy and Chopper each, like he was really sorry for having to separate them. He then noticed the chronicler watching him and avoided his gaze with a pained face, subtly hiding behind one of his friends as if shielding himself from his ire.

"YOU GUYS!" Chopper suddenly shouted as he jumped up in his chair. Tears and snot ran down his furry face, but he didn't bother to wipe them. "LISTEN! I ONLY WENT OUT TO SEA BECAUSE OF YOU! LUFFY INVITED ME! I SET SAIL TO BE ONE OF LUFFY'S STRAW HAT PIRATES! I WON'T GO WITH THEM!" He had to pause to get air and sniff. "I AM THE SHIP'S DOCTOR OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, TONY TONY CHOPPER! I WON'T GO!"

 **THUNK!**

Almost everyone jumped when, behind the Straw Hats, Zoro slammed down his bottle of grog into the ground, eyes shadowed.

"Quit your bellyaching, Chopper." The swordsman grunted. "It's disgraceful."

"Uh… Zoro…" Usopp mumbled, doubtful about the tone he was using.

"You made the choice to set sail as a pirate. Only you. And now, you have to live with the consequences of that decision. We agreed to the terms of this game. You, Usopp and everyone else did the best that they could. Not one pirate worth his salt is gonna sympathize with those tears." He stood and stared at Chopper with arms crossed over his chest. "A man would suck it up and quietly watch the rest of this game."

While the reindeer listened appalled to his words, some of the pirates seemed displeased to his choice of words.

"What's wrong with you?!" Nami berated him with a fist ready to knock some sense back into his thick skull. "Don't you know how he must be feeling?!"

Koga went to stop her with some appeasing words, but he was interrupted when he saw Chopper wiping his tears and sitting back down in his chair.

"Boil me or cook me alive!" He growled with a determined expression. "GIMME YOUR WORST, YOU BASTARDS!"

"Chopper…" The navigator stopped mid-swing as she saw her little friend.

"Atta boy." Zoro praised him with a little smirk.

"Zoro's right, Chopper. It's hard, but right now, you're part of the Foxy Pirates." Koga's smirk suddenly turned wolfish as his mismatched eyes flashed dangerously, going to stand beside Zoro, Sanji coming to his other side. "But you know, this is only the first round. We'll win you back with the next."

The cook blew out some smoke. "Koga, the marimo and I will win the next game."

There was a baited silence as the Foxy Pirates gulped, watching three of the Monster Quartet apparently growing more menacing by the minute. That is, until Zoro broke the silence.

"Hey swirly brow, you can sit this one out if you want."

"Shut up, marimo! We don't even really need you."

Sighing, the writer broke them apart with a hand on each of their cheeks and broke them apart. "The last thing we need right now is a fight between us."

" **THE SECOND ROUND IS THE GROGGY RING! WHERE THE STRAW HAT TEAM OF KOGA, SANJI AND ZORO WILL BE FACING THE UNDEFEATED GROGGY MONSTERS! HOWEVER, THAT WILL BE AFTER THE ONE-HOUR BREAK WE WILL HAVE TO ORGANIZE THE EVENT AND GET EVERYTHING READY, SO SIT TIGHT UNTIL THEN!** "

'An hour, huh.'

Slowly, as the announcement settled in, the Foxy Pirates dispersed, some of them glancing over at the menacing trio. Chopper had to follow his new captain after throwing a last trusting glance at his rightful nakama, nodding with a serious expression before disappearing amongst the crowd. Soon the joy came back, and miraculously the stands were filled to the brim with people buying things.

At first, the remaining Straw Hats stayed together, but soon Koga wandered away after a quick explanation to his friends.

His objective? Finding Gohan.

For the first moment that they saw each other, the blond writer had wondered why the hell such a loyal pirate had turned on his friends and stayed in the Foxy Pirates. Last he saw of them, Gohan had a pretty nasty argument with his helmsman, but nothing they couldn't solve, or so had told him the now ex-captain.

Evidently, it hadn't been solved.

"Gohan-san!" He called out to the retreating man as he saw his back.

As if caught red-handed, the man visibly flinched before turning to him, a bright smile on his face… and wriggling hands in front of him.

"Ah, Koga-kun, so nice to see you again! Uh… What can I do for you?"

Koga just stopped before him and crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his index in his bicep impatiently. The green-eyed man noticed the motion and sighed, dropping his hands.

"Listen, I'm sorry about your friend. I promise we'll treat him nicely. Boss isn't actually that bad of a person-"

"You don't need to worry about Chopper, we'll get him back soon." The younger man cut out his apology, but softened his glare a bit. "I want to talk about you and your crew."

His lips quivered, but kept smiling nonetheless. "I told you, we just- We were tired of all the arguments and decided to tell it quits-"

"That's a lot of Sea-King crap, and you know it. Zoro and Sanji discuss all the time and they're not all the time saying that they're 'tired of it' and that they'll leave the crew just because of it. Something has clearly happened between all of you."

Gohan flinched, as if the memory hurt him physically.

"It-it's a long story, really…"

"We have about forty minutes to get over it. So, spill it."

"Uh… Eh… W-What? It seems someone's calling me, I have to go! See ya!"

"Huh?" Koga blinked as suddenly Gohan sputtered an excuse and bolted away before he could do anything.

For a moment he stood there, petrified, before slumping his shoulders in defeat and start wandering through the crowd, mostly thinking about what he knew about Gohan.

Admittedly, though he had known him for almost three years, the writer barely knew a thing about Gohan and his pirate crew. They'd been pretty decent, not once pillaging or harming any innocent, but didn't have any qualm to get in fights with some Marines.

The crew itself wasn't big, about thirty crewmembers all in all, but their financial power and the cargo they often carried allowed them privileges many other pirates wished they had.

For example, the kairoseki-covered hull of their ship.

Koga stopped in a stand and asked for some lemonade before resuming his walk, absentminded, though deftly avoiding the Foxy Pirates as they surrounded him.

Gohan had power, both financial and physical, and had a pretty decent crew -besides the usual arguments of course. He mostly remembered Chubby -the socially-awkward but incredibly talented chef- and Thomas -the rookie crewmate and the youngest boy, with only fourteen. They'd been especially kind with him, even after catching him in their cargo hold, hidden underneath some flour sacks.

In fact, it'd been Thomas who got him. The writer even remembered what the poor boy had said back then:

"Uh, are guys supposed to get out of flour sacks?"

Between the surprise of having been caught, and the strange question the boy had uttered, the at that moment fifteen-year-old chronicler had been unable to react as the crewmembers in the kitchen came and caught him.

When Chubby brought him before Gohan, the first thing Koga thought was that he seemed a pretty okay guy, even being a pirate. That feeling was confirmed when, after knowing that Koga only needed to get out of Alabasta (place where he had been staying at the moment) and the Grand Line, Gohan only shrugged and ordered his helmsman and navigator to set their route towards the South Blue.

He left on the first South Blue island they landed on, of course, and rather abruptly to be honest. Some Marines got sight on Gohan's pirate ship, and the man kicked the boy out so no one would suspect him of being a pirate. The blond boy thanked him quietly and left them fighting against the Marines.

In time, Koga gathered a fair amount of tales and began his own career as a writer, if a bit inexperienced. His thirst of stories ignited a desire to travel to more places and, with the money he got from selling his books, he travelled to two or more islands of the South Blue.

Eventually, though, as if decided by destiny, he re-encountered Gohan and his crew when he was seventeen. Gohan proposed him half-joking to 'hitchhike' his ship once more, and Koga accepted with a smile. Together, they left South Blue via the Calm Belts.

This occurred three more times, before Gohan dropped him in an island in East Blue, where Koga got onboard another merchant ship to lead him to Shellstown.

Where, eventually, the writer would meet Luffy and Zoro, and join their pirate crew.

Speaking of which…

"Koga!"

At the sound of his name, the blond writer blinked and turned around to see Usopp and Nami waving their way through the crowd and reach him.

"Where were you? The game's about to start!" The long-nosed sniper protested, momentarily out of breath.

"Sorry, got caught in my thoughts and didn't realize the time." He apologized as he followed the pair.

"Nevermind that. But Koga…" Nami watched him, a serious glint in her eyes. "Watch out for Foxy and his cheating. I think he'll do something to screw us over in this game too."

The chronicler huffed. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Fortunately, they reached the field where they were going to play not even ten minutes later, the majority of the Foxy Pirates already gathered at one side as spectators. Luffy and the rest of the crew were already there, surprisingly.

After waving a hand in greeting, Koga tuned out Sanji and Zoro's quarrel once more and watched their field. With the size of a soccer pitch, white lines had been painted in the grass to form a large rectangle. Another line went through the middle of the field to divide it in half. Each half had a large white circle painted in the middle and at the far opposite ends of the field were to large red-and-white striped rings for goals. Pretty conveniently, the Foxy Pirates' figurehead of the ship just was on one of the opposite ends of the field.

The man who apparently was the referee signaled the three Straw Hat pirates over to the field and told them to wait for their opponents. The three stood near each other and waited for the others to appear.

"So, how's this ball game go?" The green-haired teen asked.

"We have to get a ball into a hole." Koga pointed to the ring at the far end of the field. "Thattaway."

"Sounds pretty simple to me. Where's the ball?" Sanji wondered, looking over at the ref and noticing he didn't have the ball.

"One of the members on each team is the ball. We will have to knock one of the other guys into the ring."

" **WELCOME TO ROUND 2: THE GROGGY RING!** " Itomimizu suddenly called out as he flew over their heads on Chirp Chirp. " **I WILL NOW EXPLAIN THE RULES! WE HAVE A PLAYING FIELD AND WE HAVE TWO GOALS! KNOCK THE BALL INTO THE GOAL AND YOU WIN! HOWEVER, THE BALL ISN'T ACTUALLY A BALL: THE BALLS ARE PEOPLE! BOTH TEAMS MUST SELECT SOMEONE TO BE THE BALL!"**

The ref, a fat Foxy Pirate guy with average face, came over with a red-and-white striped ball on his hands.

"Which one of you guys is gonna be the ball?"

"You mean we have to wear that stupid thing on our head?" Zoro noticed the straps on the ball, and then pointed at Sanji with his thumb. "It should fit him."

Koga sighed as the cook immediately jumped. "Who said you get to pick?! I'm not wearing that stupid thing! You're the ball you marimo bastard!"

Before the fight went to hands, the chronicler kept them apart with a stern expression.

"If you're going to behave like little kids, I'll be the ball then. Give it to me."

The ref only shrugged and threw the ball to the blond young man, who caught it deftly. Still, that didn't stop Zoro and Sanji's glaring at each other.

However, as soon as he received the ball, the Foxy Pirates suddenly began chanting some kind of battle chant, and the silver fox head on Foxy's ship dropped down like an elevator, revealing the Straw Hats' opponents.

" **THERE IT IS! THEIR ENTRANCE THEME SONG! IT'S TIME TO WELCOME BACK THE UNDISPUTED ELITES OF THE GROGGY RING!** "

Koga frowned as he noticed the size of the opposing team.

" **THEY'RE UNDEFEATED, UNBEATABLE, UNSTOPPABLE! THE FAMOUS GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE TAKEN THE FIELD!** "

'Until they met us.' The blond writer promised quietly.

" **FIRST IS THE TEAM CAPTAIN FULL DASH HAMBURG!"**

The twenty-feet bulky man with monkey face Koga saw with Foxy during the first round came over triumphally, wearing only blue bottoms and elbow-length Foxy gloves.

" **FOLLOWING HIM IS TACKLE MACHINE PICKLES!** "

Towering over Hamburg at almost double his size, a huge round man with tanned skin grinned excitedly. Though he wasn't as muscled as Hamburg, his arms were incredibly long and hung down to the huge round man's knees. He dressed dark-green pants and a light-green top, along with elbow-length Foxy gloves and two round-metal shoulder pads.

" **AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE HALF-GIANT, HALF-FISHMAN HIMSELF… BIG PAN THE WOTAN!"**

The last man, to say in one word, was a mountain of a man thanks for his half-giant heritage, standing at a mighty sixty-feet tall. He had long and scruffy red beard and red hair shaved into a Mohawk mane that ran down his back to his waist as more evident features. What called Koga's attention though, was the fishman markings going up one arm, across his shoulders and down the other.

" **PRESENTING… THE GROGGY MONSTERS!** "

The ground shook as Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan marched out onto the field, amidst the roaring cheering of their nearly five-hundred crewmembers. Koga could notice from the corner of his eye the worried expression of Nami, Usopp and Chopper, the condescending look on Foxy's face, the starry-eyes of Luffy, and the slightly curious glance Robin threw at the tallest opponent.

Were they a different crew, Zoro, Sanji and Koga wouldn't have stood a chance against such monsters. The chef stood at 5'9'', the swordsman at 5'10'', and the writer at almost 5'11''. However, they weren't normal people. Not in vain Usopp and Nami called them members of the Monster Quartet after all.

"Disappointed?"

Zoro cracked his neck, not losing his bored expression. "Not at all."

" **THEIR OPPONENTS ON THE STRAW HAT TEAM ARE THE SAVAGE CHEF SANJI!** "

"I think you mean _stylish_ chef," Sanji grumbled under his breath.

" **BESIDE HIM, WITH A BOUNTY OF 60 MILLION BERRI… PIRATE HUNTER RORONOA ZORO!** "

Zoro grunted, but Koga had the feeling that he was relieved of not having an idiotic nickname like the chef.

 **"AND THEIR PARTNER, THE SORRY EXCUSE FOR A COMMENTATOR FROM THE FIRST ROUND, CURSED REAPER KOGA, WITH A BOUNTY OF 50 MILLION BERRI!** "

"I told you already, I'm a writer…"

Apart from some taunting from Pickles -that backfired because Big Pan seemed mentally slow to catch it in time, nothing interesting happened for the moment. Apart from being incredibly large opponents, neither of the Straw Hat Team members seemed worried of having to fight against them.

Walking between the two teams, the ref waved them over and raised a hand with a gold coin on it.

"We'll start out with a coin toss." He announced, flipping said coin.

 **Flik!** The man caught the coin and covered it with a gloved hand.

"Tails." Hamburg immediately called it.

"What about you?" The ref turned to the Straw Hats.

"Kinda has to be heads." Sanji pointed out.

Raising his hand, the man saw the result of the coin flip.

"It's tails. Field or ball?" He smirked to Hamburg.

"Ball please."

" **YOU HEARD THEM! THE GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE CHOSEN THE BALL! THE STRAW HATS' BALL-MAN MUST NOW ENTER THE OTHER TEAM'S MID-CIRCLE! THE BALL-MEN ARE THE PLAYERS WITH THE SILLY LITTLE HATS ON THEIR HEADS! KNOCK THE OPPONENTS' BALL-MAN INTO THE RING ON THEIR SIDE OF THE FIELD AND THE GAME IS YOURS!** "

Immediately, Sanji and Zoro caught themselves in another fight to decide which one got to wear the stupid ball-hat. Seeing them squabble, Koga sighed, regretting the moment he thought of putting them together in this round. Evidently, it had been a mistake.

Finally, when his patience wore out and the two began fighting with more than just words, he snapped and, using his Devil Fruit powers a bit, separated them forcefully.

"Enough!" He growled, his scowl darkening his face a bit. Zoro and Sanji lowered their weapons, but still glared at each other. "If you're unable to work together as a team, then we'll never be able to get Chopper back. I'll be the stupid ball-man, as I said earlier, and you shut up and work as a team for once on your lives!"

That said, he put the ball on top of his head and tied it on.

"Whatever. I don't need him anyway." Sanji scoffed.

"Shut up, fancy-cook! You're just gonna get in my way!" Zoro snarled in response.

"QUIT WASTING TIME! START THE MATCH ALREADY!" From the side, they heard Usopp yell to them.

"Hey, no weapons on the field! Lose the swords!" Called out the ref, apparently just then noticing Zoro's katanas.

" **THAT'S RIGHT! THIS IS A BALL GAME! WE CAN'T HAVE YOU SLICING EACH OTHER UP! NO WEAPONS ALLOWED!** "

Scowling, Zoro and Koga obeyed, both handing their weapons over to Luffy and Robin respectively. On an impulse, the writer also gave his scarf to her, to avoid getting it dirty.

"Fine." The green-haired teen pounded his fists together as he and Koga came back to the field. "My fists are all I need."

"You're sure you're gonna be okay out there?" The chef asked, for once sounding genuinely worried… Until he uttered the last part of his statement. "A swordsman without his swords is just… a normal guy."

"WHY YOU!"

 **BONK BONK!**

"If I have to stop you one more time from fighting I will personally make sure that we get disqualified!" Koga roared over the downed figures of his nakama, steam rising from his fists.

He then turned and followed the Groggy Monsters onto their side of the field, hands on his pants pockets.

" **IT LOOKS LIKE THE STRAW HATS' BALL-MAN IS FINALLY MAKING HIS WAY TO THE OPPONENTS' MID-CIRCLE!"**

'This is bad.' Koga scowled up at the three giant men before him once he got inside the circle. 'If those two can't work together, then this challenge is doomed, and we'll never be able to get Chopper back as we planned.'

"Hey Big Pan, are you ready to make some grown men cry?" Pickles asked.

"... Huh?" Big Pan grunted, raising his hand to his ear as if unable to hear.

"Pupupupupu!" Hamburg giggled behind his hands. "He can't hear you!"

"C'mon man! Pay attention for once!"

And he laughed, followed by Hamburg and the half-giant.

" **WHAT CAN I SAY? THE GROGGY MONSTERS ARE ALWAYS UP FOR A GOOD LAUGH!** "

'I can't underestimate them, even if they look idiotic. I guess I'll have to use my Devil Fruit powers on this one, but should I use the darkness too…? I don't want to risk it going berserk on me.'

 **"CAN THE STRAW HAT TEAM WIN BACK THE REINDEER THEY LOST IN THE FIRST ROUND?! OR WILL THEY LOSE ANOTHER MEMBER?! FOXY'S REIGNING CHAMPS ARE LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF THEIR COMPETITION, BUT WILL THEY BE THE ONES TO LAUGH LAST?!** "

From the corner of his eye, Koga saw the ref raising his whistle to his lips, and his muscles tensed. Immediately, the Groggy Monsters stopped their laughing.

" **THE WHISTLE IS ABOUT TO SOUND!"**

The man took a deep breath.

 **TWEEEEEEEEEE!**

" **LET THE GAME _BEGIN_! WE START WITH BALL-MAN KOGA DEEP IN ENEMY TERRITORY! WILL HE RETREAT OR ATTACK?!** "

'I think I'll just gonna stand here for a bit…' Koga stood in a defensive stance.

However, not even a second later after deciding it, Pickles suddenly charged at him, lunging shoulder-first at him.

" **TACKLE MACHINE PICKLES TAKES OFF WITH A HEAVY CHARGE!** "

'Attack? Avoid?'

His muscles flared with power as he quickly gave a mighty jump and, using Pickles' back as he barrelled past his previous position, launched himself as hard as he could towards Big Pan.

'That skin of his feels off…' Koga thought, as he flew just at the half-giant's face and prepared a fist to punch him square in the jaw.

"Huh~?" Big Pan slowly blinked at him.

"Kaizen: Bull's Strength…" The writer's fist hardened with power. "EAGLE PUNCH-Whoa!"

 **SWIISSHH!**

Surprising him, and probably everyone else, Big Pan acted with much more speed and awareness that the writer had given him credit. Instead of defending himself however, the half-fishman only lifted his arm towards his face -Koga's primary objective.

The result? Koga slid along Big Pan's shoulder rolling around, following the half-fishman's long brown-marked arm.

"WHAT'S WITH THAT HALF-ASSED PUNCH?!" Sanji roared.

" **LOOKS LIKE KOGA COULDN'T EVEN LAND A PUNCH! NOW HE'S SLIPPING ON BIG PAN'S MASSIVE ARM! BUT THAT'S NO SURPRISE TO US; AFTER ALL, BIG PAN'S HALF-LOACH FISHMAN! THEY HAVE SLIPPERY SKIN!** "

In other circumstances, Koga'd have been having fun, as if in a giant slide, but the fact that he was trapped on top of the slippery arms of Big Pan -quite literally- made everything much more complicated.

Seeing his predicament, Zoro and Sanji actually stopped fighting each other and ran in his direction to help. However, instead of stopping them, Hamburg and Pickles laughed and ran past them, confusing the Straw Hat bystanders.

"PUNK PASS!"

 _ **WHAM!**_

Big Pan swung his arm down and smacked Koga off his arm with his yellow-gloved hand, as if smacking away a molesting fly. Unable to stop himself, Koga cried out as he was sent over his nakama's heads to the other side of the field, directly towards the far ring.

Luffy and the others called out to the poor chronicler in alarm as the swordsman and chef cursed under their breaths, pivoting on their heels to run back to their field.

" **AND TEAM CAPTAIN HAMBURG RACES ONTO THE SCENE FOR THE CATCH! ZORO IS IN HOT PURSUIT!** "

Sanji, however, being slightly faster than Zoro, managed to surpass the green-haired teen and went full-speed towards Hamburg.

Not seeing Pickles going in his direction ready to barrel him with his shoulder pad.

 _ **WHAM!**_

Unable to catch himself in time, the chef came back the way he came just as Zoro ran by him. With no one apparently to stop him, Hamburg launched himself high up into the air to catch Koga in a big bear hug.

" **PICKLES TAKES OUT SANJI WITH A BIG TACKLE! MEANWHILE, HAMBURG FLIES HIGH FOR A FANCY MID-AIR CATCH!** "

As soon as Hamburg caught Koga in a bear-hug, however, the Foxy Pirate spun in midair and threw the dizzy chronicler down towards the Straw Hats' goal. Zoro, trying to stop his fall, was tackled out of the way as Pickles spun just under the falling writer, the inertia of his spin sending the powerless blond back up… and about to fall in Hamburg's hands again.

But as he flew back up to Hamburg, his mismatched eyes snapped open and flared in fury at being toyed with. His whole world was confusing and pain exploded in every part of his being, but nothing suffered more than his pride right then.

'Oh no you won't.' Koga snarled mentally with a murderous expression, preparing himself for the pain he was going to suffer.

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!" He murmured.

The familiar-but-missed sensation flooding his veins almost overwhelmed him, the world turning to jelly-o once more for the first time in quite some time. Above him, Hamburg awaited his arrival with literally open arms, a victorious expression sloooooooooowly forming on his ugly face. Under the writer and far to his right, Pickles was sloooooooowly stopping his spin, and Zoro was slooooowly coming back to his feet after being flung away by Pickles. Big Pan didn't seem to move from his position, and Sanji had already resumed his comeback in a sloooooooooow full-run towards him.

With luck, and well-played power, they wouldn't need to bother saving him, as he would do it himself.

Once within arm's reach of Hamburg, Koga grabbed him by his bulky forearms and flipped them around, and deactivating his powers, delivered a powerful punch to Hamburg's guts that created a crater on the ground. At the same time, Zoro and Sanji miraculously managed to reach Pickles and kicked/punched him just in time to meet Hamburg. Both bodies crashed and were thrown off the grid with a loud explosion.

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

The crater suddenly quieted the yells from the Foxy Pirates as they watched slack-jawed how two of their Groggy Monsters got flattened with a single punch. The Straw Hats, however, seeing their blond friend safe and sound, erupted in cheers -Chopper included. Zoro and Sanji came to a stop as Koga landed neatly on the ground beside the not-so-deep crater, but still considerably wide. The writer quietly raised his hands and got a high-five from the two.

"They were starting to piss me off with that spinning and throwing!" Koga growled as he looked down at the K.O-ed Pickles and Hamburg.

"Well you are a ball after all." Zoro commented with a cocky grin.

" **N-N-NO GOAL!** "

 **TWEEEEEEEE!**

"I already told you, I don't need your help!" Sanji snapped at the green-haired swordsman, who pushed the chef's face away from his.

"Because of you they almost scored! Stay out of my way!"

" **I-IT SEEMS OUR GROGGY MONSTERS HAVE FINALLY FOUND SOME WORTHY ADVERSARIES IN THE GROGGY RING! THIS ONE WILL BE A MATCH TO REMEMBER! THE STRAW HATS PREVAILED, BUT CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?!** "

Between his nakama's arguing and the shocked comments from the Foxy Pirates (almost masked by the cheering from the Straw Hat pirates watching from the sides), the blond chronicler a low, painful hiss when his leg muscles protested loudly because of the overwork he'd just done with that stunt.

'Not using my Devil Fruit powers for so long has really paid a toll on my body.' He frowned in annoyance as he lightly bent forward, hoping the twitches would soon ease.

"Listen, you PLAYBOY COOK! You'd better get those FANCY EYEBROWS OUTTA MY WAY in a hurry!"

"No, you listen, you DUMB OAF! If you don't get your MEATHEAD OFF THE FIELD RIGHT NOW I'm gonna FRY IT UP!"

"OH, WHAT'S THIS?! THE STRAW HAT TEAM SEEMS TO BE HAVING SOME TYPE OF DISAGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER!"

"You're cramping my style!" The blond cook pushed his forehead against the swordsman's, actual lightning clashing each other's eyes. "Go back to the sidelines, marimo!"

"Your style almost cost us this match!"

An irk mark grew suddenly in Koga's head, a malicious aura darkening around him as he slowly approached them…

And with a snail-like pace…

… snatched at Sanji and Zoro's ear.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!"

"If I have to stop you two from fighting one more time, Zoro, I'll let Luffy use your katanas for a _month_!" He hissed in their pulled ears, a bit of actual murderous intent leaking on his voice. "And Sanji, I'll show Nami those private photos you did of her and Robin in their undergarments! And _yes_ , I know where those are!"

 _That_ got them to shut up, mostly from the shock of seeing the chronicler so pissed off as to utter actual threats to them. They didn't nod or say any word of agreement, but seemingly the older young man didn't need any confirmation as he let them both go and stood with his hands on his hips, still angry at them.

"Now listen you two." He pointed at Pickles and Hamburg, who were coming back to their side of the field, but with expressions moderately more somber than before. "Those two, along with the big guy, are in the way between us and Chopper. If we lose, we not only lose a game, but our opportunity to recover him, and our pride as pirates. So please, if the thought of you working with each other is so disgusting, then at least work with me."

Sanji huffed as he straightened his suit, and Zoro pointedly looked away with arms crossed over his chest. Nonetheless, they weren't arguing anymore.

For the moment, at least.

Koga decided not to dwell in deciding whether that conclusion gave him relief or dread.

Instead, he chose to nod and marched back across the field to the enemy's mid-circle to resume the game, his two nakama in tow. He didn't need to turn around to know that they were glaring at each other though.

"One more thing…" He muttered, getting the attention of the two. "I have the feeling that this will get harder from now on."

Again, no answer.

 **TWEEEEEEEE!**

" **BOTH BALL-MEN ARE BACK IN PLAY! THE GAME CONTINUES!** "

Intent on making the first move, the chronicler's body tensed, but actually stopped when his intuition began blaring in his mind.

The reason? Big Pan stomping his way towards the three Straw Hat pirates… with huge-ass spikes hidden in the soles of the boots threatening to skewer them if they didn't move out of the way right now!

Now Koga didn't want to find out if he was able to enhance his skin and see if he wasn't skewered. So, along with Sanji and Zoro, he turned on his heels and ran.

Of course, Luffy and the others found this strange, and yelled at them wondering why they were running away instead of at their enemies.

"HE'S GOT KNIVES ON HIS SHOES!" Zoro snapped back. "IF WE DON'T RUN AWAY, HE'LL MAKE MULCH OUT OF US!"

"HEY REF! I THOUGHT YOU SAID WE COULDN'T USE WEAPONS!" Sanji yelled too, this time at the referee.

Who, conveniently enough, was with his head turned and innocently whistling under his breath. As the chef got so angry that he threw a boot at the ref (who showed a yellow card to him, threatening to expel him if he got another card), Koga and Zoro continued to run, occasionally evading the… freakishly huge axe that the half-giant was swinging down at them!

However, as they ran, Koga managed to fill the swordsman in a hastily made plan. One that began when Sanji finished fooling around with the ref and ran towards them.

"Now, Zoro!"

The green-haired teen got a bit ahead and, skidding to a halt, turned and held his arms together. With his momentum, it didn't waste any energy for Koga to jump and land on his arms, being launched with a roar into the air towards Big Pan's axe.

"Kaizen Kaizen no Speed!" The young man growled under his breath when he saw the axe coming too close for comfort.

The axe was -conveniently enough- at that moment raised over Big Pan's head, and with his Devil Fruit powers, Koga was sure that his strength was enough to push the back of the axe towards his forehead.

And so, he did. Stopping the speed-enhancing technique, the scarred young man focused his power to his legs again to strengthen their strength.

"Bull's Strength: Mighty Kick!" He exclaimed, as he pushed at the wooden pole just under the blade of the giant axe.

 **SWISH!**

Although it collided with Big Pan's forehead, it didn't knock him completely because of his slippery skin. Koga 'tsk'ed under his breath and jumped off the axe's pole as it began to fall, this time aiming to the half-giant's face. So stunned he was, he didn't make any move to protect himself.

'If the skin is slippery, then let's see if his facial hair can deflect any physical attack!'

"Bull's Strength!" The Straw Hat chronicler infused his arm with power and cocked his fist back. "HERCULES BASH!"

 _ **WHAM!**_

This time, the full blow connected with the beard-covered chin of Big Pan, who was knocked backwards and began falling across the mid-field line.

'Now onto stage two!'

"SANJI! KICK HIS BEARD!"

No more words were needed. Sanji moved so fast he practically crossed the field and launched himself at Big Pan in a single move.

"COLLIER SHOOT!"

The power and the speed combined proved to be more than enough to knock the half-giant up into the air and send him flying across the field towards his team's goal.

" **BIG PAN WAS JUST SENT FLYING!** "

But Pickles and Hamburg were having none of that. The first launched his shoulder pad like a boomerang at Sanji just before he could jump and pushed him back to their mid field and away from Big Pan; the second slammed against Zoro, also throwing him away from Big Pan's head. Koga tried to rush to their aid, but a particularly painful muscle cramp led him to slump to his knees and a hand to the ground, teeth grit together and a furious expression on his face. Thrown back, both Zoro and Sanji skidded to a halt either side of him, half-crouched and with exasperated faces. They were battered up, but seemed to be kicking just fine.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Thus, with no one to lead him to the goal ring, Big Pan fell, but outside of their intended destination. Grass, earth and dirt rose from the collision.

 **TWEEEEEEEE!**

" **NO GOAL! THAT WAS A REALLY CLOSE CALL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IN A SHOW OF SHEER STRENGTH NEVER SEEN BEFORE, THE STRAW HAT TEAM HAS MANAGED TO ACTUALLY KNOCK BIG PAN AND SEND HIM FLYING! UNFORTUNATELY FOR THEM, IT ENDED IN NO GOAL THANKS TO THE TIMELY RESCUE OF HAMBURG AND PICKLES, WHO SEEMED RECOVERED FROM THEIR ACCIDENT!** "

'Damn it!' The chronicler punched the ground in frustration as he awaited for the pain to once again subside. 'Even working together, this is a pain in the ass!'

With a slow grunt, Big Pan also incorporated. He seemed a bit woozy, but overall could support himself in his own two feet. Koga gritted his teeth as he also got up.

" **YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MONSTER DOWN! BIG PAN IS BACK UP! BOTH BALL-MEN ARE IN PLAY SO THE MATCH CONTINUES!** "

Koga's face, shadowed by his hair, kept an inexpressive facade. Then suddenly, his hand shot up in the air.

"TIME!" He called out.

That got confusion from Foxy Pirates and Straw Hats equally as they watched him with his hand raised up.

" **WH-IT SEEMS THAT BALL-MAN KOGA HAS ASKED FOR A TIME-OUT! HE CAN REUNITE WITH HIS TEAMMATES AND HAVE A FIVE-MINUTE RECESS TO TALK!** "

Ignoring the shocking yells and the occasional insults from the Foxy Pirates, the chronicler turned and waved Sanji and Zoro closer to him.

In the sidelines, Luffy and the remaining members of the Straw Hat pirates watched as the blond writer began murmuring something very lowly to his friends.

"What's he doing?" Nami wondered. "Is he proposing a plan to follow?"

"Wh-whatever plan he's making, Zoro and Sanji are not liking it one bit…" Usopp paled as he saw the murderous expressions coming from the swordsman and the chef as they argued with the seemingly nonchalant writer.

Luffy only watched in silence as his sight was fixed on his three nakama, his face blank.

" **THE FIVE MINUTES ARE OVER! BALL-MAN KOGA HAS TO GO TO HIS POSITION NOW!** "

"Wha- It hadn't been even three minutes!" Nami protested as she looked up at Itomimizu with a thunder-like expression.

"It's okay, Nami." Luffy interrupted her, gaining the attention from his nakama, his attention not wavering from the three players. "They've got this."

Koga watched the pair with a serious expression and nodded grimly. Sanji gritted his teeth and Zoro crossed his arms over his chest averting his gaze. The blond writer drew a grim smile before turning and facing the Foxy Team.

"We're ready!" He called out.

 **TWEEEEEE!**

 _ **WHAM!**_

Not even two seconds after the ref blew his whistle, Big Pan had already smacked Koga away once more, sending him flying clear across the field. The scarred young man coughed some blood as pain flared up his torso, but he let himself be smacked away.

'I hope those two follow the plan…'

Sanji and Zoro, instead of following after Koga, raced straight at Big Pan instead. Of course, not without some bickering.

" **AND THEY'RE OF! ALL THREE ARE ABOUT TO COLLIDE!** "

The two active players of the Straw Hat team tried to attack Big Pan, but he caught them into a slippery slide when he contorted his body and trapped them both in a big circle. Unable to escape, both Sanji and Zoro slid in circles around Big Pan's slipper loop-shaped body at a tremendous speed.

" **UH-OH! HERE COMES BIG PAN'S SIGNATURE MOVE! THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET SLIPPERY!** "

 **Thud!**

Koga finally landed from Big Pan's hit and crashed down in front of his own ring. Groaning in pain, the writer incorporated… just to be slammed to the ground again by a foot colliding to his stomach, winding the air out of his lungs.

" **OHH! IT SEEMS LIKE PICKLES AND HAMBURG HAD REACHED ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE FIELD WHILE BIG PAN KEPT SANJI AND ZORO OCCUPIED AND NOW ARE LOOMING OVER BALL-MAN KOGA! AND WHAT'S THIS?! IT SEEMS THEY'VE UPDATED THEIR WARDROBE!** "

As Koga managed to pry open one eye, he saw Hamburg sporting some high end knuckles and elbow guards, and Pickles had changed his shoulder pads to others with spikes instead. The chronicler cursed, knowing this was going to be a huge pain in the ass to deal with.

Snarling, he punched the foot off his chest and incorporated, stepping a bit away from the two and farther away from the goal ring. He could faintly hear from behind him the pleas of Zoro and Sanji for Big Pan to stop spinning them. Nami and Luffy were screaming at the ref for so blatantly ignoring the violation of the no-weapons rule.

"Time for revenge, my friend." Pickles announced with a cocky smile. "Are you ready?"

Koga posed a defensive stance, but his intuition felt something off with them.

That was confirmed when Pickles and Hamburg dashed into a run…

… and went right by him, not bothering to even fight against him.

At the same time, as Koga whirled around in frustration, Big Pan let go of Zoro and Sanji by sliding them off his back and launching them towards the approaching rival team.

Koga gritted his teeth when Pickles launched Hamburg and attacked Zoro by slamming his metal knuckles and elbow guards down into Zoro; the defenseless swordsman crashed to the ground and coughed up blood. Hamburg kept flying overhead, this time followed by Big Pan who reeled a hand back.

'The plan is important, but…'

 **Boom!**

The writer gathered energy on his feet and dashed forwards, trying to save his nakama from being squished.

'I can't let them destroy my friends like this!'

"Oh no you won't!" Pickles suddenly sprung up in front of him.

"Flash Step!"

Fortunately, Koga had already sensed him coming, and activated his fastest technique to avoid him… and get closer to the defenseless Zoro.

" **BIG PAN READIES YET ANOTHER BRUTAL ATTACK! HAMBURG IS BRANDISHING HIS MIGHTY ELBOW GUARDS AND IS PREPARING FOR AN AIRBORNE STRIKE! THE STRAW HATS ARE ABOUT TO LEARN THE POWER OF TEAMWORK!** "

Teamwork…

" **LIKE AN ARROW FROM THE SKY!** "

 **WHAM!** _ **BOOOOOOOOM!**_

Hamburg, impulsed by Pig Pan, flew down with his arms crossed and elbows first, and caused a giant cloud of dirt to emerge. Hamburg, of course, was the first one in emerging, and smiled in satisfaction when no one else imitated him.

" **A DIRECT HIT! HE WON'T BE WALKING THAT ONE OFF! BY THE WAY, FATALITIES ARE A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN THE GROGGY RING, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW**!"

The Straw Hat crew awaited with held breaths while the Foxy Pirates cheered for their favorite Groggy Monsters. The dust cloud finally lifted…

… and they found nothing but an empty crater.

" **WH-WHAT?! ZORO HAS DISAPPEARED! WHERE IS HE?**!"

"Uugh… That was close…"

The still-dizzy swordsman groaned as he suddenly reappeared beside Koga, who held onto his white t-shirt and Sanji's black suit in each hand and had landed in a crouch, eyes shadowed by his hair once more. He was breathing heavily and his legs trembled a bit.

"Alright guys, let's get to the plan…" He hissed, dropping his two dizzy partners and shakily standing to his feet. "I'm gonna go."

"Wait…!" Sanji groaned. "We still can-!"

"Drop it. It's evident that you two can't work together for even five seconds." His voice was angry, more than they'd ever heard before. "Stay here and let me take care of things while you two recover."

And with that, the writer began walking towards the three Groggy Monsters...

"Oh boys, I have a little request."

Before the sneering voice belonging to Captain Silver Fox Foxy called out to his subordinates, making him stop in his tracks and glare at him from the corner of his eye.

"ONE MONSTER BURGER, PLEASE!"

…

… What.

" **UH-OH! DID YOU HEAR THAT?! OUR BOSS HAS JUST ORDERED THE FAMOUS MONSTER BURGER!** "

The Foxy Pirates stood petrified for a long moment, before looking at each other…

"YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!"

And roaring in a deafening cheer.

'Obviously, whatever this is, it's not good for us.' Koga theorized with a grim scowl as he saw Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan bringing out even more weapons. Specifically, two huge metal bars, swords and huge steel pans each.

Then the Groggy Monsters began to sing.

'Grind 'im all up like burger meat~!" Hamburg chanted as he banged the ground with his metal bars.

"Slice 'im like pickles sour or sweat~!" Pickles continued.

"AND WHAT ARE THE TOPPINGS~!?" A group of Foxy Pirates chimed in.

"Some fine white cheese~!" Hamburg and Pickles chanted with malevolent grins.

"Smash between some big pans… what do I see~?" The half-giant smashed the big steel pans together with a thundering noise.

"A MONSTER BURGER FOR ME TO EAT!" The three Groggy Monsters finished together.

" **HERE IT COMES! THE MOST TERRIFYING TRIPLE ATTACK! THE MOST HORRIFYING HAMBURGER! IT SEEMS HOPELESS FOR THE STRAW HATS! BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT THE GROGGY MONSTER MIGHT GET HANDED A RED CARD FOR SUCH A BLATANT VIOLATION OF THE RULES!** "

Koga didn't bother to look, as he knew already that the ref would be doing whatever ridiculous thing that would make him turn away from the field. Itomimizu would only confirm that the Foxy Pirates were only sly little cowards that needed to cheat in order to win.

" **THE PREPARATIONS ARE NOW COMPLETE! ALL THAT'S LEFT NOW IS TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE CARNAGE! WHATEVER HAPPENS FROM HERE ON OUT, DON'T BLAME ME!** "

"Koga…"

Hearing Sanji calling out to him, the scarred young man looked over his shoulder at the still green-faced chef. Neither he nor Zoro seemed still in top condition to help him, but still they were stubborn enough to stand up.

"I told you to lay down. I've got this-"

"Shut up… We'll do it." The swordsman cut him off, coming to stand on the surprised chronicler's left, while Sanji came to his right.

"You win, you sly bastard. We'll collaborate."

Their heads snapped up in unison, and the Groggy Monsters actually took a step back at the menacing glare they got from them.

" _FOR TEN SECONDS_!"

Koga watched them both in silence, eyes wide, before a smile drew on his face.

"I knew you'd have it in you. Okay then, let's do this."

"OH BOYS! TWO MORE MONSTER BURGERS PLEASE!"

This time, Koga ignored their chant as they added green lettuce and yellow cheese to the Monster Burgers. He merely assessed the state of his body to see if he could enhance any of his abilities without a risk.

Unlike speed, strength and endurance were still available to use. And even if he hadn't used Sankaoken's powers, he still refused to let it loose. Annoying as they were, the Foxy Pirates weren't actually that bad. Using Sankaoken's powers could end in a lack of control from his part, and that could cause everyone's death.

It'd have to do.

"Alright then," Sanji grimly said, "if you want a cooking battle, you've got one. Though I warn you, I've never cooked scumbags before, so I can't say how it'll turn out."

"YOU ARE MINCEMEAT!" Hamburg roared as he lunged at the Straw Hat cook.

Pickles followed after his captain, but Koga stood in his way at the same time Sanji engaged Hamburg. Meanwhile, Zoro awaited behind them his opportunity.

"Bull's Strength… HERCULES BASH!"

 _ **POW!**_

"BOUQUETIERE… SHOOT!"

 _ **THWAK!**_

At the same time, both the chronicler and the cook lifted Hamburg and Pickles and threw them straight between Big Pan's steel pans. Some Foxy Pirates screamed at him to stop, but the slow half-giant didn't listen…

 _ **BANG!**_

… And smashed his pans together, flattening both his teammates in the blink of an eye.

But the assault didn't stop there, to the Foxy Pirates' dismay. Zoro suddenly sprinted towards the biggest Groggy Monster still standing, just as the blond chronicler jumped up and delivered a hard punch to the chin to knock him backwards. Pickles, dazed and positively banged up, tried to stand between the armless swordsman and his friend, but Sanji dashed over and kicked him out of the way.

And conviniently, smashing him into the non-looking ref, who passed out before he could show the Red Card to Sanji.

The cook turned towards the green-haired teen and extended a leg for him to stand on and shot him through the air with a roar, straight at Koga; the latter extended a hand towards his friend and launched him even higher, at Big Pan's head.

With the impulse both had given him, the green-haired teen latched onto Big Pan's upper lip as he fell past him, and brought the dazed half-giant back down.

" **INCREDIBLE! BIG PAN…! THE MASSIVE WOTAN WARRIOR…!** "

"NOOOOO!" The Foxy Pirates screamed.

But, numerous as they were, Luffy and the other's cheering was far louder: "ALRIGHT!"

" **IS HEADED FOR THE GOAL RING!** "

Zoro roared as he came down and drove Big Pan's head first down into the ring with a thundering noise. The ground shook as the rest of the half-giant's body dropped limply. Koga and Sanji stood side by side watching this, with a cool expression on their faces.

" **G-GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAL!** "

'Finally, it's over.' The writer sighed in relief and untied the stupid ball-hat as the Straw Hats -and even some Foxy Pirates- cheered for their victory. He smirked at Sanji and Zoro as they rejoined their friends and stoically held protests when Luffy clapped his back repeatedly, trying to ignore the pain.

 **TWEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

" **AND THAT'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! THE GROGGY RING MATCH IS OFFICIALLY OVER!** "

Fireworks went off over their heads, signalling the end of the game, but nothing came louder as Luffy and Nami's cheers and Usopp's loud wailing. Robin came over to Koga and handed him back his katana and scarf, smiling and giving him a 'Good job'; he blushed a bit, and quickly wrapped his scarf around his neck to lift it to his nose.

Still, the fond smile didn't disappear, even hidden behind his scarf.

"What were you whispering to them before, Koga?" Nami suddenly asked, remembering the five-minutes pause he requested earlier.

"Hm? Oh, it was nothing." He smiled enigmatically at the suddenly ramrod Zoro and Sanji, eyes bulging out of their eyes. "A plan that never took place."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at them. "If… you say so."

"Well, doesn't matter now!" Usopp exclaimed. "The Foxy Pirates are moving to the stage area now. Let's get Chopper back!"

"RIGHT!"

* * *

And said and done. Ten minutes later, the two separate crews stood facing each other, with Itomimizu flying atop Chirp Chirp.

" **NOW AS I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW, AT THE END OF OUR FIGHT OUR WINNERS, THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, GET TO CLAIM THEIR HARD-EARNED PRIZE! WILL THEY TAKE A MEMBER OF FOXY'S CREW? OR WILL THEY TAKE HIS JOLLY ROGER? EITHER WAY, IT'S UP TO THEIR CAPTAIN AND THEIR CAPTAIN ALONE! DRUMROLL PLEASE…!** "

Fortunately, that last request was ignored as Luffy stepped away from his group and faced the Foxy Pirates, including poor Chopper once more seated in a chair of the stage.

"Well, the choice is obvious, isn't it?" Luffy pointed out.

He stood there, watching over each member carefully.

"Okay! I choose-!"

"Hold on!"

 _ **BAM!**_

… It was incredible how over five-hundred people could coordinate so accurately as to face-fault at the same time.

Confused, the straw-hat wearing kid turned to his navigator. "What's up, Nami?"

"Think about it: their boss is probably gonna take part in the next round, right? We've already seen what his Slow Slow Beam can do. If he fights, we won't stand a chance in any game no matter what the rules are. So, the answer is obvious: if Foxy is gonna be our biggest threat in round three, then we should recruit him so we have the advantage. Sure, we'd all like to get Chopper back, but if we end up losing the next round they'll probably take him right back and then our win will go to waste. And, since his crew will be dumbstruck when they lose their precious boss, we'll stomp them no problem and claim Chopper in Round Three. Then we're guaranteed to keep him for good. Get it?"

" **AH! NO! SAY IT ISN'T SO! THEY'RE REALLY GONNA TAKE OUR CAPTAIN AWAY?!** "

To say that the Foxy Pirates became enraged was falling short. Immediately, they called them cowards for using such a low cheat. Until Zoro came with a smart-ass comment that made her pummel him to the ground unconscious and Nami stand menacingly over him.

"You're just making a big fuss because you lost!" She hissed with a tone icier than an iceberg. "How about you shut up and deal with it?!"

"Yes ma'am, we're sorry!" Foxy exclaimed as his terrified crew stood to attention in shock.

Koga scratched his chin in thought.

" **UNDERHANDED WITCH THOUGH SHE IS, THE GIRL IS RIGHT! MONKEY D. LUFFY IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE WINNING TEAM! HE GETS TO DECIDE HOW THIS BATTLE WILL UNFOLD! THAT MEANS HE'S FREE TO CHOOSE ANYONE HE LIKES! INCLUDING FOXY HIMSELF!** "

Another long silence settled as Luffy swept his gaze over the Foxy Pirates, this time including the captain himself, who stood between scared, enraged and horrified of leaving his beloved crew.

"Not that I think your strategy is useless, Nami…" Koga suddenly piped up, still scratching his chin in thought. "But I prefer to face this guy's cheating than having him on my crew."

"Chronicler-san does have a point." Robin nodded appraisingly at the blond young man. "Although having Foxy on our crew would give us a huge advantage, it would actually make him a part of our crew."

"Oh… Yeah, no way in hell."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass." Luffy, a recovered Zoro, Sanji and Usopp chorused while waving a hand.

Foxy dropped to the ground and moped. Actually, the way the Foxy pirates lifted his spirits by saying that they loved him no matter whether he was taken away or not was heartwarming, if a bit annoying and ridiculous.

"Cut the crap, will you?" Sanji snapped, some would say cruelly.

Fwump! And down went Foxy.

" **IF THE STRAW HATS ARE DONE EMOTIONALLY ABUSING OUR BOSS, CAN THEIR NO-GOOD CAPTAIN _FINALLY_ MAKE HIS DECISION?! HURRY UP ALRIGHT!** "

"Fine!" Luffy stated. "In that case, there's someone I wanna take back!"

The suspense almost killing them, most of the Foxy Pirates, including Chopper, leant forward in anticipation. Smiling broadly, the rubber-teen took a huge gulp of breath…

" _SHELLY_!"

…

… Who?

* * *

 **L: And that's it!** **And now, review answers~!**

 **-Guest: Hi there, welcome! Thank you so so much for your kind words~! I promise I will try to make him stay alive hahaha! Okay, jokes aside, I honestly don't have a clue of what I will do with Koga-kun. Dying isn't in my schemes though, so rest assured ^^!**

 **-ArtistGiumi: He's 25, but I won't make any more birthday chapters, because it'd be weird if only Koga-kun grew older and the others didn't.**

 **-AthenAuthor: Sorry again for disappointing, but I hope you continue liking my fic nonetheless.**

 **-King0fP0wers: I'm glad I surprised you ^^! Yeah, it was fun and taxing at the same time to write this whole mess and find actual sense to it all! Well, they'll get him back soon enough; Straw Hats aren't known for surrendering their friends!**

 **K: Glad you liked it. Honestly Itmomimizu's a bit annoying, but at least thanks to his bird I got to see some interesting things about Foxy's powers. Hm…**

 **L: I _knew_ the name was familiar somehow! I never watched DB, so I actually didn't know Gohan had been taken already xD Well, too late to change the name now, Gohan it is xD Sorry, can't say anything, but everything will make sense once the arc finishes. Well I added the photographic memory as to avoid explaining the whole thing about the Davy Back Fight mostly. It's not of vital importance later on the story.**

 **K: The Foxy Pirates seems to be a crew composed to be in the Davy Back Fights exclusively, yeah. I honestly can't imagine half the crew fighting against real pirates anytime soon, even with the huge advantage of Foxy's powers. I think the sheer size of their crew and their cowardly attitude -I imagine- are good tools to drive away powerful enemies. Running away and cheating as their lifestyle.**

 **L: Harsh, but maybe true. Even having a half-giant in their crew isn't actually all that useful in the end with a crew like, for example, the Black Cats. Kuro would kill them all in a blink of an eye! Mm, well, the Sunny first, then Boa Hancock's and third Moby Dick. But Sunny's my favorite without a doubt.**

 **-zerom1v: Hahahaha, glad you liked it! I found it quite unlike Koga's character but then I thought meh, it's actually funny to write. Sorry, spoilers~! You'll have to find out at the end of the arc. Thankfully you don't have to wait much, only three or four more chapters.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yo, Brunch! He sure has, yeah hahahahahaha! Here it is, Koga-kun's performance, hope I don't disappoint! No, he'll use the Devil Fruit (about time too), because he doesn't want to risk his demon powers going berserk and killing everyone.**

 **-Guest-san: Yo! Yeah, he's actually quite good at commenting, right?**

 **K: *blushes behind his scarf* Well, glad you liked it. I honestly don't know. It's true that Foxy's powers may not work with me, but is that enough for him to want me in his crew? Dunno.**

 **L: Yeah, I was thinking of the first movie, Dead End Race, Strong World and maybe the one with the Seven Stars Sword. Gold and Z, I've never watched them. Oh, thought about the idea when I saw the specials having so much acceptance, so I thought, why not? But of course, I won't post them right in the middle of an arc, so… Have to wait for the moment. Thanks so much!**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): YAY! 400 reviews! 100 more and I'll post a special! Probably one of the movies, as I told Guest-san before. Hope you like the idea**!

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	68. Third Challenge: Roller Skate (1)

**68** **. Third Challenge: Roller Skate (1)**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!**

 **IMPORTANT: I PUBLISHED A POLL ON MY BIO ABOUT MY FIC HAVING OR NOT ROMANCE. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AND VOTE. IT'LL BE OPEN UNTIL THE END OF THIS ARC (ABOUT THREE OR FOUR CHAPTERS LEFT), SO PLEASE DON'T BE SHY AND LEAVE YOUR OPINIONS!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

As much as Usopp and Nami beat Luffy to the ground for his decision, no one dared say a thing after the emotive reunion of Tonjit and his beloved horse. And while it was true that Shelly was reclaimed when Foxy shot her earlier, now the Straw Hats had won her fair and square.

Plus, Koga had the instinct Luffy accepted the whole challenge just to get Shelly back from the Foxy Pirates' clutches.

Of course, that didn't mean that Chopper didn't feel betrayed. He did, considering his snots and tears. Even as he felt happy for Tonjit, the blond writer also suppressed a pang of pity.

"Chopper!" Luffy called out to their little reindeer with a clenched fist. "I'm sorry, but just wait a little longer. I promise we'll win the next game and get you back. So, hang on a little longer, okay? I know you can take it! After all, you're a man!"

From afar, Koga saw Chopper doubt, then wipe his tears after a soft sniff and plomp down on the chair with arms crossed.

"You bet I am!" He declared with determination in his voice.

Koga chuckled and raised his scarf to his nose.

Nami drew a fond smile on her face, "That's our Chopper."

"Just leave it all to me!" Usopp proclaimed with a goofy grin, making Sanji sigh.

"If you're Chopper's last hope, he's screwed."

"I wonder what's the next game is going to be?" Robin wondered aloud, a hint of rare excitement in her voice.

Zoro shrugged, "Whatever it is, I'm ready for it."

"Shishishishi! We're gonna have Chopper back in no time!" Luffy grinned with a hand on his straw hat.

* * *

It wasn't actually long after that the setting for the Roller Skate race was ready. Having several fishmen and a half-giant on their crew helped a lot, not counting with the fact that their number neared the 500. The race track they set up looked admittedly impressive, and the two sets of stands served to host the entirety of the Foxy Pirates with ease.

They even built locker rooms for each team, one for female members and one for male members.

Luffy, Usopp and Koga were already ready, wearing yellow Straw Hat jerseys, with white rectangles on the front and red numbers on the back. Luffy had number 1, Usopp chose 800 and Koga 65. Zoro and Sanji were waiting alongside them for the women to appear. Fighting, of course.

Koga had chosen to keep his blue scarf on, but had given his katana to Zoro for safekeeping. Right then he was examining the roller skates in case the Foxy pirates chose to cheat, but so far everything seemed alright. Apart from being simple enough, regular wooden skates with red wheels on each side, the writer couldn't see anything wrong with them.

At last, Robin and Nami got out from the women's locker room, and the whole crew reunited. The redhead actually had to punch Sanji into submission before he leered over them women, but in the end, they stood at the ready.

" **IT'S TIME FOR ROUND THREE!** " They suddenly heard Itomimizu proclaim from inside the race track. " **THE ROUND, ROUND, ROUND ROLLER RACE! IT'S A HEAD-TO-HEAD RACE ON AN OUTDOOR TRACK! THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: AT THE SOUND OF THE WHISTLE, EACH TEAM'S POINT-GETTER WILL START SKATING AROUND THE TRACK! TWENTY SECONDS LATER, THE SECOND WHISTLE WILL BLOW AND THE TEAM DEFENDERS WILL SET OFF! THE DEFENDERS CAN TRY TO HINDER THE OPPOSING TEAM OR SUPPORT THEIR POINT-GETTER, ANYTHING GOES! ASSUMING THE POINT-GETTERS AREN'T INJURED OR DISQUALIFIED, THE RACE WILL CONTINUE FOR FIVE MINUTES! AT THE END OF THAT TIME, THE TEAM WHOSE POINT-GETTER IS IN THE LEAD, WINS! AS LITTLE AS AN INCH COULD MEAN VICTORY OR DEFEAT!** "

'Sounds simple enough.' The chronicler thought to himself as he stretched his leg muscles a bit in preparation. To be honest, he felt somewhat excited about this race.

" **YOURS TRULY WILL BE PROVIDING THE PLAY-BY-PLAY WITH MY SPECIAL BIRD'S NEST VIEW RIGHT NEXT TO THE STARTING LINE! NOW, IT'S TIME FOR OUR TWO TALENTED TEAMS TO TAKE THE TRACK!** "

Taking that as their cue, Luffy got to finish the long kiwi Tonjit have earlier to him before turning to his crew.

"Alright, guys. No matter how bad they cheat, we've gotta get Chopper back this time. You ready?"

"YEAH!" His nakama -sans a few like Koga and Robin- cheered loudly as they emerged from underneath the stands, across the track and onto the field with their hands raised in defiance.

" **OOH! AND HERE COME THE STRAW HAT DANGERS, MAKING A GRAND ENTRANCE WITH A ROARING BATTLECRY! COMPETING FOR THIS TEAM WE HAVE: CAPTAIN MONKEY D. LUFFY, NAVIGATOR NAMI, CHRONICLER KOGA, SNIPER USOPP, AND ARCHAEOLOGIST NICO ROBIN! COOK SANJI IS THEIR HEAD COACH, AND SWORDSMAN ZORO IS THE TEAM MANAGER!** "

It actually looked a lot bigger from the inside, Koga whistled to himself as he looked around and noticed the sheer size of the field. It could easily reach the size of the Groggy Ring field and double it. Awesome job considering they barely had two hours or three to actually build it.

" **AND ON THIS END, THEIR ALL-POWERFUL OPPONENTS, THE FOXY DEVILS! FIRST UP, THE TEAM'S PLAYMAKER PORCHE! NEXT IS THE STUNNINGLY SPEEDY CHIQICHEETAH! THE DEFENSIVE DYNAMO MASHIKAKU! AND THE FIGHTING FISHMEN JUBE AND GIRARIN! AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE FOXY AS THE HEAD COACH AND HAMBURG AS THE TEAM MANAGER!** "

"It feels as if they especifically chose team members ideal to this challenge..." Koga commented as they saw the four additions to the usual trio from the rival team, all dressed in purple with lightning motifs.

Chiqicheetah, as his name suggested, was apparently a man with a Zoan Devil Fruit, Cat Model: Cheetah. Koga didn't know if he chose to stay in his hybrid form or if he didn't know how to return to his human form, but when the writer saw his furry, whiskered face and his hunched posture, he couldn't help but to find it... a bit funny. But he knew that, in terms of speed, Chiqicheetah would be the one giving them the most trouble out of all.

Mashikaku, on the other hand, was his complete opposite, a mountain of a man with tan skin and short arms and legs. It wasn't hard to guess his position in the team, and not only because of the nickname Itomimizu gave him. And as for the fishmen...

One of them looked liek a squid, so he could trap whoever he wanted with his eight arms. The other... honoestly, he looked more like a standard fishman than anything, but if Foxy chose him, then it would be for a reason.

As the two teams lined up and evaluated each other, suddenly Chiqicheetah seemed to perk up and approached Luffy, sniffing the air around him. Koga tensed, but not sensing any danger, decided to let him be. Foxy bragged a bit about how accurate Chiqicheetah's nose was, along with his speed, until the straw hat-wearing teen got tired of being sniffed at and shooed him away.

" **Uh... OKAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT! BUT ANYWAY! NOW THAT THAT'S DONE WITH, LET'S GET BACK TO THE RULES! IN ADDITION TO THE DEFENDERS AND POINT-GETTERS, EACH TEAM ALSO HAS A COACH AND MANAGER! BUT, UNLIKE THE OTHER PLAYERS, THEY'RE LIMITED TO THE SIDELINES! THE TEAMS MUST CHANGE POINT-GETTERS EVERY ROUND, AND EACH PLAYER CAN ONLY BE POINT-GETTER ONCE!** "

As they listened to Itomimizu explain the rules, both teams got their benches in each side of the enormous field. Robin and Nami actually sat on the bench they've been given and Sanji sat on the ground with the roster in front of him, the rest of the crew around the chef. They actually had a bit of a hard time choosing who would go on each round as point-getter, but at the insistance of their captain, the order was finally displayed as such:

First Round: Luffy.

Second Round: Nami.

Third Round: Robin.

Fourth Round: Usopp.

Fifth Round: Koga.

" **BY THE WAY, THERE'S ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT RULE WE NEED TO GO OVER! IF ANY OF THE RACERS GO IN REVERSE OR LEAVE THE COURSE FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY WILL BE IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFIED FROM THAT ROUND OF THE RACE! STARTING BEFORE THE WHISTLE WILL GET YOU DISQUALIFIED AS WELL!** "

'It's logical, if one thinks about it.' Koga thought as he ignored Sanji and Zoro fighting each other once more. 'But going in reverse... I don't think I've ever done that before.'

Admittedly, it'd been years since he'd last used roller skates. He'd first learned when his granddad got him and his brother Yuuto a pair of roller skates each to play with, but the blond didn't get the hang of it until a few weeks of banging against the ground painfully. However, Yuuto got the gist of it almost immediately, and he always made sure to remind him how he did better.

It'd been one of the very few things Yuuto excelled at while Koga... mostly had a hard time.

Finally, after Sanji and Foxy gave their rosters to Itomimizu, the two teams gathered at the starting line, along with the crooked ref from the Groggy Ring challenge, much to Sanji's displeasure.

" **OKAY, IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING IS FINALLY SET!** "

After nodding in determination to his nakama, Luffy listened to Usopp as he knelt down to tie his roller skates on. Allowed Devil Fruit powers, no getting out of track-literally. The black-haired teen actually looked rather serious and determined when he nodded at the sniper, but...

Well, when he tried to stand up...

 **FWUMP!**

There was a uh... little inconvenient.

And of course, the Foxy Pirates immediately roared in laughter once they noticed, while the Straw Hat pirates looked between astounded and groaned exasperation.

" **WELL THIS IS UNEXPECTED...!** " Itomimizu took in the duty of informing the problem. " **STRAW HAT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SKATE! THIS GAME COULD BE OVER BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS!** "

Koga's left golden eye twitched, as he listened to the laughter of the bystanders and Luffy falling again and again. It wasn't that he was angry at his captain for not telling them that he didn't know how to skate, but the blatant superiority of the Foxy Pirates as they mocked him. The blond helped Usopp getting Luffy to his feet, but he actually had an angry expression on his face that darkened at each round of laughter that resounded from the stands.

" **IT'S TIME TO START THE THIRD GAME, THE ROUND ROUND ROUND! WILL PORCHE BREEZE THROUGH TO VICTORY?! OR, WILL THE ROOKIE SKATER STRAW HAT MAKE A MIRACULOUS IMPROVEMENT?!** "

At that, the sniper and writer both let go of their captain and stepped away from the starting line, Luffy actually managing to stand wobbly on his roller skates for a few seconds. Porche, at his side, had a smug expression on her face as she positioned at the ready to zoom from the starting line.

"On your marks..." Called out the ref. "Get set..."

 **TWEEEEEEEEEE!**

Immediately, Porche zoomed off from the starting line like an arrow, while unfortunately Luffy face-planted again and buried his face in the starting line, much to the amusement of the Foxy Pirates and the exasperation of his crewmates. Enraged, the captain went to take off the skates, but Itomimizu luckily stopped him when he informed that doing so would result in instant disqualification. Unable to do anything else, Luffy tried to stand... to find himself on the ground once more.

"Nami, Robin, Usopp, help Luffy! I'll get Porche!" Koga ordered as they all moved to the starting line, alongside the defenders of the other team.

 **TWEEEEEEE!**

 ** _ZOOOOOOM!_**

Koga impulsed his legs with power and set off at lightning speed, surprising many in the Foxy Pirates, especially Porche and Foxy himself. He rounded the first turn with a bit of a stutter but quickly managed to catch himself, immediately retaking his powerful speed once he got on a straight track once more. At the sight of Porche's back, he smirked evilly and fastened a little bit.

She actually shrieked when she turned her head and noticed him so near, but quickly got her bearings and tried to attack him with her baton, but Koga quickly managed to avoid getting whacked. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a round Luffy being pushed by Usopp and Nami and getting into the first round; not long after, Robin used her powers to help getting their captain on track.

Turning his attention once more to Porche, Koga smirked as his hand got a hold on her baton and refused to let go just as Luffy rolled past them and past the second turn, much to Porche's horror. Once he confirmed Luffy was near the starting line, the chronicler breathed heavily... before snatching his free arm around Porche's waist to pull her flush against him.

The contact made the Foxy Pirate go still for a moment, wide-eyed and a bit of rubor on her cheeks, as he refused to look at her, also red-faced partly hidden behind his scarf. He then smirked evilly at her, confusing her for a moment...

... And jumped off-track, taking Porche with him.

"NO!" The idol screeched in his ear once they landed on the grass. Freeing herself, she started to land punches and kicks to his body. "Stupid-stupid-stupid! Why did you do that!?"

He stood up and dusted himself off with a smirk. "So that Luffy could-"

" **WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!** " Itomimizu exclaimed immediately afterwards. " **BOTH STRAW HAT LUFFY AND PORCHE HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF BOUNDS! WE'LL NEED TO GET A RULING!** "

"Wait, what!?"

Whirling around, Koga saw Luffy squashing some Foxy Pirates, out of bounds, with Mashikaku and Girarin standing in triumph just in front of the starting line. Girarin seemed to be sporting two blades strapped to his arms, but the ref informed that they were dull, so it wasn't a violation of the rules.

"Straw hat Luffy landed first!" The ref announced next. "He's disqualified!"

 **TWEEEEE!**

Ice and fire filled Koga at the implications of that simple phrase.

" **THAT MEANS THE FABULOUS PORCHE WINS ROUND ONE! THAT'S ONE POINT FOR THE FOXY DEVILS!** "

The chronicler shot an ungly look at the idol as she began cheering and blowing kisses to her adoring fans, but chose to stay quiet as he reunited with the rest of the crew across the field, hands in his pants pockets and biting his lower lip in fury.

The grim silence that received him didn't exactly lighten his mood. It wasn't long however, before Nami ordered Zoro to teach Luffy to skate. The rest of the time, they awaited in silence to begin Round Two.

When it began, it was Nami against Mashikaku. The navigator sped off immediately after the whistle blew, but the giant bulk of Mashikaku didn't let him move that fast. Or... fast, at all.

Still, when the second whistle blew, Koga, Usopp and Robin stood at the ready while Nami started along the far side of the track. Jube, Girarin and Chiqicheetah, however, only stood along the starting line behind Mashikaku, who had barely moved past the line.

'Wait a minute, where's Porche?' Koga narrowed his mismatched eyes as he looked around for the idol. No sight of her.

"Good luck in getting past us!" Jube mocked while he and his teammates laughed.

The little patience the writer had, diminished with the laughter the Foxy Pirates did at his captain's attempts to stand up, sudenly vanished. Eyes shadowed by his light blond hair, the scarred young man suddenly got in front of Jube and punched him forcefully out of their way... and out of the track.

 ** _BOOM!_**

With a loud boom, to boot.

Girarin fell next, this time with a round-house kick to his side -and completely ignoring the dull blades. He almost collided with Luffy and Zoro, but fortunately failed.

" **W-WHAT THE-?! WITH AN ALARMING SPEED, KOGA HAS ELIMINATED BOTH JUBE AND GIRARIN AND THEY'RE BOTH DISQUALIFIED!** "

"Wo-ho! Go Koga!" Usopp cheered loudly.

He only straightened after delivering the kick, before suddenly snapping his head at Chiqicheetah, whose spine went ramrod at the _glare_ the Zoan received.

"You stay in, _I'll destroy you_."

Sweat dripped down the furry cat's face as he looked at the sinister chronicler, then at his companions... before making the only sensible decision. He stepped out of the tracks.

" **AND CHIQICHEETAH AHS ELIMINATED HIMSELF FROM THE ROUND!** "

Koga smirked. "Good kittie."

"Geez, what got you so riled up?" Sanji wondered from the sidelines, noticing the insensate form of Jube in a heap.

"They're planning something, and I don't trust them." The writer lifted his scarf up to his nose.

Everyone turned to Nami as she came to a stop after trespassing the starting line and saw that Mashikaku had barely moved at all from the starting line, a few feet at most, while she already finished the lap.

"Well that was... easy."

Intuition warning! Koga suddenly got defensive and grabbed Nami's wrist -ignoring her surprised gasp and the others' -mainly Sanji's- shouts.

And not a moment too soon, because just at that moment Porche sprang out from her hideout behind Mashikaku's body and used her baton to throw them a purple... smoke?

"Flash Step!" He muttered to himself, praying that it worked with Nami too.

When the world seemingly turned to jelly-o, the writer looked at his friend and noticed her wide eyes as she looked around. She then turned to the older man, clear confusion on her face and eyes.

"What is-?"

"Not now!"

He cut her off, dragging her away from the slowly-approaching purple smoke, around Mashikaku and Porche and stopping a few feet away from the bulky man. He then cut off the technique and both stumbled back into 'reality'.

Porche didn't realize they escaped the purple smoke as it covered the other five crewmates and prompted them to sleep soundly where they stood. Koga stumbled with a wince of pain as his foot landed wrong, but otherwise gave a small push to Nami's back, coercing her to keep skating.

"Go, go!" He exclaimed as she looked at him, then at the idol still on Mashikaku's shoulder, and then at him again.

But she knew that now wasn't the moment for questions. It was the time to _win_.

Her face steeled before turning on her heels and began skating away.

" **WH-WHAT THE-?! IT SEEMS KOGA AND NAMI ESCAPED THE HYPNOSIS SMOKE FROM OUR DEAR PORCHE AND ARE STILL IN THE RACE! THE STRAW HATS' POINT-GETTER IS RESUMING THE LAPS WHILE KOGA, THE ONLY AVAILABLE DEFENDER, STAYS BEHIND TO PROTECT HER!** "

"WHAT?!" Porche and Foxy both roared, along with... pretty much the whole stand, as Koga grinned with determination on his face.

"Got that right, Needle-Nose. We're not out yet."

Her face turned thunderous at the insult as she grabbed the baton even tighter. She then jumped off Mashikaku's shoulder and launched herself at him with a shriek.

"Fortunately, Sanji's not up, so he won't see this." Koga idly commented.

He quickly sidestepped as Porche reached him and chopped her in the nape, rendering her unconscious almost instantly. He wasn't as heartless to let her fall however, so the writer held her for a moment before dropping her... just outside of the tracks. Again.

" **P-PORCHE IS OUT OF BOUNDS AND THUS, SHE'S DISQUALIFIED FROM THIS ROUND!** "

"That's a low move! Ref, disqualify him!" Someone roared from the stands, being quickly followed by several others.

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

"What a lowly cheater!"

"CHEATER! CHEATER! CHEATER! CHEATER!"

A murderous dark aura suddenly surrounded Koga as he snapped his slightly-demonic gaze to the crowd, making them stiff in shock and fear.

"That's rich, coming from you lot!" He snarled. "And I didn't break any rule, so suck it up and be silent before I blast all of you to oblivion!"

"YES SIR, WE'RE SO SORRY!"

Koga let his aura surround himself for a bit longer before dropping it with a slight sigh. Then, as if remembering something, he slowly turned his gaze to a suddenly-unmoving Mashikaku, whose entire frame quivered at being object of his glare.

"And you? You know what to do, I hope?"

Sweat trailed down his face even as it remained blank, both their gazes locked. One minute passed... Then two...

Finally the pressure got the better from the bulky Foxy Pirate as he also made the good decision and turned ninety degrees to his left to roll out of the tracks.

A looooooong silence settled down as Nami came to a stop past the starting line and also watched in bewilderment at the self-disqualified Mashikaku.

Then, groans indicated the Straw Hats finally getting up.

"Wha... What happened?" Usopp yawned before snapping back into attention. "AH! WE FELL ASLEEP! THE RACE-!"

"Calm down, Usopp." Koga smirked at his confused nakama with arms crossed over his chest. "We won."

"Eh?" He blinked. "EEEEEEEEEEEH?!"

"Eesh, what's with the surprised tone?" The writer picked on one ear with a grimace. "Didn't know you didn't trust me."

 **TWEEEEEEEEEEE!**

" **Th-THE STRAW HAT DANGERS WIN THE SECOND ROUND! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!** "

"ALRIGHT!"

The Straw Hats cheered loudly as they surrounded Koga and Nami -Sanji of course swooning over the redhead like a tornado 'of love'. As Usopp and Luffy threw their arms around his neck, Koga could only chuckle and smile.

" **THIS MEANS, THE STRAW HATS GET A POINT! NOW THERE IS A TIE! BUT THIS IS NOT OVER YET! FOR THE FOXY DEVILS HAVE CHOSEN IN THE NEXT ROUND OUR FAST-AS LIGHTNING CHIQICHEETAH! WILL USOPP'S AERODYNAMIC NOSE GIVE HIM THE EDGE HE NEEDS TO BEAT HIM?!** "

"Oh, sure, put more pressure on me..." The sniper grumbled once he heard who his opponent was.

To say that the third round went like a breeze was an understatement really. Even if the Straw Hats managed to beat the defenders rather... easily, considering they still felt the terror Koga's aura inflicted on them, no one could stop Chiqicheetah from doing at least six laps in two minutes. The only positive thing was that Luffy _finally_ managed to get to his feet and lend them a hand... though he almost immediately got himself out of bounds because he didn't know how to turn.

That, and when Koga managed to slow down Chiqicheetah enough for Usopp to make a full lap -with Nami and Robin's help-, they all suddenly got trapped within Foxy's Noro Noro Beam, much to their displeasure. By the time the five minutes were over, it was evident who won.

" **AND THE FOXY PIRATES RESUME THEIR HEAD START WITH CHIQICHEETAH'S SUPERSONIC SPEED!** " Itomimizu announced amidst the roaring cheers of the other crewmembers. " **I'M SORRY FOR THE STRAW HATS, BUT THE ADVANTAGE THEY GOT EARLIER HAS BEEN NULLIFIED! ONE MORE VICTORY, AND THIS IS OVER!** "

"Dammit!" Koga punched the ground as the Straw Hats once more gathered in a circle.

So apparently, his Devil Fruit powers _didn't_ work once he was touched by the Noro Noro Beam, which was a buster. Welp, at least he knew that he should get the hell away from Foxy, like the rest of his nakama.

The fourth round was Robin against Jube, and with the archaeologist's Devil Fruit abilities, Koga didn't know if she would actually need their help.

Turned out, she did.

First, Usopp and Nami got a plan in motion called Operation Laugh-and-Fall, which consisted in... well, basically, taking turns in complimenting and insulting Foxy, at least long enough to avoid the Split-Head captain to use his beams on anyone.

Second, Luffy _actually_ helped in this round. He didn't know yet how to turn, but got enough brains to use his Devil Fruit powers to grab onto the railing before being blown away from the track and managed to stop Jube from following after Robin.

Third, Koga took after himself to incapacitate Chiqicheetah, and left Robin to deal with Mashikaku and Girarin. Fortanetly, both were too slow to deal with such agile and talented woman as she gracefully used her abilities to help herself whenever needed.

In the end...

 **TWEEEEEEEEEEE!**

" **AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE STRAW HAT DANGERS WIN ROUND FOUR BY A LANDSLIDE! THIS IS ANOTHER TIE! THE NEXT ROUND DETERMINES EVERYTHING!** "

Well, it couldn't end another way with a team so organized, right?

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Man, this took so LONG! Unfortunately, I have to cut it right here because honestly, I'm exhausted with all the homework I have to do. Next chapter, we'll wrap up the end of the challenge.** **And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Hey Foxy! Sorry for the cliffhanger xD**

 **K: Yeah, they are *sweatdrops* By the way, where are Hotaru-chan and Ryo?**

 **L: Huh. He's right, are they okay?**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo King, welcome back! Ugh, yeah, that's a bit disgusting xD I thought the same about Foxy, to be honest. I've always thought that he could be perfectly fine with being an ally to the Straw Hats, but alas, Oda thought otherwise xD**

 **K: I honestly don't know what happened to Gohan-san's crew. They were very nice, even being pirates.**

 **L: Well... They're not actually dead, I'll tell you that. But what really happened to them... You'll have to wait until the end of the Arc. I know, a long way to go considering how LONG my chapters are being posted, but...**

 **K: Not exactly. Flash Step and Kaizen Kaizen no Speed both enhance my speed, but there is one key difference: the area I enhance. In the former I concentrate the power on my feet while the latter is on my entire lower part area. Obviously, the impact and the impulse I give to each, while of the same intensity, backfires differently. Also the distance I'm able to cover with each technique is different.** **However, Eagle Punch and Hercules Bash ARE different. Eagle Punch concentrates far less power than Hercules Bash. Think of it as the different Phoenix Canons Zoro uses.**

 **L: In short, both Kaizen Kaizen no Speed and Flash Step have the same 'amount' of speed (a little over sound speed, if you will) but have different impact on the backfire area. Eagle Punch is much weaker, but Hercules Bash consumes more power than the former.**

 **K: Movies? What do you mean?**

 **L: Oh, nothing much, Koga-kun! Just more adventures Luffy would love to live! Dead End Race, Cursed Sword, Strong World, Z, Gold... That's a lot of stuff to work on xD But I'll try my very best, as always ^^! Oh, BTW, please vote in the poll I published in my bio about my fic having romance or not!**

 **-ArtistGiumi: I see you'd like to see KogaxRobin, huh? Then please vote on my poll I published in my profile ^^!**

 **-AthenAuthor: Alright Athen, I've posted a poll on my bio to know other people's opinion about romance. It's not that I refuse to put romance, but I want my readers to have a good time reading, and I fear that an ill-performed romance would destroy everything I've worked so hard on. And about Koga-kun being with Dragon... I'm sorry, but no. I've already decided where he will be for the 2-year separation gap, and it's not from canon. He needs to train after all, and while Dragon is strong, I want a different trainer for him.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yo, Brunch! You're totally right haha! Many serious and badass moments, destroyed because of some petty fights xD Ah well, we can't live without Sanji and Zoro's usual fights xD It's not really inner time perception, but I understand your confusion. Koga-kun, if you would...**

 **K: Okay. When I enhance my speed, my perception on reality distorts. When you're being super-fast, everything else moves far slower than you, giving the impression that it's not you who grew faster, but the others who became slower. It's a bit confusing how Author describes it, but-**

 **L: HEY! You try to explain something scientifically more complicated than you understand and then tell me how you did it! *coughs* Yeah, Luffy is an idiot and an admirable fellow at once. Yep, those three for later then. I'll have more time to watch Z and Gold. King also proposed those movies, so why not? Oh, and about Free... I have an interesting idea, but we'll see his presence later on, I promise!**

 **K: ... They forgot about him when they presented the other Cursed.**

 **L: You, shut up! And don't worry, Gohan's crew is alive... though in a bit of trouble. You'll see. Oh, and please vote on my poll in my bio! I'm really interested in knowing all of you guys' opinion!**

 **-JayH120: Thanks so much! Having Koga-kun as ball-man had been both funny and excrutiatingly tiring, considering how Zoro and Sanji fought. Oh, and about the romance, then please go to my bio and vote in my poll. I know I'm being too insistent, but really, I want to know your thoughts before doing anything. I'm following the anime version of the Davy Back Fight arc because I got some complaints that Skypiea's Arc was awfully short. And in truth, they're right. So, doing the long version includes more chapters.**

 **-Suicide Squad: Oooooh, nice nick you chose bud, I like it! Poor Shelly, at least she's back with her owner and friend! Yeah, it's a risk, but knowing our lovable idiot captain, I wouldn't expect otherwise. Would you? ;) I can do all of them through some specials, don't worry, but my doubt is which to do first before going to the others. If you agree with them, then it's cool! Well, Shichiseiken and Sankaoken are both different swords, so the former's abilities can't be in the latter, and viceversa. It'd be interesting though, but impossible.**

 **-Guest: No, no, thank you for reading my fic! I'm sorry, I've already asked that question and the majority asked for Brook to be in the Koga Arc. You'll have to wait until after Thriller Bark ;) I'll try to make the wait worthy, though!**

 **-Guest (2): Hahaha, that would be cool AND sad, poor Foxy Pirates! Oh, and a Log Pose of course, or else they're doomed to wander off xD**

 **-Guest (3): Sorry, Guest, I have lots of things to do and I'm uploading whenever I can.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	69. Third Challenge: Roller Skate (2)

**69** **. Third Challenge: Roller Skate (2)**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers !**

 **I'm so, SO sorry for the delay! I honestly didn't know that keeping up with the fic while working is so damn HARD!**

 **IMPORTANT: So, I've noticed a couple reviewers commenting something about having a Koga/OC relationship! And to be honest, that works much better for me than a Koga/Robin relationship. Gives me far more liberty, and it's not as awkward to suddenly introduce a couple inside the Merry/Sunny in future chapters. But anyways! As always, you can vote up in my poll.**

 **By the way, it seems that it only works for Fanfiction users. Guests can still vote through the reviews though, so speak your minds! And also, you can get to the poll through your mobile phone by accessing Fanfiction then turning to desktop mode, scrolling all the way and down to the left. Then you enter to my profile and vote up!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

The problem of being the one that determined victory or defeat was the exhausting amount of stress. Sure, around this crew, Koga had long ago got used to stress, but that didn't mean the feeling was welcome.

Also, the annoying pain-in-the-ass that was Foxy would prove to reach higher levels of annoyance once he got on the tracks. After all, last round the writer managed to detect him trying to use his beams on him and move away in time. But, when in a moment of distraction the fox managed to hit him, the blond discovered that yes, he could use his Devil Fruit powers. However, once hit, as much as he enhanced his speed, he couldn't reach more speed than an average human.

That complicated things. And it irked him that the only thing that he could _do_ was avoid getting hit by that annoying beam.

Still, the thought of it being the last round (and the last game of the Davy Back Fight) rose his spirits a bit. Not much of a consolation, but well, it was something at least.

"I can't believe we have to do this once more!" Nami groaned as the Straw Hat crew minus Chopper reunited in their bench, the Foxy Team doing the same in theirs.

"At least we have one last chance to get Chopper back." Zoro lifted his shoulders as he accepted the water bottle Usopp extended to him.

"And we have the fastest guy in the crew going in!" Giggling, Luffy clapped Koga's back as he sipped water, thus resulting in him choking on the water as it went down the wrong pipe.

Sanji pursed his lips around the unlit cigarette. "True, as long as we keep Split-Head and the rest of the clowns occupied, then everything should go well."

"Don't worry guys, Nami and I will take care of Split-Head with our flawless tactic!" The sniper smiled confidently with a thumbs up.

But Koga frowned once he got his breath back. "But will they fall in the same trap?" He questioned, making Usopp falter and tilt his head. "I mean, they are kind of stupid, but I doubt they'll let you trick them again."

"Nah, it's Foxy we're talking about!" Nami waved a hand dismissively.

"Porche isn't as stupid as her captain." The blond chronicler insisted, surprising everyone. "I wouldn't trust in her overseeing such evident trap." He then turned to the rest of the crew. "I need you guys to keep the others occupied. I'll handle Split-Head myself."

"Your speed reduces as much as the others though, when you're hit by the beam." Still, Nami argued with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed over her chest.

"But it doesn't work if I activate the technique _before._ "

Everyone looked at him in confusion -except Robin, who merely pursed her lips in a tighter line. Until suddenly, their navigator seemed to catch on the indirect message, and gasped as she turned to their eldest male member.

"H-hold on a minute!" She protested. "You're not suggesting-!"

Oh yeah he did.

As calmly and nonchalantly as he could, the writer looked at the redhead in the eye. "It's an ultimately last resort, one I hope I'll never have to pull off. But let me be perfectly clear: if I have to, I'll keep my speed at its max... _for the entire round._ "

And just like that, mayhem exploded. Of course, out of everyone, only Luffy and Robin kept quiet; the latter because she was busy giggling under her breath at the exaggerated expressions of her nakama, and the former... Well, nobody, knew, as his face kept a blank expression the entire time.

But yeah, even Zoro had something to say to Koga's proclamation, though he kept it at a much quieter volume than his friends. Among other things, the Straw Hat crew called him reckless and stupid airhead, among other... let's say, "more sincere" qualitatives. Of course, the proper airhead of the crew, once he heard the others insulting the chronicler, he happily joined with a face-splitting grin on his face. That didn't avoid him getting plummeted down by Nami and Sanji, under Robin's amused watch.

Somehow, even with the worry of not being able to get Chopper back, Koga's worries seemed far away as he glanced at his crew with a smile on his face.

Not even after the five-minute recess passed, would his smile vanish.

" **NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL ROUND OF THE EVENT!** " Itomimizu proclaimed as Koga went to the tracks and began flexing his leg muscles with some stretches. Beside him, Girarin stood with his arms crossed. " **BOTH TEAMS ARE AT THE STARTING LINE READY TO GO!** "

The writer finished stretching and turned to Luffy and Robin to give them a thumbs-up. Luffy snickered and returned the gesture, while the archaeologist merely directed a slightly-wider than usual smile.

" **OH, BUT IT SEEMS THAT GIRARIN ALONE IS REPRESENTING THE FOXY DEVILS! THE REST OF THE TEAM IS OFF THE TRACK! COULD THIS MEAN THEY'RE PLANNING TO USE THEIR MOST DEVIOUS TRICK OF ALL?!** "

Worried, Koga glanced at Girarin and the rest of his team. True enough, looking suspicious as all hell, Porche and the others stood beside Foxy with condescendent smirks on their faces. Were they so sure Girarin wasn't going to need their help at all...?

Or were they planning something...?

"KOGA! IGNORE THEM, JUST SKATE LIKE CRAZY!" Usopp yelled at the chronicler in encouragement, who couldn't help to chuckle as he only nodded.

" **OKAY! IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL ROUND TO BEGIN!** "

The ref came over with his whistle, and both Girarin and Koga got in a ready position. He breathed deeply...

 **TWEE!**

 ** _ZOOM!_**

And Koga took off immediately, torso tilted forwards and arms close to his body to gain more speed. He didn't care if Girarin was behind him or not; the only thing in his mind was winning this race and get Chopper back.

Intuition tingling-!

"NORO NORO BEAM!"

Just as he passed the first turn, Foxy threw a barrage of those annoying purple beams, but Koga managed to avoid them without having to use his Flash Step technique, luckily. Apparently, Usopp and Nami's "Laugh-And-Fall-Operation" technique no longer worked, as he predicted.

However, even being barreled with the onslaught of beams, Koga could reach the second turn almost with no trouble at all, Girarin still along ways behind. And twenty seconds later, the whistle sounded again, signaling the defenders to go out. Of course, Foxy stopped attacking him and instead shot his beams at Luffy and Robin -who couldn't keep still either, much to his annoyance.

But still, no one entered to defend Girarin. That sent Koga's alarms off.

His suspicions wre confirmed when Foxy threw a slowing beam at him as Luffy ducked out of the way. Instead, the beam _bounced off_ Girarin's body and went to-!

"Flash Step!" Koga exclaimed, the familiar rush enveloping him. The impulse drove him forwards and towards Robin and Luffy.

Fortunately, the range was enough for him to grab them both by the back of their shirts and get them out of the beam's range.

"Cancel."

It was funny to see Foxy's shocked face as snot came down his nose while his crewmates booed on him. Instead, the Straw Hats cheered their chronicler at his really fast reaction and the close save.

"Nice done! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed while he stood to his feet, Robin doing the same at Koga's other side.

"No prob, Captain." Smiling, the blond writer nodded.

"How did you move so fast!?" Annoyed at the sudden yell, they turned towards Foxy.

"As if I would tell you. But your beams are beginning to tick me off."

"Get going, Koga!" Luffy and Robin turned towards Girarin and stood in a combat position. "We'll hold them off you!"

"... Right."

And without a look back, the chronicler sprinted forward, past Girarin, just as pandemonium exploded behind him. He thought a beam was to reach him before he dove out of the way, a furious yell from the straw hat-wearing teen resounding.

As he skated towards the first turn once more, the chroniclee thought of how Girarin was able to reflect the slow-mo beam.

'Maybe it's his skin. I don't know what kind of fishman he is. But no fishman skin is as smooth as to reflect a beam. He should've been hit too! Wait a moment. Reflect...'

Once he reached the turn, Koga watched the starting line. Worried, he saw Luffy with his fist punching air, hit by the slow-mo beam it seemed, and Girarin and Robin locked in a battle. The ravenette had her arms crossed, and arms had sprouted on the fishman's body, making him unable to skate or move at all.

However, just as she was going to finish him, Foxy threw a beam at Girarin...

... and this time, Koga saw as plain as day how it didn't hit _his skin_ , but _his dull swords_.

'That's it!' Koga's mismatched eyes widened as he approached the second turn of his second lap.

A plan flashed through his mind, fast as lightning, and the blond smirked evilly.

"Zoro! Throw me my katana!" He yelled as he passed the second turn.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Koga knew he trusted him enough to not question his reasons.

 **Swish!**

 ** _Tack!_**

'Now...'

The blond didn't bother tying the sword at his side.

" **OH, WHAT'S THIS? IS KOGA ABOUT TO GET HIMSELF DISQUALIFIED BY USING WEAPONS IN THE TRACK?!** "

'Far from it.'

"Koga, be careful!" Usopp and Nami shouted at him, Foxy about to hit him with a beam.

"NORO NORO BEAM!"

As fast as he could, Koga stopped in his tracks and unsheathed his katana in a fluid movement, _right in the way of the beam_.

"WHAT?!"

Just as the writer predicted, the beam collided with the blade and returned. With so much fortune -or misfortune, depending which side were you seeing- that it hit _Foxy_ instead.

For a long second no one talked...

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

... Until the Straw Hat crew practically _exploded_ in laughter at the admittedly comical face Foxy was making, petrified by his own beam.

"BOSS!"

Porche screeched, followed shortly by the rest of the crew -AKA the entire crowd.

" **T-THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! BLATANTLY BREAKING THE RULES OF THE GAME, HE USED A WEAPON TO DEFLECT-!** "

"OBJECTION!"

" **HUH?! WHA-?!** "

Koga stood beside the starting line, a finger pointed at Itomimizu and his other hand resting the katana on his shoulder... before facepalming.

"I can't believe I just did that..." He shuddered for a moment. "Never again, it feels weird."

" **W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'OBJECTION' YOU CHEATER!? IT'S OBVIOUS YOU'RE BREAKNG THE 'NO WEAPONS' RULE!** "

"And I'm saying, you're in the wrong here! Look at this!" He raised his rusty, _dull katana_. A sharp intake of breath resounded, and the blond writer smirked. "The rules say 'No weapons', but I can't cut anything with this katana! It's the same as Girarin's blades! In other words, _I didn't break any rules_!"

" **RRRGH-!** "

"Oh, speaking of..." Koga turned to smirk at a thoroughly confused, but beginning to get angry as he fought against his restraints. "Are you sure you want to stand over there?"

"What are you talking about, you sneaky bastard?" The fishman growled ferociously.

For an answer, Koga's smirk widened as he raised three fingers, then lowering to two, then to one-

"-PISTOL!"

 ** _BAM!_**

"Because you were standing in Luffy's fist's trajectory, that's why."

The punch sent the defenseless fishman flying before skidding to a halt just outside of the tracks, leaving a trail of dust in the ground. As the cloud cleared, all they saw was a concussed and unconscious Girarin lying in a senseless heap on the ground.

" **P-POINT GETTER GIRARIN OF THE FOXY DEVILS-! H-HE'S OUT OF BOUNDS! THEN THAT MEANS-!** "

 **Tweeeeeee!**

" ** _THE STRAW HAT DANGERS WIN THIS CHALLENGE, AND THE GAME!?_** "

"ALRIGHT!"

As soon as Itomimizu's incredulous proclamation left his lips, the Straw Hat crew rushed over one another and cheered, arms looped around each other's shoulders and screaminf in delight. Koga merely chuckled as he got barreled by Usopp and Luffy on each side of him, letting them carry him around.

The mood around the Foxy Pirates, however, was the complete opposite, as a few begrudgingly gave a small applause to a game well played. The rest only grumbled to themselves, slowly abandoning the stands ans going over to reunite at the platform from before. After Foxy returned to normal, and along with the rest of the Foxy Devils, he threw a withering look at Luffy and the others before following the rest of his extensive crew.

"I'm relieved you didn't have to use your technique after all." Nami said with a smile, directing the way back to the platform to face the Foxy Pirates.

"Me too, to be honest." Koga smiled, lifting his scarf to his nose.

"How did you figure out about that fishman's trick?" Sanji inquired with interest.

"Just paid attention to _where_ the beam was thrown. It was a lucky guess, but still, I'm relieved it worked out."

"Well, now there's only one thing left!" Luffy's smile widened to the brim, the others imitating him as they hurried to the place.

Once more, the two crews were facing each other. The respective captains stood a bit ahead. Sweat trailed down Foxy's face, while Luffy's remained blank.

Itomimizu then proclaimed in a voice that considerably held more self-restrain than before.

" **NOW, AFTER A SURPRISING COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY, IT IS TIME FOR STRAW HAT LUFFY TO CHOOSE HIS NEW CREWMEMBER!** "

"Well there's not really anything to think about, right?" Luffy smiled widely, took a huge gulp of breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs. "COME ON BACK, _CHOPPER_!"

"YEAH!"

The adorable little reindeer ripped off the Foxy mask and ran towards the crew, hugging around Luffy's waist in glee. The rest of the crew took turns in welcoming him back, with pats, hugs and no few tears.

'And now the Straw Hat crew is full again.' Koga smirked behind his scarf as they listened to the incoherent babbles of their little buddy. 'Felt weird without him.'

" **WE'VE SEEN BLOOD, SWEAT AND NO SMALL AMOUNT OF TEARS HERE TODAY, BUT THE DAVY BACK FIGHT HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END! WITH THE STRAW HATS RECLAIMING THEIR DOCTOR TONY TONY CHOPPER, I'D SAY THIS MATCH ENDS WITH A DRAW!** "

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

'Oh for the love of...' Koga mentally groaned as Foxy suddenly let out a shout, calling their attention.

"Any Captain worth his weight in seaweed knows there are no draws in the Pirate World!' Foxy stated, a finger pointing at Luffy. "It's 'plunder or be plundered'. You won't let it end like this, will you?"

For a moment, no one talked.

"You only beat my crew. I never actually competed in any of the games. You didn't beat me." The Split-Head guy grinned as he held up three gold coins in between his fingers. "Come on, Straw Hat. What do you say to another Three Coin game to decide which of us is really the best? This time, _I'll_ be an active participant."

"Yeah, like we'd agree to that!" Usopp scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"After all that cheating, you'd have to be an _idiot_ to go for another round-!" Nami remarked.

 ** _BANG!_**

The Straw Hats all gaped in shock as their Captain stood their grinning like an idiot as he held up the smoking pistol that he'd just fired.

"YOU'RE ON, SPLIT-HEAD! SHISHISHI!"

As the idiot rubber-brain got pummeled once more by Nami and Usopp, Koga sighed, rubbing his forehead. They should've known better than to expect a sensible response from their captain.

* * *

Meanwhile, navigating in the Grand Line sea, a certain Marine ship had their own time accustoming to a new crewmate.

Out of everyone though, the only ones trying to actually _know_ him -beyond his rank and work in the Marines- were two people. Their Vice-Admiral, and one of his immediate subordinates.

"C'mon Coby, leave him alone." A blond, thin guy wielding a pair of strange knives protested as he tried to convince his friend-rival. He was seating in one of the desks in the room, running over some paperwork. "He hasn't bothered to talk to us."

"But isn't he feeling lonely, all by himself?" Coby, a pink-haired youngster who wore glasses on his forehead, looked over to his friend as he watched the newcomer from their room's window.

"It's not our business if he doesn't want to open. Just leave it alone already. If he wants to talk, then you'll be able to listen."

Somewhat annoyed at the uninterest his friend was showing, Coby huffed and walked over to his own desk, resuming his own work. For a minute both worked in silence, before the pink-haired teen once more broke it.

"I wonder how Luffy-san's doing." He muttered, almost to himself.

"He's probably goofing around. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, that one."

"Hehe, I suppose you're right. But at least he has Zoro-san and Koga-san with him. Both of them are strong and smart. I think they'll keep him out of trouble."

"Psh, or they'll get him _in_ more trouble. The Pirate Hunter at least got caught by me because he wouldn't be quiet."

"Yeah, well..."

"And so far, the Cursed Reaper is the only one with a 'Only Dead' sentence on his Wanted Poster. Shady title he has too."

Confused by the silence, the blond stopped his work to see his friend with a pensive look.

"Coby...?" He called out.

"I... I trust the three of them." Coby softly declared. "I know Luffy-san's going to become the Pirate King, and I know Zoro-san and Koga-san will help him. But..."

"But you worry."

The silence was enough answer.

"Well, I can't tell you not to worry about those three. But if you're so sure about their strength, then that should be enough to trust." Coby seemed down still, and the blond sighed. Tell you what, next time we see them, we can ask Vice-Admiral Garp to let us fight them, see how much they've improved since we last saw them. What about that?"

Coby looked at his friend in both surprise and glee, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"That's a great idea!" He sobered up enough to direct a nod at the other Marine. "Thank you, Helmeppo-san."

Helmeppo coughed uncomfortably before turning to his paperwork.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's finish this before Vice-Admiral Garp gets our hides."

"... Right!"

Immediately, the only sounds filling the small room was the scribbling of the plumes and the ruffling of sheets being moved around. Concentration was all in their minds as they went through their paperwork before their boss caught them with them unfinished.

So centered they were, neither of them noticed the black-haired, blue-eyed teen separate himself from the wall beside the door, shake his head and walk away towards the kitchen

And Yuuto Sarugaki, in turn, didn't notice the bulky figure with a dog mask chuckling under his breath, hiding behind the door opposite to his subordinates' room.

* * *

In the underwater gaol of Impel Down, a figure, escorted by several soldiers, got into the elevator. His hands were shackled in front of him and his clothes thoroughly revised, but he had endured the examination with a bored expression on his face, just waiting for everything to finish. Around him, a blonde, curvaceous woman stood beside the doors and two other soldiers had their firearms at the ready. In time, it would prove unnecessary, but still, they had precautions.

Their destination? The secret floor of Impel Down, where they kept the most dangerous criminals in the world.

The female soldier looked over his shoulder at the twenty-five year-old young man standing behind her, not for the first time questioning the reason _why_ he was there of all places. Apparently he got permission from Admiral Fleet Sengoku himself to take one of the prisoners of Level Six for himself, giving the explanation of 'trying to avoid a massacre'. Sengoku had doubted about the effect the freeing one of those would have in the world, but the man had assured that 'to fight a monster, you need a monster'.

And everyone knew that free monsters were far more difficult to convince than those who were trapped and yearning for freedom.

The woman shook her head, the whirling of the elevator muffling the screams of the bastards in the different levels. She didn't know if the fact that the visitor's expression didn't change was unsettling or not.

"That organization of yours seems to be willing to go to ends few would reach." She decided to comment then, not taking her gaze off the indicator signaling what floor they were on. So far, Level Three.

The young man yawned loudly before answering with a bored tone. "Well, we have in mind the interest of millions of people, just like you Marines. We've kept those Cursed at bay while you worried over petty pirates."

Her lips pursed, but chose not to comment anything else.

"Besides, my colleagues and I _need_ this."

"Freeing one of the most dangerous criminals to fight other criminals? What if he escapes?"

A savage, bloodthirsty grin. "There are ways of keeping a leash on a mangy hound. And besides, better fight fire with fire."

"If in that fire innocents die, your privilegous position of being untouched by the Marines and the favor Admiral Fleet Sengoku with you will be immediately removed." Her icy threat only had a rough chuckle as answer. "You'll rot in this place for the rest of your lives."

 **KE- _KLANK_!**

As they finally reached the Sixth Level, the blond visitor widened his feral grin at the woman, who felt a shiver run down her spine.

"First you'll have to find _all_ of us."

Refusing to let herself be intimidated by the arrogant bastard, she whirled around and strolled out of the elevator, followed by the visitor and the other two soldiers.

Unlike the rest of the Levels, no screams pierced the air there. No other smell apart from dirty bodies or bodily fluids stenched it. Only an extremely dark, extensive room received them, filled with cages of course. The prisoners were silent, preferring to keep their strength and giving the cold shoulder to their holders as they strolled past the cages.

In curiosity, almost childlike, the blond visitor glanced through the bars. He saw many bodies hunched in the safety of the darkness, few of them opting to rest against the bars. He counted about a hundred people, maybe more, jailed in there. He saw an incredibly ugly woman with a devilish grin on her face as she watched them pass in one cage; in the next, the largest of them all, a giant with a head shaped like an onigiri watched him back with the same curiosity. Turning his head to the opposite rail of cages, a very large, round man with a long nose ignored them, opting to draw something in the ground while drunkenly smiling, tongue lolling out like a dog. The blond thought he saw the glimer of a golden hook before they arrived one of the farthest cages.

"Here we are." The female soldier declared.

The blond turned.

Unlike the rest of the cages, the one in front of them was almost empty, making it look huge. Two people occupied them, each chained at opposite walls with heavy links.

He barely looked at the blue-skinned fishman, though, in favor of the other occupant of the cage.

From what he could tell, the person he'd been tasked to set free under their command was what they were looking for, and more. A tall, attractive man with a rather muscular build, apparently seeming to be in his thirties, with some facial hair unkept. On his right shoulder, a tattoo of unknown form resembling an eye seemed to blink before going back to normal. Above his left eye there was anotehr tattoo with the words "NOFUTURE". The visitor couldn't see his eyes, as they were closed, but one of them oozed some kind of magical power. His clothes consisted in the short-sleeved version of the typical outfit of the prisoners, along with a ball and chain in his left leg. He pretended to be asleep, but a small twitch in his nose indicated the visitor that he knew they were there.

"You asked for the Tracker. There he is." The female soldier pointed to the bulky man.

The addressed 'Tracker' opened his eyes. The visitor noticed with interest the left eye was a shining red, with some kind of magical circle as its iris and pupil, while the other was a dull brown, like his short hair.

"Who are you?" His left eye seemed to glimmer before fading a bit. "You look... different."

"Interesting..." The blond young man tilted his head to the side, examining the man. "He seems more than enough for the task."

"Huh? What task? What are you talking about?"

"Ah-ah-ah." Like a child, the visitor wiggled his index in denial at the older man, who looked confused. "Not here. Too many ears listening." He then turned to the woman with an enchanting smile that could fool no one. "Could you set him free now, please?"

The woman groaned, before signaling her companions. They entered the cage and got the man out of the chains binding him to the wall, but kept a pair of Kairoseki shackles around his wrists and the ball-and-chain in his left leg. The man opted to fall silent, but still he kept watching in apprehension and confusion at the soldiers and unknown visitor, was they guided him to the elevator.

It wasn't long before they were back on the surface level, going through the examination for both of them and freeing the blond man of his handcuffs. The soldiers guided the pair to the giant doors and into port, a ship waiting for them there. The two armed soldiers saluted at the woman before turning on their heels and returning inside.

The woman looked over at the blond man before extending a key to him.

"Should he accept, this is the key to his Kairoseki handcuffs. If he refuses, I have to ask you to return him to us, and we'll take care of the rest. I will be waiting just outside of the doors." And with a stiff nod, returned to where she said she would be.

Stiffling a chuckle at her tense form, the blond young man turned to his new partner.

Although temporarily blinded by the sun, the prisoner had walked a bit away and raised his head to the sun, basking himself in the warm light. He seemed unconcerned by the ball-and-chain at his left leg or the handcuffs as he relaxed for the first time in years.

"I'm sure you have questions for me." The blond extended his arms to his sides as if expecting a hug. "Go on, shoot."

The bulky man looked at the other over his shoulder before shaking his head and turning again towards the clear sea.

"I only have one."

"Well then, go ahead. I'm waiting."

"... Who's my prey?"

The blond young man blinked.

"I have been a prisoner in Impel Down's Level Six almost since its foundation, twenty-two years ago. At that time, there was only me and a brat named Shiki. A cheeky one, but I have to admire how he got away." He shrugged. "I don't remember why I was jailed, but one of the reasons why I was so famous was because I'm able to track down people all over the seas. So, the only possible reason why you set me free, would be for you to make me track down someone." He turned around completely and looked down at the younger man. "I don't care who you are, who your bosses are or your intentions towards me once this is done. All I know is that I'm finally out of Impel Down, and I intend to keep my end of the bargain until you kick me out. So, again, who's my prey?"

The young man blinked, and then sported a savage grin.

"I _knew_ asking them to hire you was a good decision." He chuckled. "There are various targets, but there is one of them you should prioritize over all others. I'll give you the details once we set to the sea, and you accept our terms and conditions."

"I accept."

The man promptly extended his handcuffed wrists to the other, and after a few seconds, the kairoseki handcuffs fell from hsi wrists. Once he returned them to the female soldier, the younger man waved at the former prisoner to follow him onboard. The sails rose, revealing a giant four-leaf clover sewn in the greatest of them, and they set out to the sea.

After the former prisoner got a shower and a good, replenishing meal, he went to the young man's room to find him with a transceiving snail. The younger man, noticing him, waved him inside indicated him a seat.

"Before we get into terms, let us introduce ourselves." A man's voice sounded from the snail as the prisoner sat down. "My name is Granham, Master of Faith. With me are Benthos, Master of Hope, and Rose, Mistress of Love. Accompanying you is Milovic, Master of Luck. We four are the leaders of an organization called The Chapel."

"Huh, fancy titles there." The prisoner lifted the 'NOFUTURE' eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't remember my name, but I suppose you can call me Free."

"Alright then, Free. We have a task for you."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! I hope you also liked that small tidbit at the end of the chapter as a surprise. I felt kinda bad for leaving such a short chapter earlier, so that's kind of my apology to you all.** **And now, review answers~!**

 **-zerom1v: Hahahahaha, yeah he should! Koga-kun has incredibly little patience when someone talks like that xD**

 **K: *blushes madly while hiding behidn the scarf* W-Well, I didn't have other option to get Porche out of the tracks.**

 **L: ... You could've just pushed her...**

 **K: S-Shut up!**

 **-TheJackofDemons: Ooh, nice new nick! Haki won't be available until post time-skip. It wouldn't be believable if he got his Haki without training first, and the Straw Hats' schedule is already too tight to put a training period in-between. And about the Six Powers... No can do, sorry. It's cool, yeah, but Koga-kun has already too much power in his hands (with the darkness and his own Devil Fruit powers). I don't want him OVERpowered. That's something that I've been actively trying to avoid during the whole fic. Thank you so much for reading! Oh, and if you could, please send me only PMs or only reviews, because both of them are a bit... overwhelming. I will try to do a Robin/Koga pairing, but only if the rest of the readers agree, sorry.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo King, nice to see you again! Yay, Rolling Stones rock!**

 **K: They were annoying! I had to stop their rambling somehow. And seeing how Nami got them quiet easily...**

 **L: Aw, Team Mom indeed! With Koga-kun and Robin taking so much good care of them, it's difficult to keep worried about the rest of the crew~! Exactly, that's what I've been trying to explain, thank you so much King! Honestly, my vocabulary is still lacking I see. Yeah, they would! It seems like a rule to let their opponents finish the names of the attacks xD Oh, Dead End Race, huh. I'll point that out! Of course I plan to do ALL the movies that they vote, s o there's no really a 'winner'.**

 **K: Wait, wha-! *tries to listen, but he can't hear a thing***

 **L: Huh, I want that power too. Yeah, I see why no one wants a Nami/Koga pairing. Honestly I didn't see it either, but someone long ago apparently saw that connection and begged me to put it. I had to turn them down of course, but just in case I put it in the poll. Now it's gone though. I do see Robin and Koga as little more than witha brother-sister relation to be honest. They are TOO similar to be put off as a romantic pairing. If possible, I'd like to try to put the same level of relationship between them and the others, if not slightly closer with the fact that both are so similar. What I can work with is a Koga/OC pairing! I totally agree with you! Well it's not gonna be sappy, although the idea of letters is pretty good. I'll keep that in mind!**

 **K: *Finally can hear after dispelling the DF power* What the hell were you talking about for so long?**

 **L: Uh, nothing, nothing~!**

 **-Boopadoop: BOOP~! I'M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU AGAIN~!**

 **K: Yo, Boop. Long time no see.**

 **L: I hear you man, my work is gonna kill me~! ANd to top it off, I hoped to give you a far longer chap, but it has been impssible for me~!**

 **K: Me, a fox? Hm, I prefer tigers, but well, they're both felines, so I don't care.**

 **L: Hm, ship Koga-kun with Robin, huh. Yeah, Koga-kun is more into his own age, or older women yeah. Well, I promise to do whatever I can, promised! See ya soon, and please get a rest!**

 **-Guest-san: Yo! Well, I personally theorized that yes, Koga-kun's powers would work while affected by the beam, but he wouldn't be able to enhance his speed beyond that of a human's. I mean, if the beam slows down a person to their minimal speed, then someone able to enhance their speed would be able to return to their normal speed, but not more. At least, not without hurting themselves. Ooh, the Awakened version, huh. I actually thought of it, but it's... really creepy. If Foxy Awakened his power, then he would be able to slow not only the GENERAL speed of the person, but SPECIFIC areas. Like for example, the heartbeat. Imagine getting hit by a barrage of Noro Noro Beams until your heartbeats are so slow you could die! It's... terrifying, to say the least. I actually agree with you with the romacne poll, I ship Koga-kun with an OC or no one at all. It would be awkward aboard with a pairing. Hahaha, eternal virgins xD**

 **-Boopadoop: Yo King, happy (late) Saint Patrick's Day! Yeah, it totally rocks!**

 **-Suicide Squad: Hahaha, well, the poll is still open, so you can still vote for a few more chapters! Two or three if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, poor Koga-kun didn't do exactly well this round. And I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter, because it's so awfully short... So, Oc/Koga pairing then? Yeah, I did suggest it, but at that time no one seemed interested in romance in my fic, so it fell into oblivion until now xD If everything goes according to plan and OC/Koga pairing gets elected, then neither of them. And no more Soul Eater characters either, sorry.**

 **-KingFireLuffy: Yes he is in a really bad mood xD He'll calm down soon enough, or so I hope xD**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): Glad to see you made that decision! Honestly, apart from being able to fav/follow the fics you like, I'm not sure what else you can do. You can send a PM to your favorite authors if you don't want your comments to be seen by everyone else but your author and you, and you can vote in polls! You can write your own fics of course... Hm, start communities if you like, request to be a Beta reader or to have a Beta reader help you in your fics... Nothing else of interest I think. I haven't been looking through the Fanfiction net very much, only what I was interested in xD**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yo Brunch! Well honestly, I used Rinmarugames' Avatar Creator site to make Koga-kun, but every time I tried to give him a more mature look, I didn't like it. So I preferred to give him a young-looking appearance instead. Great, you read all the chapters! Yeah, I know, it totally blew my head off! Man, I don't want to spoil anything~! I had the idea of seeing in time for a long time, Oda just copied my idea! I'll demand some copyright xD Yeah, Koga-kun is really well-balanced, but take in mind that there are also small tidbits regarding the other members that I don't bother to elaborate on because Oda already told us about them. I mean, Usopp has a real good hands with every manual activity (like painting) and run incredibly fast, Luffy has an astounding capacity of adaptation, Nami can jump really high... And everyone really has a lot of endurance; the level varies among the crew, but it certainly is superior to the rest of the human beings.**

 **-K: Also, I'm Author's OC, and as much as they want to, they tend to give me more importance because I'm someone not from the original series.**

 **L: Also that, yeah. I'll certainly try to improve them after the time-skip! And yeah, a romance poll. I don't think so either, but well, let's give them some more time to decide in the poll. So you vote for Koga/OC, alright then. Well we won't see the training. I'll jump directly to when they reunite in Sabaody. I'll even start a sequel apart from the main fic because there would be a LOT of chapters in this one. Hm... We'll see xD Spoilers~!**

 **-Guest: AN OC/Koga pairing on! Thanks for the vote dear guest !**

 **-Guest (2): Well yeah, he's really serious. But don't worry. If everythign goes according to plan, then he won't be moping after his own Story Line Arc. Have to figure out a name for it now that I think about it...**

 **-Guest (3): Another Koga/OC pairing! Alright! Thanks for the vote!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	70. Another Davy Back Fight?

**70\. Another Davy Back Fight?**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **I... am so deeply sorry you guys.**

 **It's been a few difficult weeks - _months,_ really. And I barely had _any_ time to keep order in my life. Between my job, and some personal shit, I've ended up almost putting a hiatus on this story.**

 **Fortunately, and thanks to all of you guys, I haven't. Writing is half my life now, and ending this here would be like giving up.**

 **So don't worry, I'm here. Still, I can't promise I'll keep up with weekly updates though. They'll be random. Sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Damnit all, Luffy."

"Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Because you're a freaking _moron_ , that's why! Isn't it enough that we recovered Chopper? You want to lose him again?!"

"We won't lose guys! We already know how they play! Besides... Isn't it fun? Shishishishishi!"

" _ONLY FOR YOU_!"

For the upteenth time that day, all Koga could do at that moment was exhale a massive sigh as his oblivious captain tried to convince his nakama of playing a second game of Davy back Fight. Admittedly, he found the whole situation a little fun, but the idea of having his nakama as prizes seemed excessive to him. He'd have no qualms if they played for Berri, but...

'Well, nothing we can do now.' He lifted his light blue scarf to his nose as his mismatched eyes observed his friends, a fond smile crossing his lips. 'I guess we can try and have some fun out of this absurd situation.'

"You seem to be very fond of those weirdos."

The sudden voice of Gohan at his side almost made him jump out of his skin, but fortunately managed to keep his cool around. Or so he hoped anyways. Ignoring what Itomimizu was explaining about the next game, the blond turned to the older pirate before looking back at his friends.

"I guess I am." He chuckled as Nami began screaming Luffy's ears off with her screeching. "It's difficult not feeling drawn by their charming personalities, even more with all the adventures I've lived with them. In a way, I feel responsible of them."

"Why?"

"Hm... I don't know. It's just... I feel I can trust them with anything, you know? They have that special power."

Gohan snorted as he glanced from the corner of his eye at the younger man, pausing for a second as he saw a glimpse of... something, in his mismatched eyes. He looked... relaxed, at peace, and smiled much more than before. Granted, the Foxy Pirate had only known him for roughly a few weeks, and in that limited period of time no one had really the opportunity to get to know him better.

However, with those brats... Koga seemed more human than before. He laughed, smiled and overall expressed far more sentiments than ever before.

And as happy as Gohan felt for him for finally finding the courage to muster his true self, a sliver of jealousy crept within his heart. He and his crew had been the ones to collect the youngster's broken pieces when he was alone at Alabasta's port. They'd been the ones to nurture his dream, to keep him going, to push him and support him, to ignite the desire of living from deep within him. They'd been his 'family', and yet, nothing came out of him except a dull 'thank you' whenever they dropped him off at an island.

Had all that been for nothing?

"I... I may have been inconsiderate with you, Gohan-san." Koga suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts, a pensive look on his scarred face as he continued watching his nakama. "You and the others... actually kept me going when I was alone and confused with nothing to my name except my clothes and a few books. I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

Panic filled him for a moment as his heart skipped a few beats. Had the boy actually _read_ his thoughts? Could he do it? If so, then his plans would be forfeit, and his friends would-

"I owe you guys a great deal." Koga turned with a soft smirk, eyes brilliant and sincere. Tension left Gohan's body when he saw the young man's unsuspecting face; he didn't read his mind then. "Thank you, for all you've done for me."

Gohan's eyes widened, and now felt remorse for all the jealousy from before. He smiled and went to answer...

"OI, KOGA!"

But Luffy cut him off by calling his crewmate. The message forgotten, both turned to the overeager captain as he and the others surrounded a Foxy Pirate. The straw-hat wearing kid was waving his arm with a facesplitting grin, and the chronicler chuckled before turning to Gohan again.

"I'm afraid I'm required, Gohan-san. Good luck in the games."

And sauntered off towards his friends. All Gohan could see, however, as his face lost the relaxed grin from before, was a condemned child surrounded by darkness and death. The letter he had in his pocket for him suddenly seemed to weigh a few hundred more pounds, as he brought a hand there and crushed a fist around it.

For his crew, he...

* * *

After Koga returned to his friends and everything was explained, the newly formed Three-Coins Game began without more delays.

The first round would be played in the Groggy Ring's field... or half of it, really. Which in turn was halved again. Not a large field, but enough for the two crews to play in. Instead of flying overhead, Itomimizu had opted to sit aside with his bird on a perch next to him.

" **ALRIGHT FOLKS! WITH OUR SECOND DAVY BACK FIGHT OF THE DAY ABOUT TO START, I'M BACK IN THE ANNOUNCER'S SEAT TO EXPLAIN THE RULES OF THE FIRST MATCH! THE NAME OF THE GAME IS... 'HIT AND DEAD BALL'!** "

Concentrated in preparing, both crews paid half a mind of what was being said as Itomimizu explained the rules and the goal of the game. Two white volley balls with round lumps on their tops, bottoms and all four sides laid in the center of the divided field, the instruments to eliminate opponents. One of them touched you, you were out of the game. The eliminated crewmember couldn't go back to the field, but could aid his teammates in the game from the exterior.

"Sounds fancier, but it seems like regular old dodgeball to me." Sanji remarked while smoking on a newly lit cigarette.

But seeing the big-ass thick book a Foxy Pirate was carrying and bringing to them, Koga sighed. "Don't count on that."

True enough - It turned out, the gigantic book was the Rulebook for the game. And to the Straw Hats' surprise, it seemed the Foxy Pirates were willing to actually _not_ cheat in the game... if only to avoid getting beheaded. That, and the presence of not one, but _five_ referees somewhat calmed the most skeptic Straw Hats like Nami.

Koga only had the impression that, sketchy as they were, Foxy and his goons would only find a loophole in those rules.

Contrary to the over fifty players that entered the field from the Foxy Pirates -Foxy included, of course, only the male members of the Straw Hats chose to play from the inside, leaving Nami to watch and Robin to read the humongous rulebook. They recognized Hamburg, Chiqicheetah, Jube and Girarin among the fifty pirates.

" **TEAM FOXY HAS A VERITABLE ARMADA OF PLAYERS, TRULY A STUPENDOUS SPECTACLE TO SEE! SADLY, THE STRAW HATS PALE IN COMPARISON WITH THEIR DIMINUTIVE SHOWING SPORTING A MEASLY EIGHT MEMBERS! I MUST WONDER IF THEY'RE EVEN TRYING!** "

"OKAY, WE GET IT ALREADY!" Usopp exploded at the infuriating Itomimizu's mockery.

" **LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! WE'LL START THE MATCH OFF WITH THE DOUBLE OPENING TIP!** "

When asked, Jube, Girarin, Luffy and Chopper -after asking Zoro- stepped forward to stand closer to two of the referees holding the two balls. To show his strength, Chopper crunched into a familiar yellow ball and stretched upward into his tall thin Jump Point form. At least that way, everyone knew the small reindeer wasn't only cute and fluffy, but a valuable fighter.

Everyone tensed when Rokuroshi, the refs' leader, brought a shiny whistle to his lips.

 ** _TWEEE!_**

The balls were thrown up, but Girarin and Jube launched themselves at Luffy and Chopper with a loud roar, ignoring the balls.

That proved useless though, as both of them jumped easily over their heads and trapped the two balls to boot. In a mess of entangled limbs and pounding headaches for colliding with each other, they proved themselves a rather easy target...

But of course, the rubber teen had a different objective.

"AIM STRAIGHT FOR SPLIT-HEAD, CHOPPER!"

With the speed and force of a cannon, Luffy's rubbery arm shot forward while Chopper changed to his Arm Point and imitated him enthusiastically. Foxy didn't move, paralyzed, as the incoming balls caved his face in with the force of the blasts.

 ** _BAM-BAM!_**

"YEAH!" Usopp cheered, throwing his arms in the air. "You really showed their boss who's boss!"

Koga smirked at Chopper once he landed beside him. "That was payback, right? Good work, Chopper."

"Yeah, thanks..." The reindeer sheepishly laughed.

But, much to their chagrin, Foxy wasn't eliminated. Why? Rule #23 said blows to the face didn't count, unfortunately. Well, thanks to Nami's fast handwork, the balls were still on the Straw Hats' possession, and they could find out more about those molesting rules.

In two demolishing blows, both Zoro and Sanji threw their balls to knock nine players each out of the field, much to Nami's delight. The rebound came to Koga, who decided to only blast Jube and Girarin out of the field with well-aimed throws. Before Chiqicheetah got the balls, Robin grew arms on his back to throw them back to Luffy and Chopper, the only ones who still hadn't eliminated anyone.

'Well, at least someone's having a lot of fun,' Koga mused with a chuckle as he saw Luffy blasting ten guys out of the field- poor Chiqicheetah being one of them.

But when Chopper went to probably outmatch his nakama's score, Hamburg managed to catch his flying crewmates and saved them from being expelled from the game. Shame. And they had _both_ balls now too.

"Shit." Koga cursed to himself when Hamburg laughed and passed the balls to Big Pan. In the Wotan's gigantic hand, they looked like eggs. Feeling the tingle of danger flare off in his head, the chronicler tensed his muscles again and ignored Usopp's screechings best he could.

"LOACH SHOOT!"

... In retrospective, it _was_ funny.

Zoro leaned to the left, Sanji to the right and Koga merely ducked to avoid the first ball. Luffy grabbed his own head and stretched his neck out of the ball's way and Chopper shrank down intohis tiny Brain Point.

The result? The last one in the line, Usopp, didn't have the reflexes enough to duck. That ended with his elimination of the game for stepping out of bounds... along with twenty-two Foxy Pirates that had the misfortune to stand behind the sniper.

" **BIG PAN'S DEVASTATING DODGEBALL SMASH ELIMINATED THE STRAW HATS' LONG-NOSED SNIPER, BUT ALSO CAUSED A CRUSHING AMOUNT OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO HIS OWN TEAM! NOW FOXY AND HAMBURG ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT ON THE FIELD! AT THIS POINT, THE FOXY PIRATES MAY BE UNDONE BY THEIR OWN STRENGTH!** "

It was only Hamburg and Foxy against Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Koga and Sanji now. Everything was going well, but the blond writer felt something iffy with the whole situation, and kept scowling at the rival captain, untrusting.

Soon the situation changed again when Robin bonked Hamburg's head with a dodgeball, resulting it in elimination. Apparently, rule #54 explained that while the face didn't count, the top of the head was still fair game.

Nami then picked up the dodgeball from the ground. "Now there's only one of them left. So, let's finish him off quick."

 **Whap!** The navigator threw it to Sanji, who received it with a cool expression and a 'You got it' affirmation. But then Koga saw the mischievous glimpse of a plan shining in Porche's eye.

"HEY, SANJI-KUN!" A chorus of ladies, led by the idol, called out for the idiot cook.

"Yes, ladies~?"

Foreseeing where this was going, the chronicler sighed morosely before executing a quick Flash Step to take the dodgeball from the chef's hand just as he was going to foolishly hand it over to Porche.

"Good thing I keep you at bay." The blond murmured when the black-clad teen blinked into 'consciousness' when he noticed the absence of the ball in his hand.

"You-! That was for Porche-chan~!"

"You want us to lose?" The writer lifted a thin eyebrow at his companion, who spluttered indignantly before falling quiet. Then spun around to face Porche and the crowd of lovely ladies.

"I'm so sorry my beauties~! Destiny won't allow me this~!"

But Porche wasn't paying attention to him, but to the nonchalant-looking scarred youngster, pinning him down with a murderous glare. And not only him, but also Foxy had a very similar look on his face, assessing him and probably planning how to take him out of the game.

'Good luck with that,' Koga grabbed the dodgeball tighter with both hands and turning to Foxy. 'I'm not easy to take down.'

It was then that he noticed something... Where the hell was Gohan?

 **Ba _-BUM!_**

In a fraction of a second, as he registered that thought, his whole world suddenly pulsed with a terrifyingly painful beat, his entire body locking up and unwilling to move. His balance wavered dangerously.

'What the-?!'

 **Ba- _BUM!_**

"Ngghh-!" His strangled groan, albeit low, didn't come unnoticed as another wave of hot pain cursed through his body, this time driving him to his knees and letting to of the dodgeball to hug his torso, forehead dropping against soft grass.

"Koga!"

"Now you're MINE!"

 ** _BOOM!_**

Even with his intuition warning him of the incoming danger, the chronicler barely could keep the pain away as he rolled out of the incredibly fast dodgeball coming his way. He tried to stand, but found himself fighting another surge of thick needles puncturing every fiber of his being, his staggering unnoticed until he found himself supported by someone.

"Oi! Get a hold of yourself!"

 _What... is this...?_

Even _Sankaoken_ was confused about all this.

"What's going on here?! HEY! ISN'T THIS FOUL PLAY!?"

"Koga! Talk to me! What's happening to you!?"

However, no voice was louder -and _angrier_ \- than Luffy's.

" _YOU BASTARDS_! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM!?"

 **Ba _-BUM!_**

"Hrgk!"

Not even his supporter's arms could avoid him dropping forcefully to the ground in an attempt to alleviate the - _hothothot_ \- pain. He pressed both hands tightly at his chest, his trembling fingers trying to dislodge an invisible grapple on it, grasping nothing but thin air. His eyes opened with great effort, previously closed tightly because of the pain, to throw a murdering glare at Foxy, sitting atop a giant cannon-looking thingy.

Who looked... thoroughly confused?

In the confusion, Porche reacted quickly and, picking up the dropped dodgeball, hit Sanji atop the head with it, getting disqualified with it. Nami apparently shouted in rage because of the dirty play, but nothing could be done as the chef was dragged away from the playground, Usopp grasping his arm tightly and trying to avoid him kicking Foxy to a bloody pulp.

 **Ba- _BUM!_**

Amidst the pulses, a _freezing_ cold sensation suddenly began spreading from his chest, slowly covering his entire frame.

That... was not good. Even if this was the first time he felt like this, Koga _knew_ it.

It was then that _his_ voice cut through the screams, mostly from Luffy as he fought against Zoro, trying to beat a still confused-looking Foxy for harming his nakama right in front of him.

"I'm terribly sorry... But I have to do this."

The cold ran down his biceps, his lower abs and up his neck as he struggled to once again open one of his eyes, blurry vision somehow narrowing onto Gohan as he held a strange card in his hand, the other extended towards him. Around him, his companions slowly separated from him, confusion and fear on their faces as they looked at both the prone chronicler and their nakama, unsure of what was going on.

"YOU!"

Whether it was Foxy or an entirely different person, Luffy didn't give a damn. He only wanted they stopped hurting his friend already.

"Whatever you're doing, _stop it_!" The rubber boy legitimately _roared_ with the fury of the heavens on his voice and face, knuckles an ivory white as he struggled against Zoro's grip once more.

"Koga! Can you hear me?"

Good Chopper tried to call his attention, but all he could envision was the regretful -and _terrified-_ expression on Gohan's face. The hand he had extended towards him was trembling furiously, and sweat poured like a waterfall down his brow.

"Please understand... I don't want to do this... But they- They'll hurt my crew if I don't do this-!"

A sharp intake of breath. Koga felt Chopper's hooves poking at his forearm.

"He's getting colder..."

 _He's trying to block our connection..._

 _Sankaoken_ 's surprisingly struggling voice served Koga to momentarily block out the pain. Suppressing a new scream, the chronicler bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood as he listened to the demon.

 _Because I'm the one keeping you alive, by blocking our connection he can render you useless. I don't know why he's doing this though..._

'Great...'

Suddenly, air came back to him, and the only thing Koga could do for a few moments was greedily take in as much sweet breath as he could, with a concerned Chopper clapping him in the back with one hoof. The cold also receded until it vanished, leaving him with the ghosts of the painful beats. He still kept his frame curled up in a ball, not daring to move just in case, but he raised his head to direct a calm nod at his captain -or as calm as he could, considering his trembling body from the shock of the pain. Still, it was enough for the rubber captain to step away from Zoro's grip, dark eyes blank but still keeping a furious look on his face.

Gohan, he noticed, was still standing, but his hand had lowered to his side and his face showed a myriad of feelings he couldn't begin to unravel, so quickly they went across. The writer still distinguished self-loathing, sadness and an intense fear among them, though.

After checking that Koga, albeit severely weakened, was alright, the game resumed. But the previous playful atmosphere from Luffy's side had disappeared almost completely, replaced by a heavy tension in the air. Of course, due to his condition, Koga was swiftly eliminated from the game. Zoro followed shortly after, because of him damaging the dodgeball to avoid getting hit -thus breaking one of the rules of the humongously big rulebook.

At least, Foxy got banned from using the cannon because he used fake dodgeballs with weapons inside, breaking another rule.

Chopper valiantly protected Luffy from a blow by getting hit in the face, but still went out when Capote hit him on top of his hat.

And Luffy... Well, he just went and ate the dodgeball.

In the end...

" **IT'S OVER!** " Itomimizu yelled atop the cheers of his crewmates. " **LUFFY HAS EATEN HIS WAY TO DEFEAT AS TEAM FOXY WINS THE FIRST ROUND!** "

As Nami yelled at the top of her lungs like a banshee, fireworks bloomed over their heads as Foxy and his crew celebrated yet another victory. The Straw Hats, on the other hand, just groaned and cursed their captain under their breaths. Koga, however, just swept his mismatched gaze over the Foxy Pirates, looking for the one to blame for his weakened condition. But try as he might, Gohan kept himself well hidden, and that brought a troubled frown on his face.

What the hell had been _that_? How did Gohan come across something like this? And why using it on him?

So many questions, and no answers.

Even though his strength was back, Chopper still insisted on helping him to walk. And even though his protests burned in his throat, upon seeing the worried fuzzy face, the writer couldn't voice them. So he let himself be supported with an arm over the reindeer's shoulders -in human form, as the Straw Hats came over to the Foxy Pirates.

After all, they _did_ lose.

" **THE FOXY PIRATES HAVE CLAIMED VICTORY IN ROUND ONE OF THE REMATCH OF THE DAVY BACK FIGHT!** " Itomimizu proudly proclaimed from the stage, Chirp Chirp resting behind him. " **IT'S TIME FOR THE BOSS TO CLAIM HIS PRIZE! WHICH MEMBER OF THE STRAW HAT CREW WILL HE CHOOSE!?** "

A tense silence filled the air once more, the suspense almost driving the lot of them mad, as the unanimous attention went to Foxy as he crossed his arms over his chest and feigned to think deeply. Feigned to, because apparently he had long ago decided and only spent a couple of seconds with his thinking pose before grinning widely.

"FEHFEHFEHFEH! I've known which one I wanted this time from the very start!" His finger pointed at the sky... before snapping down towards the Straw Hats.

At _one_ of them.

"YOU! THE CHRONICLER, DARK REAPER KOGA!"

* * *

Meanwhile, hidden onboard the Sexy Foxy, a trembling Gohan visibly struggled to enter a number in a Den Den Mushi, sweat pouring down his face and sporting a terrified expression. He finally managed to enter the number, and the snail glanced up almost immediately.

"What do you want?" A young, bored-sounding voice asked from the other side of the call.

Gohan gulped audibly and brought the cradle close to his mouth.

"Sir? I've... tested it."

"And? Did it work?"

"Y-yes sir. It did. B-but..."

"What?"

"I-if I may be so bold... I think it... might require a bit of improvement, sir."

"'Might' require? Speak clearly."

"Ah!" Gohan cursed to himself at his slip-up. "W-what I meant sir, i-is that the spell needs more... more power. It only incapacitated the subject for a short time, and-"

"I see." The younger voice rudely interrupted him with ice coating his tone. "So it needs more souls written on it. Maybe a bit more over a hundred. Understandable, considering it's a Prince Demon we're talking about, and the most powerful of them all. I wonder, though..."

Gohan waited for the voice to speak up, but was met only with silence. Gathering what little courage he had, the Foxy Pirate dared to ask the question that had been burning up in his chest since he called this person:

"Uh, s-sir?"

Apparently annoyed at the interruption, the Den Den Mushi's expression showed a deep scowl as the wielder snarled: "What _now_?"

"Sir... I was wondering... My job here has ended, right? S-so... Can I ask you... M-may I ask you to return my crewmates to me? Please?"

Along silence settled, in which dread began filling up his insides, coating it with the same ice that exuded the stranger's voice. Fearing an outburst, or worse, a denial of his request, Gohan held his breath and closed his eyes tightly, silently praying for his and his crewmates' wellbeing.

"Oh, right." The laziness Gohan perceived in his interlocutor's voice confused him for a moment as he opened his eyes again. "I did promise you that. What, aren't you happy with those Foxy Pirates?"

Somehow, the apparently innocent question sent shivers down Gohan's spine.

"Sir, w-with all respect... they're not _my_ crewmates. They're nice, but..."

"... I see. Shame."

"Sir, you promised-"

"I know what I promised, worm." A surge of power kept Gohan's mouth shut, tongue tied in a knot and eyes wide as plates as he stared down at the Den Den Mushi. "... Fine. I'll send you an Eternal Pose to their position in the next three days. Stay where you are in the meanwhile."

And with that, the unknown person hung up.

Still grabbing the cradle, Gohan numbly put it back on its position, letting the snail rest, before his knees suddenly gave up under him. He ended up kneeling in front of the Den Den Mushi, face down and hands grasping the table to avoid completely crashing down to the wooden floor. He didn't move for a few minutes... until a soft sob came out his lips, his frame shaking from the force of his emotions suddenly ramming through.

He only prayed he'd done the right thing, and begged for forgiveness if he had not.

* * *

Far away, inside a dark room, the faintly distinguishable figure of a young man hung up the Den Den Mushi and reclined against his seat, a deep sigh escaping his lips. A terribly scarred hand ran through short hair.

"What am I gonna do now, huh?" The bored youth spoke to himself. "I'm going to lose a damn good agent because of pesky promises. Bah."

He hummed, scratching his head leisurely.

"I could always send him a false Eternal Pose... Then again, he'd bore me with more calls. And I can't risk getting caught while doing this..."

For a few seconds, he didn't move, until he apparently reached a decision and grabbed a nearby Eternal Pose.

"Well, I have useful info now. I can always get more agents on the way. Seems it's the end of that worm as my secret agent."

Looking over the hourglass-shaped instrument, a dark chuckle suddenly came from the youth.

"Let's see how everything turns out... Demon Prince of Death and Darkness..."

* * *

 **L: And that's it!** **And now, review answers~! Man, there's so many!** **I'll try to answer them as best I can, but it's one a.m. and I'm about to collapse, so sorry in advance if they seem a bit rushed.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo King, no time no see!**

 **K: Who the hell is Wright? And are you sure it's spelled that way? Feels wrong...**

 **L: Don't worry about it Koga-kun. Well, considering how in the Captain's Battle Luffy reflected the beam with a tiny shard of mirror, I thought the minimal clean space in the sword's surface would be enough too!**

 **K: Thanks. But I admit they were annoying me. Even though I like skating, it may be now my new most hated sport now thanks to them...**

 **L: Aw, thanks so much about that! This chap has also a lot of 'Whaaaaaaa?' going on too, hope you liked it !**

 **-14fox: Yo Foxie-kun! I'm so glad to hear that !**

 **K: Stop calling me monkey-brat you # . Hey, Author, don't censor my insults!**

 **L: After the shitty weeks I've been through, I'll censor whatever I want! Oh, don't worry Fox, I also am to blame here, what with my awfully late updates... Hope to hear from you again soon!**

 **K: What's with you people mentioning Coby all the time... And that is a bit disturbing...**

 **L: Meh, Coby _is_ cute.**

 **-King0fP0wers (2): Yo! Ooh, you created an account! Nice!**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yo Brunch! Yeah writing about that felt _real good,_ hehe. Well I had thought of Free getting out of Impel Down at Marineford Arc, but I kinda felt it rushed and sudden, so I first put him on a job with The Chapel guys. And it's not like he doesn't remember but more like he doesn't _care_ why they jailed him in the first place; as someone immortal, spending a few decades in jail didn't seem much, even Impel Down. Oh, and who said it was Jinbe? He isn't the only blue-skinned fishman we know, right? *winks* It _is_ true, he has already a Wanted Poster with a bounty and a nickname (if relevant, I'll reveal them later on), but keep in mind that he's really _old_. It's not really strange that no one but maybe the high-ranking Marines remember him or his deeds.**

 **-Guest-san: Yo! Yeah that was really fun! Well he feels weird with so many rules for sure! There will be some serious moments though... About Free... Well his eye _will_ have a different power than that of Soul Eater, and yes it's a Devil Fruit! More related to tracking though. Later on I'll tell more of his powers... But you do have interesting theories!**

 **-Boopadoop: Yo, Boop! Hahahaha, don't worry man, the chapter will still be here when you get back ! Thanks so much for that compliment! Yeah, it could be viewed as Soru, but considering it's one of his DF techniques... Oops, sorry about that! Happy (lateee) Easter to you too!**

 **-Guest: He will be extremely difficult to kill, like Koga-kun, but not flat-out immortal. He's already too powerful. Noted, an OC pairing coming up!**

 **-Guest (2): Koga/Robin pairing, roger that!**

 **-LilyAllicia: Yo Lily, it's been a while! I'm glad you managed to keep up! Well the reason is only because I find it difficult to be introducing a lot of OCs and expect you to remember every single one of them. Most of you know Soul Eater, and I _love_ these characters so I thought, why not? I'm so flattered by that! I'm always trying to improve my writing, and except a few slip-ups, I think I'm managing to hold my own Yeah, I personally prefer a OC/OC pairing too. Well let's see how it develops, though (as I said before) I'm not very good at writing romantic stuff.**

 **-Guest (3): Wow, thank you! Honestly I think I'm _far_ for being great, but I'm so flattered by your comment !**

 **-Boopadoop (2): I... Will... PUNCH IT! *publishes chapter 70* YEEESSS! Finally! You have _no idea_ how long this had been!**

 **-Guest (4): Okay! Though my OCs will be varied, the pairing _will not_ be immature, don't worry.**

 **-Guest (5): Thank you! You'll just have to wait and see~! Hm, well in this fic, magic does exist, although in a more spiritual sense than anything. Devil Fruits cover up the hurricanes, tsunamis and all the other stuff xD! Huh, that's actually a good question...**

 **-King0fP0wers (3): Sorry for worrying you! Here is (finally) the update!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!** **G'night...**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	71. Being a Foxy Pirate

**7** **1\. Being a Foxy Pirate**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **Man this time I managed to upload sooner, though it is awfully short! Sorry for that, but my job barely leaves me with time to actually breathe. Oh, good luck to those guys in the middle of exams! I know what you're going through! ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"Well, you guys certainly have a hefty display of masks here..."

"Pfff, _please_. We command nearly five-hundred boneheads. Do you really _think_ we don't have their needs covered? Everything, from the food to the attire to the room arrangement we had to make sure they were at least satisfied. That also includes the masks."

"Huh. Don't take this the wrong way, but... Considering almost half of your crew comes from those you've defeated, last thing you should worry about is their needs. Or at least the aesthetic ones."

Porche stopped sorting out the display of different masks they had available and sighed deeply, her shoulders slightly dropping, before turning to the stone-faced new recruit, whose mismatched eyes didn't lose sight of her.

Mistrusting.

Cold.

Ever since Foxy "recruited" him after the Straw Hats' last loss, the chronicler had accepted it without protest (not like most of his former crew), but he hadn't made any effort to join with his new crewmates, blatantly casting them away with a piercing glare. He'd obeyed his new captain's order of equipping himself with a Foxy mask at least, and followed Porche inside the Sexy Foxy.

"Listen, I know you don't think very well of us, especially after taking you away from your former crew... But we aren't as bad as you think. You'll love it here, I assure you. We take care of our own."

"What are you talking about? I'm not angry."

"Huh?!" She gaped at the slightly confused chronicler. "Then why the hell are you glaring at us as if you wish to eviscerate us?!"

Now Koga looked offended as he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's my usual face. I don't trust people first time I meet them. And with your foul plays and obnoxious disrespect for the rules, you guys don't exactly ease my mistrust. No offense."

"... None taken." Porche sighed, actually looking a bit ashamed. A small silence settled between them before the idol continued with a meek voice. "It hadn't always been like this, you know. All the... the cheating and the foul play."

Koga, who had been examining a rather nice-looking fox mask that covered the upper half of his face, set it down for a moment and looked over to the woman with a raised eyebrow in both inquiry and curiosity.

"At first there were only five of us here, led by Boss. Things were rough back then, with so few of us actually working as a pirate crew. Even with Boss' Devil Fruit powers." Porche's voice sounded nostalgic and sad at the same time. "Because we were rookies, and because we were in the Grand Line, it wasn't strange to find either the Marines or a stronger pirate crew at our tails for whatever reason."

She fiddled with her baton absentmindedly, eyes staring at the table... but seeing far off in the distance of her memories.

"We... or rather, _I_ had a knack for gambling and cheating at every casino in every island we'd stop. At first it was a worrying obsession, but it grew more and more serious. Until one day, because of my naïve foolishness and overconfidence, I lost a risky gamble, that cost us one of our crewmates." She shivered a bit. "That was the only time Boss had been _ever_ angry at me. And that was the last time I ever set foot in a casino."

The more the story advanced, the more Koga's scowl dropped, and the more guilty he felt. Maybe he had been too eager in judging them, without knowing their reasons behind their constant cheating.

"We knew we couldn't retrieve our crewmate by playing fair and square, with only four people against near two-hundred pirates." Porche sighed again. "So, our Boss came to the brilliant plan that we still carry on today: challenge them to the Davy Back Fight, cheat like dogs and retrieve our crewmate. And to make them pay, we took their flag." She actually _smiled_ in somber satisfaction before growing pensive. "That was the only crew we took no crewmates from. They were animals, _savages_ , unbefitting of our crew."

Even unwilling to admit it, Koga felt surprised and a bit of admiration at the reasons why the Foxy Pirates began with that distorted play of Davy Back Fights against other crews. But...

"Then why did you keep challenging other crews?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "You got your crewmate back from those bastards. You didn't need to continue doing this any longer, right?"

"Well..." She actually _blushed_ and giggled while rubbing the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "Yes, at first that was our only objective. But then, uh... We became kind of... addicted."

"... Huh?"

"Even with our crewmate in risk of not going back, we still had our fun!" The idol exclaimed, making Koga jump a bit in surprise at her sudden enthusiasm. "The thrill, the adventure, they're so... addicting! And the _rewards_! You can't imagine how much money we had!"

"Uh..."

But before the writer could form a coherent phrase, suddenly the woman calmed down on her own with a somewhat sad expression.

"When we got our Sexy Foxy, it was then that the crewmate we saved back when everything began, left us behind. Somehow, without our noticing, he began despising our methods to the point of publicly humiliating our Boss." She sniffed and wiped her nose with a handkerchief. "You can't possibly imagine the words he said that day. Boss was _devastated_. And we hated seeing him like that."

Unsure of what to say or do, Koga just watched her as the idol tortured the poor handkerchief until she saved it again on her pouch.

"We considered leaving the Davy Back Fight method. Return to being weak, and desperate to find our own way in this merciless sea." The ghost of a smile crossed her face. "But Boss wouldn't hear any of that. 'Cheating is our lifestyle!', he said. 'Our icon! It would be like dishonoring that Jolly Roger we're flying over our heads! If we leave the Davy Back Fight behind, then we can no longer be named the Foxy Pirates, and I won't be your captain!'" She let out a breath sounding like a chuckle. "That was the first time the new recruits saw just what he was made of too."

And for the first time, Koga saw the treacherous Foxy Pirates in a complete new light. He understood their need of survival in a pacific way, their need to grow stronger in recruiting new people and in disbanding other crews.

In a way, it wasn't that different from what he and the Straw Hats were doing. The Foxy Pirates only chose another route more fitting for their... unique talent for cheating.

'And strategizing too,' the blond suddenly thought, mismatched eyes widening a bit. 'After all, they'd need to see just how strong is really a crew to balance whether they need the crewmates or for them to disband. And they knew I was an obstacle in their cheating plans, so they recruited me as soon as they could. They're not as idiots as they seem.'

Porche looked over at him after composing herself a bit, even with her nose and eyes slightly red.

"Now you see, right? Why we cheat. We're pirates, after all." She smiled weakly, then cleared her throat and began looking over the displayed masks once more. "Now, have you chosen a mask yet?"

He blinked. "Oh, yeah, this one. Uh... I have a couple questions for you."

"Oh, about who you're going to stay with in the bunkers? Sorry, that's for later-"

"No, no. It's about Gohan-san." She froze at the name, both remembering the strange scene of him with the card torturing the blond chronicler. "Where did you find him?"

"Actually, he found us. He told us someone spoke about us to him and went over and asked us if he could join." She shrugged carelessly. "He proved to be a good person and a good asset to the crew, so we welcomed him in with open arms. He's one of the rarities of the crew, I admit."

"That's it?" Koga frowned as he put on the mask on his face, partially covering his scar.

"Well, not really." She also frowned as she remembered something. "He put one condition for him to join us: he'd be able to leave if he asked for it. No questions asked, no turning back."

"Sounds fishy. Didn't you try to ask him about it?"

"Of course we did! But he kept silent the whole time. And even after we stopped watching him, he still stayed on guard, as if awaiting for something to happen."

'Something... like what happened to me, maybe?' Koga thought, raising his scarf to his nose as he followed Porche through the Sexy Foxy to the exit.

It seemed he'd need to ask Gohan those questions himself, then.

"One more thing... Have you ever encountered a Cursed during your travels, or your Davy Back Fights?"

She shivered before nodding. "Yes, we found one. He was weak, but he looked so _old_..." Another tremor coursed her body before her head swirled around to stare a t him wide-eyed. "Wait, are you one too!?"

Now what? Should he lie, or say the truth?

"... Yeah." He chose the truth. He'd be in this crew for a few more hours at best, and half the world already knew of his Cursed condition thanks to his Wanted Poster. "My Wanted Poster kinda gave it away."

"I thought it was only a shady title!" She gasped. "I never thought you'd actually _be_ a Cursed!"

"Is it really _that_ bad, having me on the crew? I mean, I don't plan to stay here for long, but..."

"What? No, it's just that..." She sighed again. "When we found that Cursed, we saw how much you guys suffer with a demon inside you. It's not _bad_ to have you on the crew, but... It'd be hard if you live on without us."

Koga frowned in confusion just as they got to the main deck and began descending the ramp to the ground. "Cursed aren't immortal, you know. We can still die."

"Not _that_ Cursed we found. He _couldn't_ die."

Stunned, Koga stopped and let Porche get to her captain. Could a Cursed like that exist at all? Someone that could live on beyond his humans years...

 _Doubt that. I mean, sure, if he stays out of danger and doesn't surrender to his demon's desires he can survive for a long time; but if the human grows weaker, we get our chance to go back to the Demon Realm without really breaking our Contract. But I've never heard of a demon able to outlive a Contract._

 _Sankaoken_ 's nonchalant answer made him blink. So there was something that even the demon didn't know?

 _Don't get cocky brat. You didn't know either._ _Anyways, you should get to your new 'nakama'. The next challenge's about to begin._

Biting his lower lip, Koga frowned as he shook his thoughts aside and strolled over to Foxy's side in the border of a cliff, weaving through the crowd of Foxy Pirates standing behind their leader. Luffy was there too, on Foxy's other side.

The course selected for the second game was the reef from the very first challenge they had, with two paths that eventually met and became one at the base of a rocky mountain. The new path wound side-to-side up the mountain to an open flat patch at the top.

" **ROUND TWO WILL BE HELD ON THE LONG REEF!** " Itomimizu announced while flying over the course on Chirp Chirp, Tonjit sitting behind him. " **THE GAME WILL BE DASH-TOUCH-DOMINATION! OR, AS THE KIDS CALL IT: RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT! BUT, THIS IS NO KID'S GAME! WHENEVER PIRATES PLAY DASH-TOUCH-DOMINATION, THEY PLAY HARD, AND THEY PLAY TO _WIN_!** "

Koga looked over his nakama and saw them already up to the challenge, with their weapons at the ready. The same could be said about their opponents, though.

"Are you ready to see your former crewmates lose?" Foxy murmured at him with a cocky smirk.

"Nah. Just getting ready to go back to them." The writer also drew a similar smile on his face.

"... You don't need to sound so sure of it."

" **THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: WHOEVER MOVES EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT AFTER THE LIGHT CALLS OUT 'RED LIGHT' IS OUT! WHICHEVER TEAM TOUCHES THE STOPLIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE REEF FIRST WILL BE DECLARED THE WINNER! THE USE OF WEAPONS IS APPROVED AND ENCOURAGED! THAT'S WHAT MAKES DASH-TOUCH-DOMINATION A TRULY PERILOUS GAME!** "

Koga could feel the weight of a sweatdrop hanging on his head.

" **PLAYING FOR THE STRAW HAT TEAM... IS THE SAME BORING LINE UP AS ALWAYS!** "

"SHUT UP, JERK!" Everyone but Robin snapped back at the announcer, with the archaeologist giggling a bit in amusement. Participating in the race were Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Robin and Usopp.

" **LEADING TEAM FOXY-!** "

"Wow, that was quick." Koga commented to himself.

" **-IS OUR BELOVED IDOL PORCHE AND THE BEASTLY ODDITY HAMBURG! THE EVER-SWIFT CHIQICHEETAH, THE FEARSOME FISHMAN CAPOTE, TACKLE MACHINE PICKLES AND BIG PAN THE WOTAN WILL GO WITH THEM!** "

'I see.' The blond writer lifted his scarf up to his nose again in thought, watchin Itomimizu drop Tonjit on top of the mountain, just at the end of the course. 'Neither captain participates on it. I wonder if that's in the rules or it's just because of the number of members that can be rosted in this game.'

" **AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE TONJIT AS OUR STOPLIGHT!** "

And it was then, just after Foxy slipped up about it, that Koga noticed that the two paths, while leading both to the base of the mountain, were definitely different. The Foxy Pirates' path was a straight, flat track that led right to the mountain, while the Straw Hats' was jagged, uneven and weaved back and forth making it much longer.

"I guess using that Dodo Beam is really the only talent he has." Sanji grumbled as he let out a cloud of smoke from his mouth.

"Stupid fox." Chopper agreed.

"Split-Head." And Usopp gave the killing blow.

And as Foxy dropped to his knees moping because of the insults, Koga actually chuckled in amusement with his arms crossed over his chest.

One of the Foxy Pirates took notice of that and snarled angrily at him. "Oi, are you making fun of our Boss? You should cheer him up and say that he's awesome as your new captain!"

Stopping his chuckle, the writer lifted a blond eyebrow at him in genuine confusion. "And why the hell should I do that? I never told Luffy or the others that they're awesome, even if I think that. If I feel the urgent need to do so, then maybe I will. But I won't lend my compliments so easily just because someone's self-esteem is incredibly low."

The Foxy Pirate looked at him looked at him in anger, then in bewilderment and lastly a bit of admiration, as he acquiesced with a shrug and continued trying to cheer on his captain.

It wasn't long before everyone was good to go. And yes, that meant Foxy's self-esteem was back at its precariously high level. For the moment.

" **OKAY THEN! TO KICK OFF THIS EVENT, AS THE D.T.D RULES STATE, BOTH TEAMS MUST START BY CALLING OUT THE FIRST STEP!** "

"Taking the first step... Now!" All twelve participants chorused.

But while the Straw Hats had all taken a normal step forward, the Foxy Pirates had all been picked up by Pickles and Big Pan, letting the two latter take a giant twenty-foot step forward. Koga's eye twitched in annoyance and Luffy threatened Foxy about cheating, but in the end nothing could be done about the Foxy Team's advantage.

And as Tonjit turned and buried his face against a large rock on top of the reef with him, Itomimizu proclaimed a last announcement:

" **SO, TO RECAP! TEAM FOXY CLAIMED THE VICTORY IN THE LAST ROUND! LET US SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN ROUND TWO, D.T.D! READY... _GO!_** "

* * *

In retrospective, despite what Itomimizu said earlier, Koga saw this whole round as a child's game. With kicks, swords, more than a few foul-mouthed insults and fights here and there of course, but a game after all. Maybe it was because of his watching position on top of the cliff with his previous captain and his actual one (and man did he feel weird thinking about that). Seeing Sanji's womanizing or Zoro's bad orientation sense (to say the least, 'cause he had the _worst_ ) actually served him to see his nakama from a new perspective.

And when he dwelt on his thoughts, he actually saw how hard his friends were fighting for getting him back to his rightful place in the Straw Hat crew. Everyone, from the gruff swordsman to the money-grubbing witch and to the recently-recruited archaeologist, they were fighting tooth and nails to defeat the Foxy Pirates and return him to their side. It... warmed his heart with a feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time. The writer actually felt grateful that he had such wonderful friends at his side.

But while his warm feeling was there, it also came with the cold grip of mind-numbing _fear_. They didn't know his secrets, what he did, or what he was able to do yet. He didn't want them to leave him behind, to _betray him_ ; that would kill him, both figuratively and literally. But also, even knowing that trust had to work both ways, he couldn't bring himself to admit everything to them.

Just talking about his brother and his current situation with him costed him a lot of emotional garbage he didn't _need_. Hell, even talking about the orphanage pained him a lot. He felt good, lifting some of the heavy weight off his shoulders, but it still didn't compensate the pain it brought behind.

At Foxy's other side, Luffy roared in laughter as he saw the ridiculous faces everyone was doing while paralyzed in place, interrupting Koga's thoughts for a moment before withdrawing into himself once more.

Actually, they weren't exactly that far from his homeland. A few more islands to go through, then go straight to the Florian Triangle, where Kukkuri island was located. If everything went well, then he wouldn't even need to say anything.

His worries palliated for the moment, Koga blinked back into the game to see the two teams now at Red Light. Big Pan and Pickles were eliminated way early in the game (by their own doing). Sanji was close to the stoplight, but Chiqicheetah, Porche and Hamburg were already all out in front and had quite a significant lead on the Straw Hat team.

As soon as Tonjit turned and began with the Green Light sentence, everyone was moving again almost in a blur. Of course Zoro managed to get lost in a straight path, but luckily Robin created a 'hand-made' bridge to get to his side and show him the true path. Nami, Chopper and Usopp went to continue the race, quickly surpassing Capote as he tried to stand in their way; thus getting chased by an angry fishman on their heels of course.

Tonjit apparently had fallen asleep while calling 'Green Light, Red Light', so when everyone woke him, he got so startled the phrase came out really quickly and the teams had to react really fast.

In short, Capote's impulse got him eliminated of course.

The race restarted, with Robin and Zoro using their surprisingly advantageous position to create a shortcut and get to Sanji's side, giving him momentum to get right at Chiqicheetah, Porche and Hamburg were. The chef stood between Tonjit and the half-cheetah man and knocked him out with a well-placed kick. Hamburg and Porche tried to get into the flat surface by climbing, but the man had to hold on the corner just as Tonjit finished the sentence and turned around to see them both fall into the sea.

In the end, of course, Sanji touched the stoplight... and won the second challenge.

* * *

It wasn't too long again after that fireworks wentoff over the stage as the two crews gathered together, to decide the result of the latest round.

"Well, Straw Hat?" Foxy asked from the stage, though with gritted teeth. "Who'll it be this time?"

And Luffy grinned to impossible lengths. "You have to ask? Gimme back my chronicler!"

It had been an unnecessary question, though it felt kind of ritualistic. Koga smiled softly as he pulled off his Foxy mask and began making his way back to his friends, who were already eagerly waiting for him...

... And then suddenly, he stopped.

"Huh?" Nami blinked when she saw him paralyzed between the two crews. "Koga, what's wrong? Come back here!"

"Uh, actually..." Koga lifted a finger with a sheepish grin. "May I stay here for a few more minutes, Luffy?"

A long silence. Then...

"EEH?!"

"Oh come on, it's not that weird!" The writer complained as he rubbed his ear with a frown. "You still win me back, but I have something to do in the Foxy Pirates before returning to you guys."

"Can't you do that with us?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"I doubt it. After all, even temporarily, he's my crewmate now, and as such, maybe he's more obligated to tell me things that otherwise would keep silent about. And I don't know the whole Sexy Foxy, so it would take me quite a time to find him."

It took them a few minutes, but eventually everyone knew who he was talking about. After all, he'd been missing since what happened at the first challenge, and no one had even got a glimpse of him in the second one.

" **IT IS CERTAINLY UNUSUAL, HAVING A NEWLY RECUPERATED CREWMATE TO REMAIN IN HIS FORMER CREW FOR A WHILE LONGER!** " Itomimizu commented. " **BUT I THINK THAT, AS LONG AS BOTH CAPTAINS AGREE, THEN KOGA'S WISHES CAN BE RESPECTED! AT LEAST FOR A SHORT WHILE!** "

"We can make an exception on this one, I don't care." Foxy shrugged.

Luffy's face scrunched up in concentration before catching sight of his chronicler's serious expression, and then nodded. "I don't like it, but I trust you. Okay, we'll win you back after two hours!"

The blond's stance relaxed and even smiled in appreciation. "Thanks. Now I'll have to find him."

"We'll help you!" Quite a few Foxy Pirates, much to his surprise, actually stepped up.

"Hamburg and I can coast over Long Ring Long Land." Porche also volunteered sheepishly, avoiding his gaze.

"Fehfehfeh! As you see, us Foxy Pirates can be nice when we want to!" Foxy laughed, clapping Koga in the back as his crew began to disperse and organize in teams.

The Straw Hats were, in all honesty, quite surprised at how eager they were to help him. Maybe it was the fact that Koga was still their crewmate for a few hours more.

So, thanks to the Foxy Pirates' kind help, eventually they could find him deep into the Sexy Foxy, in a dark room Foxy explained was used as a temporary cargo hold. As soon as they found him, they ran to Koga and directed him and the Straw Hats (who insisted in accompanying him at least) to that room. Their guide however, looked quite shocked and a bit concerned of what he saw, even if he wouldn't tell.

Koga understood as soon as he opened the door and stepped alone inside the room.

The room, ill-lit and heavy with smoke, didn't have any windows. Craters of different sizes littered the corners of the room, most unopened and some covered by a white mantle. The only source of light, a candle resting on a table and on the side of a sleeping Den Den Mushi.

And in one of the corners, sitting on top of one of the craters, was a hunched-over, evidently distressed Gohan.

Now when Koga had entered the room, he'd done so determined to get some answers. But seeing his drooped shoulders, his disheveled hair and the impressive amount of cigarette butts in the ashtray beside him somehow convinced the writer to do otherwise. He'd stopped at the door, closing it quietly behind him after asking his friends to wait for him. They'd looked at him funny, but acquiesced.

Maybe it was the small flicker of the candle's flame, but eventually Gohan raised his head and saw the younger man standing at the door.

Koga sucked in his breath. He seemed... older. As if several years had suddenly dropped on top of his shoulders with the force and weight of a thousand pounds with merciless cruelty. His face, once bright and smiley, now held the same gray tone as the ashes of his ashtray, lips frowning and eyes slightly red and swollen.

For a few seconds, none of them broke the silence. Until the older man breathed heavily before dropping his gaze again at the wooden floor.

"I assume you have questions." His low voice was a bit hoarse from his heavy smoking.

"I uh..." Koga cleared his throat, nervously. "Yeah, I do."

Another deep sigh. Resignation. Acceptance.

"... Very well then. Better take a seat kid. It'll take us some time."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! The part of the challenge itself was admittedly shorter, but I didn't have any part that was substantial in that sense, so I shortened it up to avoid repeating the ending that we all know already. They're the heroes, they have to win! And now, review answers~!**

 **-Ultimate Student: Don't worry, I know~! We still have to update that story of yours BTW!**

 **-zerom1v: Oh yeah it is horrible. Actually it is for Demon Princes, but because Koga-kun's demon is slightly more powerful, then more souls are needed, You could think as the Seven Demons as normal princes, while Koga-kun's is the Crown Prince. Like the heir. Oh, you'll know soon enough.**

 **-Guest (from chap 5): Thanks! Don't worry, I'm alright now. Shit hit the fan pretty hard here at home, but at least now everything's back to (relative) normal. Well, Koga-kun's arc still a ways to go, but not that much. Keep it up!**

 **-Guest-san: Yeah, I know! I really should stop bringing up different ways of killing off the Demon Princes, shouldn't I? But I feel that I'm making them too OP. Well I'm trying to avoid any religious-related demons, so no Bibles or Koran mentions. Ways of exorcising demons are also not-religious related, though the actual representation of the seven deadly sins ARE religious. Uh, whoops? Oh thank you so much for your concern. Don't worry, I'll keep up the story! And even if I stop this story, I'll post an announcement like 'Up for adoption!' or something like that. But honestly, I'm too proud of my work here to stop.**

 **-6BlueSweaters: Glad you liked it. Koga-kun's going through a lot of emotional and physical pain, and of course everyone gets furious when they see one of their own like that. Maybe I'll make a spin-off with their POV, or even a mention of this in the form of a flashback, but I warn you, it's unlikely. I'm much better at portraying the scenes from Koga-kun's POV. Glad you liked the idea! I felt like pulling that idea out of my ass a bit random, so I wasn't sure how you readers would react to it. And I hoped you like the end of this chapter too, even if it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.**

 **-The Author God (from chap 22): Glad you like it! Please keep supporting me!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	72. Is it really over?

**72\. Is it really over?**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **Happy late 4th everyone! I'm so, so sorry for the delay (again), but I have... issues with the romance poll.**

 **I know, I said I would just let you readers decide whether to have romance in my fic or not (and what couple), but I've been all this time stuck trying to figure out the Goddamn romantic scenes! I just can't do it, not with Robin or with an OC! There is merely NO WAY for me to figure out scenes that don't sound so cheesy or un-romantic (if that's even a word) that could work out with Koga. Or with... anyone, really. If I wanted to do a Zoro/Robin or a Sanji/Nami fic, I'm sure I'd find the exact same problems. Heck, my one and only romantic-oriented fic is actually on hiatus because I have absolutely no idea of how to actually portray romance in a writing work.**

 **... Damn. I don't want you guys to think that I easily break promises, but I also don't want to put this fic on hiatus because I cant figure out romance. What should I do!?**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

"We were in the South Blue. We had to delay our departure because Chubby had once more eaten almost all the ingredients we had onboard." Gohan's chuckle held at the same time sadness and fondness. "With some shenanigans, in the end I learned that nearly everyone else in the crew desperately needed something from that island we disembarked. Bloody chance, or was it some kind of accursed destiny? I can never decide, though I'm inclined to the 'destiny' card."

Frowning, Koga stepped away from the closed door and sat down on the floor opposite the positively destroyed ex-captain, who didn't look up from the wooden planks, dejectedly and ultimately lost in his haunting memories.

"Everytime we separated, one rule we had was to give a Den Den Mushi per group to keep contact with each other. It wasn't usual that our entire crew got separated, but we had that rule for a reason. But somehow, that day, we simply... forgot to give one. I-I still can't fathom the reason why I decided it wasn't necessary." With a strangled groan, the Foxy pirate gripped his grey-ish hair still keeping his face hidden from the younger man. "Damn the myself from back then for not thinking."

'It wasn't your fault,' Koga wanted to say, but bit his tongue with obvious effort. Right now, interrupting Gohan could result in him ignoring the chronicler and possibly an outburst. The blond young man needed neither reaction at the moment.

"It wasn't sudden from what I understood." The man continued, his voice much more subdued. "Me and Gallagher were the first ones to get to the ship. We were used to spend much time getting all the materials we needed, so I didn't suspect anything was going on when no one else appeared at sundown." A sigh. "At dawn, finally both me and Gallagher realized something was wrong. We got armed up, and got into the small town we were docked in, to search our crewmates."

Regret and sadness flowed out of the hunched man in great waves, slightly unnerving Koga, who fidgeted against the wall with an even deeper scowl on his face. What the hell happened that day?

"Thankfully the town was small enough for us to find clues about our crewmates' whereabouts rather easily. Gallagher was our huntress, so she was quite used to follow up tracks and figure out scenes; she got us on the right path from the beginning." Probably trying to calm his ever-growing nerves, Gohan lit up a cigar and brought it to his lips, breathing out an impressive smoke-cloud. "She told me they were kidnapped. And not peacefully."

Koga sucked in a breath, eyes widening. "Marines?"

"Ha! I wish." Gohan actually barked in laughter before drawing a self-loathing smile on his face. "They'd been far more merciful."

A lump formed in Koga's suddenly dry throat.

"Even with Gallagher guiding me, it still lasted a few hours until we finally found them. Or... one of them." Another sigh, this one much shakier. "I still can't forget the expanse of his injuries, or the absolute broken look he threw at me when he told me what happened."

It was all to get to him, Gohan continued with a hollowed-out voice, trying desperately to sound detached and not about to break down. The crewmembers were all approached to the same way, by a friendly man in white robes who asked for their help in some thing or another, before getting clocked on their heads and losing consciousness. They were then gagged, tied like sausages and separated from each other; they only knew they were all in the same place because of the occasional screams of pain, all familiar voices.

"The guy who got to us, Brandon, was one of the last they... t-t-tortured," Gohan visibly struggled to let out that accursed word, "before they let him go, to get to me and pass me a message."

"... A message?" Doubtful to break through Gohan's thoughts, Koga's voice came out as a mere murmur.

"... More than a 'mission', if you will." The man shuddered, before suddenly locking his furious bloodshot eyes into Koga's unique ones, freezing him in place at the sheer ferocity of the glare. "Whoever got my pals, they know about you. Not you as a Cursed, but you as a person. They asked about you by name."

"What? H-How?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that. What kind of monster did you anger? What did you do? And most importantly..." Gohan suddenly shot to his feet, making Koga instinctively imitate him in a much more guarded manner. "Why did we have to suffer the consequences of it!?"

Somehow knowing this was the alcohol and the pent-up frustration at work, the younger man merely steeled himself for a beating with his eyes firmly shut... before reopening them at the lack of contact. He found the unsteady Foxy pirate with his gaze in his stomach area, but his eyes were glazed over, still faraway from the present.

"Brandon never got a look at the white-robed guy's face, or his minions." He continued as if in a daze. "The only thing they ever asked was about you. They wanted to know every detail we knew about you, from how we met you to what we knew about your powers." A shudder went through his body. "They were... not satisfied with the answers."

That simple phrase made Koga's blood suddenly run cold, and a new wave of pity softened his scowl.

"Until they somehow knew about me and Gallagher on their trail. Thus they set Brandon free, on the condition of setting me by their rules if I wanted to see the rest of my crew alive. I accepted. And to protect both Gallagher and Brandon, I sent them far away but within contact."

"What... what were the rules they set up for you?"

A haunted look on Gohan's face as he raised his gaze towards the chronicler, who couldn't help the shudder again running up his spine.

"Test out any potential weapon against you, and hunt down every other Cursed I could come across." Some sort of cross between a grimace and a smirk tried to ghost through his lips... without any success, to be honest. "I don't know what bad-luck star you were born under, Koga-kun, but I can say without a doubt... that it is one of the worse ones."

* * *

By the time their conversation was over, Luffy and Usopp had already gone to prepare for the oncoming Captain Duel, the latter to 'prepare' the former. And while Gohan had thrown him out of the room with only a weak reassurance of his well-being, the writer had kept quiet about the whole conversation as per his usual behavior.

Not that the rest of his crewmates were actually satisfied with the half-assed answers he gave to their questions, of course. Specifically, Nami wasn't in the least reassured by his 'This-is-my-own-problem' reply the writer spat in more than one of her questions, judging the screeches that rang in his ear until they all settled down on the Foxy Pirates' stands, built up conveniently on the shore surrounding the Sexy Foxy. Which, by the way, would act as the 'ring' for Luffy and Foxy's impending Captain Duel.

Koga sighed as he settled down beside Sanji, making sure to give a wide berth between him and the still-fuming navigator with a sweatdrop. Seriously, he inwardly thanked having such friends that worried for his well-being, but for goodness' sake, he could look after himself no problem. He didn't need a mother hen in the form of a raging, weather-controlling demoness, thank you very much.

'Enough thinking of that,' Koga decided as fireworks bloomed in the sky once more, and hopefully for the last time. 'This is Luffy's time.'

" **AND NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE MAIN EVENT!"** Itomimizu proclaimed once more from on top of his bird, Den Den Mushi transmitting what was happening loud enough for everyone to hear. " **THE FIGHTERS ARE IN PLACE AND THE BELL IS READY TO SOUND!** "

Over their heads, the skies suddenly went black, and two sets of bright flood lights went on, illuminating Luffy and Foxy's Wanted posters one beside the other. The crowd began cheering, and Koga couldn't help but bend forward a bit, letting the excitement swim over him for a moment.

" **TODAY, WE HAVE A REAL TREAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT'S A CAPTAIN-VERSUS-CAPTAIN SHOWDOWN! FIRST, COMING OUT OF THE LEFT EAR, WE HAVE OUR REIGNING DAVY BACK CHAMPION!** " As he spoke, Foxy suddenly spilled out of the Sexy Foxy's fox figurehead's left ear, sporting a purple cloak and three backup dancers behind him. " **A MAN AMONG MEN, WHO NEVER TURNS DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE, AND BOASTS A** **LEGENDARY PERSONAL RECORD OF NINE-HUNDRED TWENTY WINS AND ZERO LOSSES!** "

"Idiot lost to us, didn't he." Nami muttered, with a somber expression, ignoring Zoro and Sanji fighting once more.

" **GIVE IT UP FOR OUR ONE AND ONLY BOSS! THE SILVER FOX... _FOXY_!"**

The crowd practically hollered at that, minus Nami and the others, who remained quiet and seated with deadpan expressions. Foxy merely lifted his gauntlets and laughed in that weird laugh of his.

"Let him have his fleeting moment of glory, guys..." Koga commented then casually, snatching a popcorn from Chopper's bag. "It won't last long..."

" **AND IN THE RIGHT EAR, THE CHALLENGER FROM THE EAST BLUE WITH A CREW OF ONLY EIGHT PIRATES BUT A HUNDRED-MILLION BERRI BOUNTY!** " Luffy and Usopp came out of the right ear as commanded, both looking slightly... different. " **THE RUBBER WONDER... MONKEY D 'STRAW HAT' LUFFY!** "

"YEAHHHH!"

Koga and many others blinked in surprise at what Luffy donned. A pair of red boxing gloves, elbow pads and red shorts. He'd left his shirt... somewhere, and in his chest someone had painted a blue flaming skull and crossbones. Maybe Usopp's work. But what really, really stood out like a sore thumn was the huge black afro wig that he wore on his head, his straw hat safely secured by the sniper standing behind him.

Sanji, Zoro, Chopper and Robin complimented the afro quite whole-heartedly, but what was surprising was the support Luffy received from many of the Foxy Pirates because of that, judging the roar they let out that shook the stands. Koga actually liked Luffy's new look, but for the sake of his reputation, he bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to not draw a savage smile on his face.

... Not entirely successful, if Sanji's smug looks his way were anything to go by.

After getting Usopp and the three dancers off the stage and leaving the two captains alone on board of the Sexy Foxy, Itomimizu flew up and away atop the bird. As the two contenders had a little showdown with exchanging words -probably only Foxy goading Luffy, but eh- Koga narrowed his slightly-enhanced eyes towards them both and the environment around them.

The front and back of the deck were raised up and there was a large circular platform in the middle of the deck. Two wooden walkways connected the circular platform to the front and back deck so they weren't completely independent. STairs led up to all three portions, but also led down below deck, where Foxy would no doubt have a bunch of special 'toys' hidden. Koga suddenly remembered Gohan and hoped he'd abandoned the ship before the fight.

" **NOW THE OPPONENTS FACE OFF ATOP THE FABULOUS FIGUREHEAD OF THE SEXY FOXY! WHICH WAS CHOSEN BY COINCIDENCE OF COURSE! WHAT KIND OF FEARSOME FLYING FISTS WILL BE UNFURLED TODAY!?** "

Both crews -those enthusiastic anyway- let out some shouts of encouragement to both captains. Koga didn't bother, but only because his voice wouldn't raise loud enough for Luffy to hear anyways.

" **EXCITEMENT FILLS THE STANDS IN THE FINAL SECONDS BEFORE THE MATCH! IT'S NOW PLUNDER OR BE PLUNDERED! THIS IS THE LAST ROUND! WHOEVER GETS CHOSEN AS THE PRIZE IS GONE FOREVER! IT'S THE SILVER SLOW-SLOW SLUGGER VERSUS THE GUM-GUM GATLING GUN! THIS IS A ONE-ROUND BOUT WITH NO TIME LIMIT! AS LOGN AS THEY STAY IN-BOUNDS, ANYTHING GOES! THE FIGHTERS ARE READY!** "

 _ **Ding-ding!**_ Somewhere, a bell suddenly rang twice.

"YEEAAAH!" The crowd cheered.

" **AND THERE GOES THE BELL!** "

Just a second after that statement, Luffy shot his arm out behind him, but just as he swung it forward, Foxy stopped it with a Noro Noro Beam of his own right on his fist. The rubber boy tried to get his flailing arm under his control and retract it, but instead found his body shot forward to meet his fist. Foxy attempted to throw another beam, but Luffy flipped over his still-frozen fist...

"Shit!" Koga cursed as the sly fox smirked and still managed to slow Luffy entirely, leaving him hanging frozen in mid-air.

"LUFFY!" Sanji called out to him.

"Wow, he's floating." Zoro noted with a raised eyebrow. "I guess that means he falls slow too."

"I _told him_ to watch out for that! Why won't he listen?" An extremely-frustrated Nami growled out, twitchy fingers apparently itching to grab her captain's rubbery neck and twist it. A few Foxy Pirates laughed, but got silenced quickly by some mysterious hands appearing out of nowhere and dumping soda cups on their heads.

The Straw Hat crew espectating couldn't do nothing but watch and scream as Foxy jumped on top of Luffy's chest and delivered a rapid flurry of punches to Luffy's unprotected face. At first it seemed to not have much effect, but Koga had a bad feeling forming on his gut as he scowled deeply and dug his nails on his palms.

 **BOOM!** The chronicler flinched in sympathy as he saw Luffy's body hit the ground and start to thrash back-and-forth, the recoil of the fifty-something punches delivered by Foxy to his face. Such strength they had, that he almost fell off the figurehead, but his Devil Fruit powers saved his hide once more thankfully. Koga let out a small sigh of relief, but didn't take his eyes off the match yet.

"That was too close..." He muttered, Sanji letting out a faint sound of agreement at his side.

As the rubbery boy got onboard once more, he noticed Foxy had disappeared, and was received only by a storm of oncoming arrows that almost skewered him. His reflexes saved him though. Then Foxy floated up from the lower portion of the main deck, keeping balanced on top of a cannonball he'd slowed down. Below him, another dozen or so cannonballs were also floating.

"This looks fishy... He'd better not try to- Idiot, not that one!"

 **BOOM!**

His shout came too late as Luffy, in an attempt to emulate his rival, tried to get on top of one of the cannonballs and it suddenly sped up and plowed into the deck.

"Damn it, Luffy, be more-! Not that one either!"

 **BOOM!**

Similar result when his captain repeated the notion, unfortunately. As useful as his intuition was, it wouldn't do any good for his captain, who couldn't even hear him.

Foxy's cannonball sped up and shot straight up into the air, nearly blowing up Chirp Chirp in the process.

 **CHIIRRP!**

The Super Sparrow let out a shrill squawk as it weaved to avoid the cannonball and quickly flew away from the ship.

 **SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**

The other slowly floating cannonballs sped up and bombarded the deck of the Sexy Foxy as they blasted through the walls and-! **BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!**

"What was that?" Nami wondered. Up in the stands, their view of the lower part of the deck was blocked so all they could hear was a bunch of explosions going off on the deck. "I can't make out anything from where we're sitting."

Nami stood up and turned around, "Hey you! Foxy Pirates in the top row!" she called out. "Can you tell what's going on from up there?"

"Uh, no," a Foxy Pirate admitted, "All we can see is smoke. It's probably the Boss blowing your puny Captain to bits."

Nami turned back to the Sexy Foxy and noted that the explosions had finally stopped.

Koga's scowl deepened as his gaze fell over his captain. He looked... pissed.

"Ugh, I can barely make out what's happening any more..." Nami muttered as she reclined back and frowned.

"Judging the sounds of those bombs, nothing good." Robin commented, her voice just a little bit concerned.

It was then that the blond writer remembered that his crewmates didn't have his enhancing powers.

"From what I can see, Luffy's having some trouble with Split-Head." He told the others as he saw with a wince Luffy being barreled once more with over a dozen cannonballs. "It's evident that Foxy knows his ship up to the last trap."

"No way!" Usopp, who had rejoined them without his noticing, suddenly exclaimed. "Luffy has the afro! He can't lose with the afro!"

And as Luffy and Foxy disappeared below deck and out of their sights, Koga sighed.

"Let's hope it's enough then. Because right now, I'm seeing this all a bit black to be honest."

"All this cheating just so happens to be pissing me off!" Nami snapped with an angry expression on her face. "No wonder that jerk's never lost a match!"

"Actually, that's perfectly legal." Robin said. "Even if they were actual bombs. The ship is the battlefield so Foxy is allowed to use anything he finds on it as a weapon."

"Oh yeah?" Usopp countered, "Well, whatwasn'tlegal was the way the cannon spun around on its own so it was pointed right at Foxy's ship! Foxy knows everything that's on his ship. He's got the home field advantage."

Koga shook his head. "If a bunch of bombs could beat Luffy we would've never made it off of Little Garden. He's still in this."

And he left it at that, anxiously observing the ship that occasionally would let out some explosions sounds. Even when the others began discussing what special powers the afro Luffy donned had, the blond young man just droned everything out. Until...

 **KA- _BOOOOOM_!** An explosion rang out and a huge cloud of smoke shot out from below deck.

" **WHAT'S THIS? IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING IS HAPPENING ON THE DECK! WHO HAS THE UPPER HAND? OR PERHAPS THE BATTLE HAS ENDED WITH A BANG AND ONLY ONE FIGHTER REMAINS**!"

Itomimizu spotted a pair of familiar silhouettes in the smoke.

" **NO! WAIT! I SEE TWO PEOPLE! BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM IS STANDING!** "

Clear as day, everyone heard Foxy's shrill laugh cut through the smoke until it cleared to reveal Foxy standing over the burnt body of Luffy.

" _ **IT'S OUR BOSS!**_ "

"YYEEAAAHHH!" the Foxy Pirates cheered as Foxy posed with his gloves over his head.

" **MEANWHILE, IT LOOKS LIKE STRAW HAT HAS BEEN BURNED TO A CRISP! HE MUST HAVE TAKEN SOME SERIOUSLY HOT PUNCHES!** "

"LUFFY!" Usopp yelled out in alarm.

"…" Zoro and Koga both stared silently at their fallen captain, identical thoughts running through their minds.

"No way!" Usopp gasped.

"It takes more then punches to burn someone like that," Nami noted, "What gives?"

"GAAH! LUFFY!" Chopper screamed.

"No… wait!" Robin exclaimed as Luffy started to twitch.

Foxy looked over his shoulder and watched in amazement as Luffy got back up.

" **HE'S UP! AGAINST ALL ODDS, STRAW HAT IS UP! IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS DOWN FOR THE COUNT BUT THE FIGHT GOES ON!** "

With a deep sigh, Koga slumped back, smiling despite the fleeting fear he'd felt. The Straw Hats were all glad to see their Captain back on his feet while the Foxy Pirates looked surprised.

"IT'S AFRO POWER!" a Foxy Pirate exclaimed. "What else could it be?"

"Finish him, Boss!" another Foxy Pirate called out.

Foxy reached into the front of his pants and pulled out the hilt a wooden sword.

 **F** WIISH!Foxy slashed the handle and a purple beam came out from the end and passed through Luffy's arms.

He grunted as his arms were frozen in place by a stationary purple beam that was acting like a purple !Foxy slashed his sword across Luffy's ankles and bound them together too.

"He can control his powers with that sword too?" Koga's eyea widened as he saw his captain struggle against his bonds.

And then...

 **POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!**

Foxy delivered a barrage of rapid-fire punches while Luffy was once again unable to defend himself.

Foxy shouted something again as he continued his vicious barrage attacks **.POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!**

And again **.POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!**

And _again._ **POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!**

The Straw Hats and even some of the Foxy Pirates stared in shock. But the Split-Head unrelentingly kept going and continued to pummel Luffy over and over again for the entire thirty second time limit.

 **POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW**!

After thirty agonizing seconds Foxy finally finished his vicious assault.

 **BA-BA- _BOOOOM_!**

Immediately after, Luffy went flying backwards and slammed into the main mast of the Sexy dropped to the ground and laid still.

"FEHFEHFEHFEH!" Foxy laughed.

" **HE'S DOWN FOR SURE THIS TIME!** "

With baited breaths, the Straw Hat crew watched as their captain pushed himself up onto his hands and knees once more, against all odds.

" **NO! NOT YET!** "

"Come on!" Nami urged the Captain.

"…" Foxy stared at Luffy in uncomprehending shock as the rubber pirate got to his feet.

" _HE'S UP! HE'S REALLY UP!_ "

"That's nuts!" a Foxy Pirate exclaimed, "Who is this guy?"

"They shouldn't have let him have that afro!" another Foxy Pirate complained, "No one can stop him now!"

"It's not only the afro..." Koga mumbled to himself as Foxy, now seriously enraged, threw yet another barrage of those punches of his at a newly slowed-down Luffy. "What's at stake... Luffy _can't_ allow himself to lose. And he knows it..."

 **"THIS LOOKS LIKE THE END!** "

 **BA-BA- _BOOOOM_!**

Luffy once again went flying backwards after receiving a full thirty-second barrage of rapid-fire of slamming into the main mast however, this time he smashed straight through hit the deck while the mast toppled over the side of the ship with a resounding sploshing sound.

"HE'S BEATING LUFFY TO DEATH OUT THERE!" Usopp shrieked, actually standing up as if to shout his rage to the heavens.

And just like that, Koga's feelings came rushing over to him.

This scene, the beating... It looked eerily _familiar_.

Long ago, back in the orphanage, one of the customs of the 'teachers' of the place consisted on impromptu wrestling rings for the students. It sounded innocent enough, but the opponents the children had to face... were those of their monstrously strong jailors.

Who, more often than not, would gladly deliver a beating so severe it would result in death for some of the kids.

As a child living in the orphanage himself, Koga had also had to literally fight for his life in that ring. Twenty-seven matches he had.

And he _never_ won.

But... this wasn't his past. This wasn't him suffering at the hands of his opponent in exchange of having the right to go outside for a bit.

This was his captain, fighting for him and his nakama. Fighting for them to remain as a crew, the Straw Hat pirate crew.

And even as the Foxy Pirates began chanting Luffy's name (and being angrily corrected by their rightful captain), Koga couldn't help but to draw a determined smile.

He wouldn't waver in his faith in his captain any longer.

His smile widened when he saw Luffy counter Foxy's punches with his own Gatling Gun punches.

 **POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW! POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW! POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!**

Luffy and Foxy's fists collided over and over again for a two-sided barrage of rapid-fire punches.

" **SUCH INTENSITY! BOTH FIGHTERS ARE UNLEASHING A FLURRY OF FISTS AT LIGHTNING SPEED!** "

"GO! SLAUGHTER THAT FOX!" Usopp shouted.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Chopper cheered.

" **SO FAST! SO STRONG! _SO BRUTAL!_** "

 **POW!** Luffy's fist somehow slammed into Foxy's face as one of his punches made it through. Foxy recoiled and that allowed Luffy to deliver a flurry of quick punches to his face.

 **POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!**

 **POW! POW!** Foxy took another two hard punches to the face and realized that he was on the losing end of this exchange. He pulled his fists back and fired!

 _ **FWOOOSH!**_ There was a purple flash.

...

Itomimizu and the crowd of Foxy Pirates stared in surprise.

"Wait… what?" Usopp questioned.

"He stopped moving," Nami realized.

Foxy's Slow Slow Beam wasn't hitting Luffy. It was seemingly bouncing off of the rubber boy's boxing glove and enveloping the person it had originated from.

 ** _Fwup!_** Exhausted, Luffy dropped to his knees in front of Foxy.

" **I… I THINK STRAW HAT IS BEAT! NO WAIT… HE'S ON HIS KNEES! BUT HE'S STILL MOVING! UNLIKE OUR BOSS WHO IS STANDING BUT IS STRANGELY FROZEN IN PLACE!** "

"How did he?" Nami wondered.

"OH NO! BOSS!" the Foxy Crew shouted in alarm.

 ** _Clink!_** A shard of reflective glass dropped out of Luffy's boxing glove. Chirp Chirp flew overhead so Itomimizu could get a good look at it.

" **IT'S A MIRROR! A PIECE OF MIRROR HAS FALLEN FROM STRAW HAT'S HAND!** "

Luffy pulled his arm back and started to swing fist around over his shoulder. **SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**

And Foxy could do nothing but stare, as the rubber boy yanked on his arm and shot his swinging fist, it slamming into Foxy's unprotected face at full speed.

Luffy retracted his fist then turned and walked away from Foxy. He slowly climbed back up onto the Sexy Foxy figurehead.

Foxy's cheek started to sink in but the full impact of Luffy's high-speed punch wouldn't hit him until the Slow Slow Beam wore off.

"Eight seconds…" Zoro stated.

"Eh?" Usopp asked.

" **COULD THIS BE… THE END?** "

"Seven seconds…" Sanji announced.

Both the sniper and Chopper looked over at him.

"Six…" Robin said with a smile.

"Ah!" Chopper gasped.

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" the Foxy Pirates shouted.

Much to Koga's amusement, he chose to follow in the countdown. "Five."

Foxy's face continued to distort from slowed down impact of Luffy's fist.

"HEY! COME ON YOU GUYS!" Usopp yelled at the Foxy Pirates as he stood up and faced them all. "DON'T JUST SIT THERE! COUNT ALONG WITH ME! FOUR!"

'You did it Luffy.' Koga smiled as he, along with the others, stood up.

"WE'RE ALMOST AT THE END!" Usopp called out, "EVERYONE TOGETHER NOW!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

 **BOOOOOM!**

The full impact of Luffy's powerful attack struck Foxy and he went spiraling high up into the air.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Foxy screamed as he flew up over the rigging on the front sail.

Luffy stood on the Sexy Foxy figurehead and raised his arm up into the air, "YEEEEAAAAH!"

"ALRIGHT!" the Straw Hats all cheered.

Usopp and Chopper jumped up and started dancing.

"HE DID IT! HE DID IT!" the overjoyed duo chanted.

"AAAAAHHH! BOSS!" the Foxy Pirates cried out in shock. "HE'S FLYING!"

Foxy reached the peak of his flight all the way up above the Sexy Foxy's tallest sail.

" **UP AND UP GOES OUR BOSS! HIGH INTO THE SKY!** "

But what goes up must come down. Foxy plummeted down out of the sky and crashed into the water below… water that was outside the ring!

" **AND NOW HE FINALLY COMES DOWN! OUTSIDE THE BATTLEFIELD! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FINAL ROUND OF THE DAVY BACK FIGHT HAS COME TO AN END! AFTER AN EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN CAPTAIN'S OUR BOSS' LEGENDARY RECORD OF NINE HUNDRED TWENTY WINS AND ZERO LOSSES HAS BEEN BROKEN! _LET'S HEAR IT FOR STRAW HAT LUFFY_!** "

"Way to go Luffy." Zoro congratulated the Captain.

"…" Robin was silent but was smiling widely.

"HE DID IT, NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji jumped up and hugged Nami.

"Sanji-kun! That tickles! Get off!" Nami complained as she shoved him off of her. But still, she also had a smile on her face, though for a completely different reason.

 **DING-DING-DING!** The bell rang signally the official end of the round.

"Our Boss… really lost…" a shocked Foxy Pirate gasped.

" **WE'VE SEEN IT ALL HERE TODAY, FOLKS! IT'S THE END OF AN ERA! THE DAVY BACK GIANT HAS BEEN TOPPLED! AND THE BOY WITH THE TINY CREW AND THE MASSIVE AFRO HAS SEIZED THE DAY IN A GRAND FASHION!** "

It was then that it dawned on Koga...

"Say, isn't Foxy a Devil Fruit user?" He asked the nearest Foxy Pirate, still in shock at what just transpired. "Shouldn't you save him before he drowns...?"

"Ah! HE'S RIGHT!" The Foxy Pirate exclaimed. "THE BOSS NEEDS OUR HELP!"

Instead of one pirate going to save Foxy however, the entire Foxy crew rushed to the front of the stands so they could jump off and save Foxy.

The raised stands couldn't handle the suddenly weight displacement and started to wobble before the completely collapsed and crashed down into the !

"BOSS!" the Foxy Pirates screamed as they dove into the water after the sinking Foxy.

The Captain's Fight and the Davy Back Fight was over. Luffy and the Straw Hats had won.

* * *

Once Luffy and Foxy both got a lookover from their respective doctors, and the former recovered his consciousness, the boy finally chose what his prize would be: the Foxy Pirates' flag. A fitting punishment for shooting Shelly, Koga thought with a satisfied smile. Not that the Foxy's agreed, of course.

Well, at least they got to sail away... with slightly remodelled sails, curtsy of Luffy's more than doubtful art skills.

However, before the disbanded crew went on board the Sexy Foxy, something else happened...

"Uh, Boss...?"

It was Gohan. Still a mess, still looking like he needed a good rest, but at least a bit more composed than before.

And Foxy, though sore for his loss, demonstrated he cared for his crew when he immediately turned to him, a silent question in his face. The Straw Hats just looked on in curiosity... and in Koga's case, a bit of worry.

"I have to go." Gohan declared with a shaky but strong voice. Strange combination.

Foxy blinked. "What?"

He didn't sound demanding, only confused, but still the man cringed.

"I... I have to go look for my former crew. I owe them that much." He lowered his face, unable to look at his boss anymore. "It was fun navigating with you, but..."

Koga's face soured, somehow knowing what was going through his mind. Memories of Gohan's crew filled his own.

"... Well, a promise's a promise." Foxy suddenly proclaimed, surprising Gohan as he began giving orders. "Capote, Hamburg, lower one of our spare boats to the sea, and Porche, see that there is a Log Pose and some provisions as well."

As they exclaimed "Yes Boss!" and ran off to the Sexy Foxy, its captain turned to Gohan and extended an arm to him, a sincere smile on his face.

"It was nice having you on the crew."

Tears welled up on Gohan's eyes, but he furiously rubbed an arm against them and gratefully took Foxy's hand between both of his, giving a firm and repeated handshake.

"It was my pleasure, Boss Foxy."

And they parted ways, Foxy strolling over to his ship withour looking back... and ignoring the tears streaming down his face.

Gohan wasn't crying, but as he looked over to the Straw Hats and called Koga over with a gesture, it was evident their farewell was hard for him too. That, or the puffy red nose was a common feature for him.

"Koga-kun, I... I'm sorry for what I made you go through. You know... before." He awkwardly lifted the card he used to torture the younger man.

"While I can't say it was nothing," Koga sighed, "I understand why you did it, Gohan-san. You have nothing to apologize for. Just... make sure you find them all and keep them safe."

"You too, kid." A strained smile. "Take care of yourself, and keep an eye out on a white-robed figure. They certainly have a grudge on you, whoever they are."

"I already have the Marines and the Chapel after my ass, what's one more in comparison?" The young writer tried to joke, elliciting a small chuckle from Gohan.

"No, seriously, take care. And keep them safe too," he glanced over at the Straw Hats, who still were celebrating Luffy's victory. "I can see they mean a lot to you."

Months ago, he'd have denied it. He'd assured Gohan he didn't need attachment to the world of the living. But now...

A soft smile, hidden behind his scarf as always, crossed his scarred features.

"That they do." He merely admitted.

"... You have changed. And for the better, from what I can see." Gohan extended a hand, and the blond chronicler shook it firmly. "Maybe we'll see each other in the Grand Line. Good luck, Koga-kun."

"And to you, Gohan-san."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo, King! Wow, I missed those long reviews of yours buddy!**

 **K: Meh, don't worry about it. Author also forgets about reviewing in their own favorite fics.**

 **L: Oh, I get what you're saying. But I'm sure it's only because of exams and whatnot. They'll be back before you know it! Like me... xD Heheh, I wanted to change Gohan's name but I liked it too much to change it now. And though I planned to make the Davy Back Fight Arc relaxing, I couldn't help but to add... a small twist, if you will, what with Gohan and the new anti-demon weapon. And who says it's the Chapel guys behind this? *Cheshire Grin in full display***

 **K: I'm also surprised at what I found out about the Foxy Pirates. Guess they did have a reason behind all that trickery of theirs. Heh, allies? With Foxy's ego, I doubt it. Luffy just broke his streak of wins, he'll be sore about that for a long time; though it's not bad to have rivals every now and then instead of outright enemies.**

 **L: Oh, the Semi-Immortal Cursed is only one of a kind, but it's not Free. I'm planning on the crew meeting him (the Cursed, not Free, or at least not anytime soon) but I'm still figuring out how to introduce him. Because in Koga-kun's Arc will be really hectic.**

 **K: Joy...**

 **L: Shut up! Yeah, it's the only place I could think of that 1, would be immediately after Brook's Arc and before SAbaody Archipelago's, and 2, would explain its... isolation, to say the least. But thanks ^^! And the Second Game... Honestly, I was much more concentrated in getting this Arc finally done. And yeah, I wanted to emphasize Robin warming up to them with that little detail. Glad you picked it up!**

 **-JayH120: Yo, long time no see! Thanks! I thought of bringing it up because Oda never gave us an inkling of that and I was curious about the reactions it would receive. So far, I'm glad I did it! Well it'll be more like Gohan talking and Koga-kun listening, he's not much into actively questioning (even less with Gohan's actual mood), but I hope you like the conversation.**

 **-Son of Whitebeard: I know right? Foxy's just lovable... or exasperating. Or both. Yeah, maybe both. xD**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Wow that animosity xD Don't you worry about that Brunch, I completely understand! I'm glad that you liked Foxy's backstory. Yeah, Koga-kun's infamous glare is a bit of a problem for those who don't know him xD**

 **K: Oh come on! You really expected me to act all nice with them after all the tricks they did to us? Fat chance!**

 **L: Oh, don't be so sensitive, Koga-kun. Well a bit, but to be honest, Luffy and Zoro didn't mind his glares. Technically they're tied, yeah, with one victory each, so the Captain's Duel determines the definite winner. Hm, Justin Law's Executioner Mode...? Oh, uh, spoilers!**

 **-Fairy Tail Demon Slayer: ... I already answered you via PM, but I'll just copy-paste what I wrote to you back then. A-hem!**

 **First of all, I'm glad you posted your opinion so clearly, though I'm thoroughly confused. If you have "no interest" on reading "something that is canon all over again", then why have you spent all this time reading until the last chapter? Or have you been jumping from chapter to chapter?**

 **I never said I would be adding MAJOR changes to the plot. I think Oda's work is already amazing and I don't need to change anything. I'm adding parts of course, but it's only because Koga has a story on his own, along with several more OCs. It's my decision as this fic's author if I want to change things or not; there are already many AU fics that are awesome, so please respect those that don't have that level of imagination (or skill with a language that is not their mother tongue's) and respect the decision I've reached of NOT changing the One Piece plot.**

 **You still don't like it? Well it's a shame, but I won't stop posting this fic because this is a work I'm very proud of, even if I'm only "rehashing", with a few tweaks here and there.**

 **Regards,**

 **Laradhel**

 **Chances are they won't read this, but at least I got it off my chest.**

 **-Guest-san: Yo, Guest-san, welcome back! Thank you so much for your words, they warm my heart... Yeah, I always wondered if that mountain path had always been there... Oda and his unexplainable one-time scenery modifications xD Yeah he did! You played Persona 5? Kinda like the mask Yusuke Kitagawa had. Well I wanted the guys to win, of course, and thanks to Robin no doubt! Oh yeah, Gohan... I did intend on keeping this light, but I just can't do it xD Sorry heheh. See ya next chap!**

 **-Azurai Wolf: Hello, and welcome! Hehe, glad you like them both! Though I understand why you like Yuuto, he's adorable. In his own... revengeful way xD**

 **-Guest: I do! *raises a hand in the air***

 **-Guest (2): Oh-ho, my friend, you got it right! Or... almost. Sorry, won't reveal anything yet!**

 **-Ragna: Um, not every romance fic has to have lemon, or that's my opinion. And either way, despite my promise, I'm thinking of NOT putting romance here because of the severe headaches I'm getting. Sorry.**

 **-The Storm Master 567: Answered via PM!**

 **-Suicide Squad: Yo! To be honest, at first I didn't want to give him any 'special features', but lately I've been thinking, 'Hell, why not?' I'm already working in the design, but you'll have to wait! Thanks for the idea!**

 **-Guest (3): Hello! Well there's no special reason, I just like shadows as a badass power. Gives my OC that sinister look without being completely evil, ya know? And honestly, I don't know. Always wondered that myself. My personal theory is just to give him some sort of disadvantage to such a powerful Devil Fruit. I mean come on, he can absorb other people' Devil Fruit powers and touch Logia-users to avoid them using their powers! That's seriously badass! And dangerous too.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	73. This is Lazy Justice

**73.** **This is** **Lazy Justice**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **OKAY! As the Davy Back Fight Arc is finally over (and GOD did it take a while), the poll will be closed by the time I have this chapter updated. And although I promised I would abide by your decisions... I'm afraid this is one decision that I _can't_ accept.**

 **Let me explain before you attempt to chop my head off! As I told you last chapter, I've been having serious headaches trying to figure out just _how_ I am supposed to implement any kind of romance in this fic. There were people that voted either not having romance altogether (I myself voted that option) or having only pseudo-romance, but in the end didn't care if the fic had it or not. Which is completely fine by me.**

 **But in the end, there are far more people voting for actual romance, in particular Koga/Robin, which apparently is the winner. Again, this is not a bad thing, though I'm making it sound like that; I did ask you guys for your opinion, and you gave it freely and honestly. I thank you for that.**

 **However, I find myself regretting even giving you the choice. I warned you time and time again that I'm not good at writing romance, and still I made the decision of allowing you guys to decide for me. And I shouldn't have done that. After all, my fic is centered in the sense of nakamaship (and a bit of angst, to be honest), but NOT in romance, even if I like _reading_ about romance.**

 **And let's be honest, guys. _I don't like writing romance._ Like, at all. And even if this fic is for your enjoyment, I as a writer have a right to enjoy what I do too. So, simply put, if there's something that someone proposes and I don't like, I'll actually _grow a pair_ and tell them that I don't like that proposal and continue with my fic. With all respect, of course. I'm not going to be rude.**

 **I'll continue listening to your requests as usual, that's completely out of the question. I still want to hear what you guys think, your ideas, your sentiments with my fic. You can even ask me to let Spandam join the SH! The _only_ thing that will be completely a no-go from now on will be everything related to romance.**

 **And again, this is for me as much as for you guys. Because I want you to enjoy, and I want myself to read my work and be proud and happy with what I've accomplished.**

 **In summary? I'm sorry for all of you who actually expected the poll to become true, but the voting will become null. I already posted the reasons. I'm so, so sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Once the Sexy Foxy and Gohan's solitary dinghy lost themselves in the horizon, the Straw Hats unanimously decided to check on Tonjit and his horse Shelly and relax for a little while before departing to the next length of their journey.

Of course, Luffy agreed wholeheartedly with that goofy smile of his.

So, off they went, talking and teasing each other about the events at the whole Davy Back Fights.

The small nomad and his horse actually welcomed them with open arms, offering them a bit of cheese -that looked a bit too moldy to be healthy. Almost everyone kindly -or not as kindly- rejected the invitation to eat, except Luffy of course, but accepted some tea. They all spent a relaxing afternoon, enjoying a quick meal Sanji prepared for them and telling Tonjit and Shelly about the Davy Back Fights -especially those the nomad hadn't participated in. At Koga's insistence (meaning, a foot stomping on Usopp's toes), they kept the whole thing of his torture hush hush.

It was bad enough his friends saw that moment of weakness, he'd decided.

'At least they don't care about that,' Koga thought as he watched his friends babble about Luffy's epic fight with the powerful afro that gave him the final victory.

He chuckled under his breath when Usopp mimicked Foxy's shocked face when his own beams hit him instead of the rubber teen, drawing a boom of laughter from everyone else. Not even Robin could contain a faint giggle under her breath, hiding her lips with her teacup.

Tonjit laughed as he slammed his palm against his knee, holding his tea in the other hand. "You are good boy! You beat him really good, did'ja?"

"Shishishishishi, yeah!" Luffy grinned widely, already recovered from his wounds in the battle against Foxy. Good thing they had Chopper with them, _and_ Sanji's food.

"I still don't get the whole idea about the afro!" Nami protested, throwing her hands to the sky in desperation. "What does it so special?"

Usopp jumped and raised his teacup. "Well, it's not _an_ afro, it's _the_ afro!"

"It's the manliest weapon that could ever exist! I'm sorry, Nami-san..."

"Luffy looked so cool with it..." Their little reindeer _still_ had sparks in his eyes as he remembered the whole scene.

Mouth agape and unable to even speak, the redhead could only switch glances between the speakers with an unbelieving expression, before turning to the three relatively sane crewmates she hadn't heard speak yet.

"Please tell me you don't agree with these idiots..." She practically _begged_ Robin, Zoro and Koga.

The swordsman didn't answer, mainly because he was snoozing _again_ , but the other two shared a look before grinning her way.

"I admit, it _did_ have some sort of appeal to it." The raven-haired archaeologist admitted with a chuckle.

"Some questions are better not answered, Nami." Koga widened his grin as the navigator slumped to the floor in a heap, the older woman consoling her with a hand on her shoulder. "Just accept that it helped with everyone's morale."

All he got in response was an undecipherable babble, which earned him another chuckle nonetheless.

Some more idle chatter happened before the pirate crew turned to Tonjit.

"So, Tonjit," Koga began, "what are you going to do now? You're down from your stilts, and you've reunited with Shelly. Are you going to return to your tribe now?

"We'd like to take you to where your village has moved you know," Nami grimaced in thought before the nomad could answer, "but since the ten small islands of Long RIng Long Land are all parts of one big island that's mostly underwater, the Log Pose won't be able to pinpoint it."

The old man blinked at the offer, but promptly smiled with visibly-missing teeth. "You don't have to do that. Shelly and I are very patient, we'll be fine."

"Pardon the indiscretion, but you're not precisely young." Robin frowned in apparent concern -maybe even genuine. "At least we can help by bringing the ship along the islands..."

Koga suddenly stopped paying attention to the conversation as his intuition began warning him. He frowned, however, as he noticed the warnings sounding quite faintly, almost impossible to hear. Normally they would sound like a bell sounding in his mind, unable to be heard by the others, but now not even him could discern what this threat could be.

And it was as Tonjit came out of his home's door and collided with someone standing there, the almost silent rings suddenly blared awake in his mind. Almost unconsciously, he jumped to his feet and was out of the house in mere seconds, positioning himself between his friends and this new threat.

Who only snored. While standing outside someone's door.

'What the hell...'

Koga's thoughts stopped in confusion as he looked _up_ at the person's face, his eyes covered by a pale green sleeping mask. His thin figure easily overshadowed him and the tallest members of his crew -already fanning out of the house as he inspected the guy- with a good ten feet tall. He was dressed nicely, with a pair of white pants and white vest, a blue collared shirt underneath it and a yellow tie around his neck. He had a wide nose, tan skin, and short curly black hair puffed out around his jawline.

All in all, he didn't _seem_ dangerous, but Koga learned a long time ago that looks could be deceiving.

"Huh?" Finally the guy seemed to notice them as he lifted his sleeping mask a bit to peek from under it. "Who're you guys?"

"THAT'S OUR LINE! WHO ARE _YOU_!?" Most of the Straw Hats roared in response back at him.

 ** _Thud!_**

At once, as he heard that noise, Koga's head swirled around -almost snapping his neck in the process- to see what happened.

What he saw, was Robin sitting on her butt, having fallen to the ground, blue eyes wide in shock and pure _terror_ , her tan skin paling and beginning to sweat. She could only stare up at the tall man in disbelief, unable to utter a word, as if unable to process his presence _there_.

"Robin?" Luffy broke the tense silence by calling out to his archaeologist, brow furrowed in worry.

Sanji also called out to her of course. "Robin-chan, what's wrong?"

The guy swept an almost lazy gaze over all of the crew, lingering a bit on Luffy and Koga, until he noticed Robin on the ground. He lifted completely the sleeping mask and rested it on his forehead.

"Oh, my..." Even his voice sounded drowsy as all heck, as if nothing could faze him. "You've turned into a beautiful woman... Nico Robin."

'He knows Robin?' Koga growled under his breath as his hand hovered over the hilt of his katana, ready to draw it out and unleash his powers if need came to rise.

"Who the heck is this guy?" Nami demanded to know, shock and a bit of worry lacing her voice, her hand equally inching closer to the pieces of her weapon.

Finally Robin seemed to gather a bit of herself, as she breathed out... "This guy... is Marine Admiral Aokiji..."

Marine... _Admiral_!?

Suddenly all Koga knew was the alarms in his head going absolutely _bonkers_ in his mind, almost drowning out the surprised reactions of the crew. Sure, he'd heard about the top-three officers that commanded the whole of the Marine bases, only topped off by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but what were the _odds_ of finding one of the big- _ass_ bosses right here, in the middle of the Grand Line? In _Paradise_ , no less!?

He tried to assess his power, tried to measure the Straw Hats' power as a whole and their possibility of a successful confrontation against him...

... And he didn't _like_ the result.

"There are only three officers in all of the Marines that hold the position of Admiral..." Robin continued, her voice barely a whisper. "'Akainu', the Red Dog,' Kizaru', the Yellow Monkey... And 'Aokiji', the Blue Pheasant. Only Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the great head of the Marines, is ranked higher than either of them. The World Government's Ultimate Powerhouses..."

"Then _why_ the heck is someone like this even _here_!?" Usopp suddenly exploded, unable to hold his nervousness any longer. "Shouldn't you be out hunting big name notorious pirates or something!?"

"That's what I'd like to know..." Koga growled out, his voice slightly strained by the power of his demon beginning to leak through. "We're in the middle of Paradise. Only low-rated rookies wander around here."

"Hm..." Aokiji glanced down at the blond pirate, lazily rubbing his head.

"To scare Robin this much... Is this guy really that strong?" Nami's question almost went unnoticed, weren't it for the tense silence that reigned over them.

Suddenly the Admiral seemed to notice her and looked down at the redhead. Mainly, examining her... assets. "Oh, my, you're cute. Are you free tonight?"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU LANKY JERK!" Sanji immediately roared, but fortunately didn't move from his spot. It'd be unwise to make such a risky move.

"HEY YOU, PAY ATTENTION!" Usopp snapped at the distracted Marine.

Unsure of how he would react, Koga tensed and unconsciously summoned some shadows to cover his arms, his katana clinking as it came out an inch of its sheath. He estimated he had barely half-a-second to react if-

"Whoawhoawhoa!" Aokiji lifted his arms in a placating manner, his face never shifting from his lazy expression. "Hold on you guys. I'm just out taking a little stroll. You guys are... uh... you're just..." He struggled to think, similar to what Luffy did when he thought of something difficult to understand, and apparently gave up with a shrug. "Ah, I forgot."

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE YOU WEIRDO!" Both Usopp and Sanji snapped at him, before the sniper turned to Robin and Koga.

"Are you guys kidding? You must be mistaking him for somebody else. This doofus wouldn't pass for a regular Marine! There's no way he's a Marine Admiral!"

Koga gritted his teeth as a bead of sweat trailed down his forehead. "Ya know that _little thing_ I have when danger is near? The one that almost _never_ fails?" His voice lowered even more and _glared_ at the nonchalant Admiral. "Been blaring out warnings since this guy woke up. If I were to estimate, he's even _more_ powerful than Crocodile and Eneru."

Usopp went to speak, frowned as he processed this, and then _squeaked_ in terror when he noticed the implications of that little sentence. Likewise, the rest of the crew grew a little bit _more tense_ if possible.

"You... are an interesting individual, 'Cursed Reaper' Koga." Aokiji drawled out, uncaring about the obvious display of hostility. "I can see why you're so wanted."

The blond guy only narrowed his mismatched eyes. 'He's talking about The Chapel... So my bounty has something to do with them after all.'

"But you guys shouldn't really judge a book by its cover. My motto is Lazy Justice after all."

"THEN OUR JUDGEMENT WAS RIGHT!" Sniper and cook snapped again, but this time in a more strained voice.

"Anyway, what I was saying is... Uh, excuse me for a moment..." To everyone's astonished eyes, the tall Marine dropped to the ground and laid on his side while using his white officer's coat as a pillow. "Being on my feet too long makes me tired." Usopp muttered something at that, but was intelligent enough to keep it to himself. "What I was saying, was that I have no intention of capturing you, or killing you, or anything like that. So, just take it easy. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin. Someone reported that she was with you."

'If he really doesn't have intentions to do that, then _why_ am I getting so many alarms!?' Koga wanted to shout, but settled on just scowling at Aokiji while gripping his katana and keeping his shadows under control.

"I'll put some sort of report together for Headquarters later. Now that you've added another crewmember who's got a price on her head, your overall bounty has gone up. Let's see, one hundred million, plus sixty million, plus fifty million, plus seventy-nine million equals..." He tried to think, but gave up again. "Aw, screw it, some big-ass number."

"Just do the damn math..." Zoro growled under his breath.

"Two hundred and eighty-nine million Berri." The chronicler supplied, still tense. "And I don't believe you."

Aokiji raised an eyebrow in question, humming.

"If you _really_ are not here to kill us or apprehend us, then _go away_..." He pointed with his thumb at Luffy, whose eyes were shadowed by the brim of his hat. "Or _he_ will make you leave."

As if on cue, the straw hat kid suddenly _glared_ at Aokiji and jumped straight at him to attack. Fortunately both Sanji and Usopp were close enough to stop him, but they had a bad time trying to contain him.

As Luffy yelled at Aokiji and threatened him to pummel him to the ground for threatening to take Robin away from them, Koga's increasingly dark thoughts were taking a turn to the _worse_. He'd never been one to let others harm his friends, as everyone else in the crew, but the images crossing through his mind were _literally_ far more visceral than whatever thought the Straw Hats were having. While Luffy amd the others mostly agreed on giving the beating of their enemies' lives, the chronicler knew he wouldn't stop there.

He would _torture_ his enemies, would revel in their fear and pain until they wished for _death_.

 _Yeeeeeessss,_ _dear host..._ _Have no mercy..._

Like a zombie, he followed his crew, Tonjit, Shelly and _the threat_ to the coast. He didn't acknowledge anyone (not that they tried to talk to him), or notice the literal _cloud_ of darkness floating up his arms and around his shoulders.

'If he tries hurting _anyone_...'

 _We won't let him... He'll regret the day he crossed our paths..._

'He won't touch the others...'

 _We'll attack when he does... He won't get away from us..._

Cold, both from his inside _and_ the exterior, suddenly cut through his dark thoughts, shaken awake. He noticed the crew surrounding both Tonjit and _the threat_ , a giant wagon with the nomad's belonging beside Shelly, and himself standing at the very far back of the crew. _The threat_ was kneeling on the edge of the shore, a hand barely touching the waves of the sea and his white coat discarded to the side.

Something crept up from inside him, a nagging feeling that briefly blocked _Sankaoken's_ attempts to drag him to the dark side. A shiver crept up his spine, white smog floating out of his lips, frost beginning to creep under his combat boots. He watched, unable to move, unable to even _breathe_ , as a Sea King bursted from underwater to gobble up a seemingly defenseless man...

... Only for the whole world, the monster _and the sea_ in several miles around to _freeze_ into a stop.

Ice. Cold, bitter, _freezing_ ice sprayed from the Admiral's fingers, activated by a single phrase, instantly transforming the Sea King into an ice sculpture.

It was then, witnessing the sheer power of a Marine Admiral, that it dawned on Koga. He knew the sensation coursing through his body, as little times as he felt it. _Fear._ Pure, naked, _raw_ terror crossing through his body, making his bones ache and quake, at the knowledge of being in the presence of a being with far more power than any of the Straw Hat crew, than _he_ himself could have ever fathomed.

'W-We're not ready...' The blond young man barely formed that thought as Tonjit and Shelly thanked _the threat_ for the miracle and began crossing the iced path. 'T-This is a Marine Admiral we're talking about, _we're not ready..._ '

He faintly registered a dull pain as his nails dug into his palms, one of them still closed around the hilt of _Sankaoken_ , but unsure of drawing it out at the power _the threat_ just displayed.

'We have to get out of here. We have to leave _right now_...'

 _Oh stop being such a whiny little bitch._ With a wave of forced indifference, _Sankaoken_ squashed his hesitation and fear. _This man is threatening, he's a danger to you and your friends. Are you going to let him take them away from you?_

"How should I put this?" Aokiji wondered, his cls voice cutting whatever answer Koga was going to give his inmer demon. "You're the splitting image of your grandfather, Monkey D. Luffy. Or maybe I should say, you're just as reckless and hard to figure out."

"GAH!" Luffy yelped, whose eyes had gone wide as plates. "You knew… my grandpa?"

"Seriously?" Usopp questioned, looking at both the Marine and his captain. "Luffy's?"

"Your grandpa helped me out once a long time ago, Monkey D. Luffy," Aokiji recounted. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to see you and Nico Robin together with my own eyes."

The Admiral frowned, and a wave of cold seeped through Koga's body at the sight.

"But now, I've changed my mind. Maybe I should just kill you guys now."

At that statement, everyone tensed, equally shocked and scared now that they saw what Aokiji was capable of.

"The World Government still doesn't consider you a threat, but I know enough of your history to see you're a formidable crew. You may be few in number but with the shrewd rogues gathered here… This crew likely will be a problem later on considering the circumstances of your original bounty, the numerous actions you've taken and the speed of your progress." Aokiji scanned the Straw Hats one-by-one. "I've fought pirates and other outlaws for most of my life. But thinking about how you'll turn out in the future scares the hell outta me."

"Hey wait! Hold on a second!" Usopp protested, his words stammering out if his mouth and hands goin to his orange satchel in search of his slingshot. "You said you were here to check things out! Not to kill anyone!"

Aokiji ignored him and continued. "There's one among you that I consider the most dangerous. That would be you… Nico Robin."

Out of the corner of his eye, Koga saw a violent shiver through Robin'a body, her blue eyes wide in shock and fear.

"So, despite everything, you arehere for Robin!" Luffy realized, his face turning just _apoplectic_ with fury. "Now I'm _really_ gonna kick your ass!"

"The size of her bounty isn't just a reflection of her strength and power." Aokiji informed them. "It also represents the level of threat and danger that she poses to the World Government. That's why seventy-nine million berri bounty was placed on her head at the tender young age of eight."

Koga's eyes widened at that statement. 'Eight years... They hunted down a _child_ of _eight years_...' Quickly, his face darkened into a mask of black fury enhanced by the shadows surrounding him... _'Those bastards hunted her like an animal for twenty-God-damn-years of her life!_ '

His next words seemed exclusively for her, as his frigid gaze bore into the petrified woman. "I'm impressed you were able to survive, especially as a child. You've managed to betray, sidestep and escape from everyone in your past. And then, you found a new partner to make use of. You survived in the underworld by being quick to switch sides. And now, you've chosen this crew as your next haven."

Robin's desolate face, more than Aokiji's words, served Koga to banish every thought of flee he had. Her broken look, her wide eyes showing a haunted past, just gripped his heart and filled him with sympathy.

"That's enough jerk!" Sanji snapped at Aokiji. "I'm not just gonna stand here and let you speak to a lady like that! What kind of ridiculous grudge are you holding against Robin-chan?"

Usopp ran over to the cook and held him back. With great effort, considering he was one of the Monster Quartet. "Stop it, Sanji!"

"I don't have anything against her." Aokiji admitted, shrugging carelessly. "The only connection we have between us is that I let her escape from me once. That's about it. It was a long time ago. You will all learn soon enough that protecting this troublesome woman leads to nothing but regret. If you need proof, consider this: every organization that she's had something to do with in the past has been annihilated. Not one single solitary member escaped except for her." The Admiral slowly stood up. "Why is that, Nico Robin?"

Pale as a sheet, Robin visibly struggled to form any word, but nothing came out.

"SHUT UP, YOU JERK!" Luffy shouted, rage filling his voice. "The past doesn't matter!"

"That's right!" Usopp exclaimed, even restraining Sanji. "If it did, we wouldn't have a dangerous former Pirate Hunter or a degenerate conniving ex-thief woman on our crew!"

 ** _BONK!_** Nami clubbed Usopp over the head. "Don't go overboard!"

"Who we are now is more important than who we were." Sanji insisted, the sniper letting go of him.

"That's right!" Chopper chimed in bravely. "Robin is our friend! Don't you dare say anything bad about her! You hear me?!"

"I'm okay with this." Zoro grimly agreed, beginning to take out one of his katana out of its sheath.

Koga also wanted to express his thoughts, wanted to verbally support Robin... but felt unable to. The darkness was becoming too strong, and all he could focus on was on _the threat_ , and how he could fight against such a monster.

 _Yeeeeeeeeessss..._

Nochalant, Aokiji glanced around at the crew, at their serious expressions. Then he sighed deeply.

"I see. So these poor fools don't suspect a thing."

That served as a breaking point, when Robin' expression changed from terrified to grimly determined.

"Just get to the point!" She suddenly snapped as she crossed her arms. "If you want to arrest me then why not just do it already?! Treinta Fleur!"

In the matter of seconds, thirty arms grew out of the tall, lanky marine's body and out of the ground at his feet. A dozen grabbed his legs, another dozen wrenched out his arms, two braced his back and the final four grabbed his chin.

"NO, ROBIN!" Usopp shrieked.

 _Yeeeeeeeees, let her do it... Let the slaughter begin..._

"Oh my, did something I said strike a nerve?" The growingly irritating man nonchalantly declared. "That's too bad. I must have overestimated how reasonable a woman you were."

" _CLUTCH_!"

 ** _KRRESSHH!_**

Robin's army of arms wrenched backwards and Aokiji's body shattered to pieces. Large chunks of ice laid where the Marine Admiral once stood.

But still, Koga's alarm bell didn't stop going off in his head.

"AAAAH! HE SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES!" Chopper yelped.

 **Krek-krek-krek…**

Just as the writer feared, the shattered pieces of ice joined together and form a large lump.

"IT DIDN'T WORK!" Usopp cried out in alarm. "WE'RE SCREWED!"

Two long lanky arms and a distinct head could be made out on the lump.

Until finally, two long legs formed at the bottom of the ice lump and the ice started to fall away to reveal Aokiji's curly black hair and tanned skin.

Both the reindeer and the long-nosed sniper, knowing they were utterly screwed, could only scream as they hugged each other. The rest of the crew stood combat-ready, with Robin just standing there in shock at how her attack miserably failed in finishing the Marine.

Koga stood as ready to fight as the others, but he also had to struggle to keep his ire under control when he saw the absolutely _bored_ expression Aokiji saw on his face. The Admiral just baited one of the most stoic and calm women Koga had ever known, just to emotionally break her and make her instantly cut her ties with every one of the Straw Hat crew... and he just had such a _nonchalant_ face...

Now he no longer had just a demon-enforced anger, but his own fury added fuel to it.

He was royally _pissed_.

And he was ready _to have the fight of his life_.

And just like that, _he lost control_.

Showing his prowess and dominance of his own Devil Fruit powers, Aokiji formed a sword out of his own breath blown over some grass and tried to attack Robin (the most obvious victim). However, Zoro blocked it with his white katana and _glared_ at the Admiral with the fury of a hundred infernos. Immediately, Sanji jumped up in front of Aokiji and kicked his sword away, it flying far to his left. To the side, and clutching his slingshot tightly, Usopp cheered loudly.

"I don't remember asking for your help, _cook_!" Zoro grunted out, unsheathing the rest of his katanas with a glint in his eye.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing of you, _marimo_!" Said chef retorted from overhead as he prepared for another kick.

Luffy, following his nakama, stretched his right fist back to blast Aokiji's abdomen while running towards him. "Gum gum...!"

But...

With insulting ease, Aokiji grabbed Zoro's left arm and caught Sanji's right knee while still airborne.

"PISTOL!"

And even with the strength behind Luffy's fist, it only made him lurch backwards, _not fall_. The Admiral just looked down at the fist embedded in his stomach with the same nonchalance he had had since the Straw Hat crew met him.

It was then that Aokiji's powers worked. Zoro's arm, Luffy's fist and Sanji's knee slowly but steadily began being frosted upon contact with the Admiral's body. For some agonizing seconds, neither of the three was able to move away until Aokiji let them go, and they dropped to the ground between howls of pain as they clutched their frozen limbs. Usopp, Nami, Chopper and Robin could only stare in shock at how easily the Admiral had just downed three-quarters of the Monster Quartet.

"How disappointing..." Aokiji breathed out, ignoring the screams. "Is this the power of 100,000,000 Berri? Your grandpa would be so disappointed with you, Monkey D Luffy."

"S... shut up!" Their captain groaned out as he held his frosted fist, one eye clenched shut because of the pain and struggling to get up and continue fighting. "I won't let you touch anyone of my crew! Stay away from Robin!"

As if surprised, Aokiji lifted an eyebrow. "You'd lay down your life for her?" He inquired. "She's a cursed woman. She will bring nothing but despair upon your crew. It's not worth it."

He shouldn't have said that. The rubber teen's turned even more thunderous if possible, mirrored by his nakama, and opened his mouth to respond...

... But never got a chance, as another voice, familiar but heavily distorted, cut him off.

" ** _I'm afraid you're wrong, Admiral._** "

Unnoticed until then, Sarugaki 'Cursed Reaper' Koga suddenly sprung up from the shadows behind Aokiji, dark scythe poised back to strike down and cleave through him. His mismatched eyes blazed with fury and his legs carried him higher than normal thanks to his Devil Fruit Powers... and the darkness covered the entirety of his arms and part of his chest.

" _ **Death Execution**.._." The chronicler murmured, muscles tightening for the swing-

 ** _SHHHHUUNK!_**

-and cleaving right through Aokiji's chest, from his right shoulder to his left hip. Koga landed in a crouch in front of his shell-shocked friends.

" _ **Cruel Moon**._ "

 **Kreek... Kree- _CRACK_!**

Surprise showed in the Admiral's face before once more exploding into thick chunks of ice. The chronicler just kept his crouched position, eyes closed for whatever reason, until he incorporated and rested the pole of his weapon on his left shoulder.

"Koga, what... What was that?" Usopp broke the tense silence -only broken by the ice-man trying to reform himself once more.

But Nami cut off whatever answer the blond was going to give. "We don't have much time... He's going to reform at any second now..."

"That was unexpected..." The half-formed Aokiji drawled out, face already human-like but his body still a lump of thick ice in the ground. "But ultimately useless. If you wanted to give your friends some time, then you should've sacrified yourself... 'Cursed Reaper' Koga."

His eyes were shadowed by his blond locks when, body turned towards his friends, he just turned his face a bit over his left shoulder and drew out a wide smile.

It wasn't a normal smile, however: it was _dark_ , and _evil._

" ** _Now why would I do that, Marine Admiral Aokiji?_** " The voice that was Koga but wasn't entirely his came out of the writer once more, making the others tense. " ** _When I have this amazingly exciting fight just knocking at my doors?_** "

"K-Koga?" Chopper called out, insecure, unsure of what to say or do.

" ** _Imagine for an instant, Admiral,_** " the entity kept onward without paying attention to the reindeer, his body fully turning to the Admiral but still hiding his eyes, " ** _that_** **_for the first time in years, you are faced with the opportunity of your life. The very same reason that you were given meaning for. What you have seeking for years... finally presenting itself right before your eyes."_ ** He lifted his hand encased in shadows towards the skies. **" _Wouldn't you just grab into this opportunity with teeth and nails to not let go of it?"_**

Aokiji didn't answer, but no one knew if it was because he found this too strange or simply because he didn't bother to answer altogether. Or maybe it was because he was too concentrated in reforming his body to its original human form instead of a bundle of ice.

"C-Come on Koga, this isn't funny..." Nami weakly protested, her eyes wide in fear as she approached her friend with snail-like pace. "Just cut it out already..."

 **" _Funny?"_** Koga repeated as if in a daze, lowering his shadow-covered hand and closing it in a fist; the shades swirled furiously around it, as if sparked alit like a flame, and quickly settled down when his fingers opened. ** _"Yeah. This is not funny in the least. Too much time inside this body without being able to get out has obviously hindered my abilities. My powers, in hands of a mere human toddler who stumbles and spoils them with his ignorance. Tsk. If I ever find that geezer again, I'll rip out his vocal cords..."_** His head tilted to the side, apparently thinking, before shrugging without a care. ** _"Oh well. In the meantime, I suppose I can get used to this."_**

"That's not Koga." Zoro suddenly grunted out, still craddling his frozen arm, as he and the rest watched the writer hit the ground with the butt of the scythe, prepping himself for a fight. "I don't know who or what that is, but Koga's not there anymore..."

"At an educated guess... I'd say it's the demon inside him controlling his body." Aokiji, already fully formed, dug his pinkie in his ear, while the others looked between him and their friend in unabashed shock. "The organization after him told me of this possibility, but I honestly didnt't think it could be done."

"WHAT?!"

" _ **Huhu. Clever little thing.** " _Koga -or rather the _thing_ inside him- chuckled evilly. " ** _This could be actually be worth my time_**."

"You're _lying_!" Luffy roared as he stood up and confronted both his friend and Aokiji, mostly glaring at the latter. "Koga wouldn't surrender that easily! He would-!"

" _ **He would've fought to keep control over me, you mean to say?** " _Another chuckle as the blond young man turned his head a bit towards the rubber teen, who fell abruptly silent when he saw his nakama's eyes.

They still had their mismatched colors on the irises, but the schlera had turned _pitch black_. The pure evilness they exuded made Luffy widen his own dark eyes in shock.

" ** _I think it is a bit too late for that, little boy."_** A snicker _. " **He fought well, that I have to admit, but anger provides a pretty nice leeway for me to control him. And seeing one of his friends in danger by a foe very few can defeat? Ooooh, that is just the**_ **perfect** _ **entrance.** "_

"You mean... This is our fault?" Chopper asked in an incredibly soft voice, devastated, tears threatening to spill.

" _ **Fault? HA!** " _The sudden bark of laughter actually made some of them jump. _" **Fault is such a human expression. Blame someone for one's mistakes, sure! It's not that the brat would have it another way! Such a whiny, annoyingly expected attitude, bah!** " _His dark hand waved in a 'so-so' manner. _" **I don't care what you think. Go ahead, blame yourselves, or me, or the brat, or even Aokiji. If you think you need someone guilty, then by all means. I won't stop you. Meanwhile...** "_

 **Shink!** The demon lifted the scythe from his shoulder and swung it sideways, singlehandedly, and lowered his stance into combat-mode, a wide smile showing every tooth crossing his features in an almost-mad look.

" **Let us begin!** "

That was the only warning Aokiji had before he launched himself forward with the speed of a _torpedo_.

But it didn't seem to impress Aokiji, as he merely blocked the scythe with a newly-formed ice spade. His free hand, however, shot forward towards Koga's face, but the chronicler swatted it aside, unhooked the scythe from the sword and kicked him square in the stomach. The force behind the foot only dragged the tall Marine back a couple feet, but it was enough for Koga to grasp the scythe's pole in his other hand and formed some kind of dark sphere in his free palm, spinning wildly with a strange whirring noise.

" _ **Do you know what black holes do, Admiral?** "_

Judging by his sudden pallor, Aokiji knew it all too well. That, and the bullet-like lance of ice that was suddenly thrown in Kogas direction, that was promptly smashed to pieces when collided with the strange black ball, as if it was an iron wall. The tall man looked in confusion and shock and the younger pirate just smiled.

" _ **A shame this wouldn't do the same, but I think I can get the hang of it. Maybe not soon, but... someday.** "_

"You..."

" ** _HaHA! Up and at me, boy! I wanna feel the rush!_** "

As they both fought, the rest of the Straw Hats watched in between concern and shock. Well, Chopper wasn't paying much attention because of the frosted limbs three of the Monster Quartet members were sporting, but the rest were almost unanimously trying to keep up with the fight...

... Which was, both surprisingly _and_ not so much so, going _against_ Koga. The demon had the darkness powers that he could mold into almost _anything_ he desired, but the fact that he wasn't in his real body backfired that ability's usefulness almost completely. A too-long step, a swing stopped too short, a falter, a small twitch in the head... Little details that, unfortunately, Aokiji also caught on as well; he'd take advantage of the small leeways he could catch on and try to freeze Koga's body (apparently the only way to stop the demon) but so far he'd only sprayed his body with ice.

Worst thing, however? Aokiji wasn't getting _tired_. And Koga (or the demon) _was._

Not that the demon would let that show. His constant stunts and mockering didn't faze the Admiral in the least (but it certainly did look like his attacks were taking a newly vicious turn) and the sometimes _impossible_ twists the demon made Koga's body take were supernatural and painful-looking; in Chopper's words, they could render a normal human's spinal cord useless _at bes_ t. If they had had doubts about Koga being currently possessed by a literal demon, this was the final detail that would confirm it.

It was one of those 'slight miss-moves' that ultimately doomed the chronicler. As his hand-turned-demonic-claw swung inches apart from Aokiji's nose, Koga suddenly stumbled and _cursed_ , his leg cramping up badly because of the thick layer of ice suddenly running up his thigh and down his knee. Immediately, the Marine took the chance and shot ice at his foot, anchoring his body to the ground, and then the other foot.

Nami, Usopp and Chopper called out to him and the others looked with gritted teeth as the chronicler tried to break free, but couldn't.

Silently and deadly like the glaciar wind, Aokiji stepped in front of him, just outside the scythe's reach. More than half of Koga's body was already covered in layers of thick, dry ice: the left leg around the knee area, his stomach, his right shoulder (just enough that he couldn't swing his scythe with that arm), and now both his feet to the ground. In a word... He was _screwed_.

And still... the demon smiled widely, not concerned in the least at his precarious position.

" _ **I should've known, I guess."** _ He suddenly remarked in his slightly demonic voice, actually making Aokiji lift an eyebrow in question. _" **Trapped in a human body for ten years, my powers abused in all that time, and no decent fight in sight except a couple? Yeah, obviously I wouldn't be match for something like this.** "_

"You sure like to run your mouth, don't you demon?" Aokiji drawled out with his now familiar bored expression on his face. "Aren't you tired to listen to your own voice?"

" ** _After ten years of being unable to actually voice it outside this idiot's mind?_ _HA_ _! You bet I like listening to my own voice, even if distorted by that brat's. But still, I have to say one thing about you, human._** " His smile widened to the impossible. _" **Devil Fruits, awesome powers they give, right? Man, Father has a really wide imagination, right? I think ice was his favorite power. He liked cold, not hot. You use his power really well."**_

"... What do you mean by 'Father'?" Aokiji's suddenly _frigid_ voice cut through the air.

" ** _Isn't it obvious, human? I'm a_ demon _. A Prince Demon, to that matter. The Eight of us, we're considered the Devil's own children. The title you've given that girl?_** " His chin pointed to a shell-shocked Robin, whose pallor couldn't be more evident even with her normally tan skin. " ** _That's the name we_ legitimately _possess."_** He cackled, the smile he sported suddenly turning demential. ** _"Thrown your mind through a loop yet, human? I'm afraid that you've chosen the wrong victim for this. But oh well. You're mere humans. You're far out of our league when using the powers my Father gave yo-"_**

Koga's demon, however, could say no more as a wave of pure covered his vision and the frigid _cold_ engulfed his body.

 ** _FWOOOOOOOSH!_**

"Be quiet, _monster_."

And just like that, his world turned _white_.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Okay, to be honest, I hadn't planned on leaving you with such a nasty cliffhanger, but I couldn't find a way of continuing it without making it... awkward, I guess? And now, review answers~!**

 **-kikaw1518: Thanks for your support kikaw1518. This means a lot.**

 **-Kakusei: Thanks so much! Foxy's fight against Luffy was... a bit of a pain in the ass to portray, but I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, hopefully Gohan and his crew will have a happy ending.**

 **-Azurai Wolf: Hopefully we'll see more of Yuuto in chapters to come :3 Oh yeah, I wonder how everything will turn out in Water 7...**

 **-Guest: Oh I don't know about that! Honestly, I do like to torture my characters quite a bit, but maybe I'll change my mind in the future. Nothing confirmed though. Pray for them.**

 **-otaku1325: Yo, thanks to you for that amazing review! Made me smile like a loon all day xD I'll make sure he gets your well-wishes and kisses his way, don't worry! Man, thanks for your support about the romance stuff. Thanks to you for your words, and please keep enjoying my fic!**

 **-KingFireLuffy: I completely agree with you! Honestly, I regret the choice I made of bending my knee in this regard and giving the readers the option to put romance or not. I think I'll just plainly avoid it; asking for help won't do I fear. An OC would fit, but I already said I wouldn't add another OC to the SH crew, and romance via correspondence never works (in my honest opinion). Actually, he would've been quite a romantic man! Sure, at first he wouldn't have been able to suppress his shyness, but he's a natural gentleman and loves giving himself to his partner. Aw, thanks! I do try to improve with every chapter, so I'm glad you noticed! This Bites by Xomniac is a bit of a huge influence for me, to be honest. But don't you worry King, I've been reading your fic and you're also improving a lot with each uploaded chapter. It's just that you don't notice it!**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yeah, everything will go as smooth as silk... Nothing bad will happen... I intended for that to happen, actually. In my fic, not everything is black-and-white, but have infinite tones of grey. True, Foxy's an obnoxious liar (and far more adjectives that don't precisely picture him as 'nice') but what he does have is an unwavering loyalty and unconditional love to his crew. After all, I doubt everyone agreed to come willingly, but in the end all 500-something crewmembers are equally loyal to the death to him. That has to have a reason! The only things that I will keep evil as fuck (and sorry for my vocabulary) are Spandam and Akainu. I won't deny giving them a reason to be this evil, though. Not likely. Oh God, yeah I did! I both eagerly and dreadfully await the moment Kaido and the SH crew clash! Hm, I don't dare formulating an hypothesis yet, I'll let Oda surprise us! I also want to see Wano already!**

 **-Hawkeye: Yeah, a lot of people agree, but my inability to actually write romance (and believe, I tried) renders the voting poll null, I'm afraid. But either way, thanks for giving your vote.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo, Lar-! Wait, what? Ooooooh, you changed... Good one! Wow, long review, I love 'em ! PREACH IT BROTHER! ALL HAIL THE AFRO! ... Oh, God, what have I become? It's a bad moment for Foxy; not only he lost against the SH, but also loses a member of his own crew. At least we know he's a good guy... deep inside... Yeah, Foxy didn't survive this long without knowing how to play his cards or picking up a thing or two in the Grand Line. On the other hand, it was Paradise; apart from Alabasta (with Crocodile) and Enies Lobby, there are quite few real threats in that part of the Grand Line. Good thing for him too. I'm glad you liked Koga-kun's perspective of the fight! Well I think Koga-kun would rather live without so many fans xD Hopefully he'll survive them all xD Oh! I didn't think about that to be honest. Now I don't wnat him to have that kind of connection to the Blackbeard pirates... Honestly, I'm not sure whether Koga-kun will retain his abilities yet... We'll see.** **Oooooh** **, I like your theories! Personally I think the Yami-Yami Fruit needs a physical object to cast shadows (Blackbeard's body for example). Thus, to use his powers such as absorption he needs to become tangible to cast his shadow powers. However when he uses the Black Hole back in Banaro Island, the ground projects shadow. Koga-kun's demonic powers work a little like that.**

 **-Guest (2): You mean the formation in Thriller Bark? Let's see if they're even together when it happens XD**

 **-Guest (3): Hm, a plausible theory. I like it!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	74. Again, not powerful enough

**74\. Again, not powerful enough**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **WARNING! This chapter will involve serious issues like suicide mentioning. I'm warning you, this chapter is a very heavy one. Will not cover much plot-wise though.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxKOGA'S MINDSCAPExXx**

 **"Ya know, maybe we should just stop this. Confronting deadly enemies and getting our asses handed to us in silver platter I mean."**

 **"Funny, considering that this time _I_ have little to no involvement in all this. You were controlling my body after all. And this time you can't say my friends know nothing, demon; they know everything. And that's also your fault."**

 **"Well good luck convincing your friends that you're okay then. You and I both know that this won't be the last time we'll hear from Aokiji."**

 **"Speaking of Aokiji, what happened at the end? It's... all a blur after you began taunting him."**

 **"Oh, nothing much. Just a bit of hard whopping and getting _really_ acquainted with the North Blue's freezing cold. Oh, and turning into a nice ice statue."**

 **"... What."**

 **"Yeeeeeeeaaaah, your friends surely won't be happy for that. And I guess you should be preparing a speech or two to explain what happened back then."**

 **" _What._ "**

 **"Well, of course. I've been controlling you for a while now, and they've been watching _everything_! Surely they have questions for you when you wake up!"**

 **" _WHAT._ "**

 **"... Maybe you should search for some synonyms for that one, dude, 'cause you're wasting that word _waaaaaaaay_ too much."**

 **"Don't give me that crap! _You_ got me into this mess in the first place!"**

 **"Ah-ah-ah! It doesn't work that way, and you know it."**

 **"... Ugh, _fine_. So, when you talked, they heard everything? I thought you were talking in my head."**

 **"Well, not really. I was using _your_ vocal cords, so of course they heard me. And I'm sure they know more than you right now, if you really don't remember anything after me taunting that Ice-Block."**

 **"... I said it was 'all a blur', not that I didn't remember anything. I heard your voice perfectly well."**

 **"Oh, bummer."**

 **"So, what did you mean with you being the 'Child of the Devil'?"**

 **"Now you have wax in your ears? I said what I said. Me'n the others _are_ children of the Devil Himself. Ya know, Hell's big shot? ... Though to be more precise, I am His _legitimate_ child. His... firstborn, I suppose? I was born before all the others. I'm His heir. All the others, though, He created them from humanity's own feelings and Gave them life. Lust, Greed, Ire, Sloth... They came later."**

 **"... I see."**

 **"You see jack here, but oh well."**

 **"And your powers were different than mine."**

 **"Come again?"**

 **"I can only manipulate shadows, the ones that already exist and are caused by the light. You, however, you _created_ darkness and manipulated it."**

 **"Pfft. They're both one and the same in the end. Shadows and darkness are created by the absence of light where it can't shine. But, I agree with your logic here. You manipulate shadows, yes, but it's because you don't control _me_. I'm the Darkness Demon, I _am_ darkness, and I embody all its forms."**

 **"... You really have a giant ego."**

 **"Now you realize it?"**

 **"... I refuse to answer that question."**

 **"So, ready to come back? Fair warning, maybe you'll feel a little stiff."**

 **"... Was that supposed to be a joke?"**

 **"Nope, I'm dead serious this time. Don't get too used to it though."**

 **"Figures..."**

* * *

Cold.

That was the first sensation Koga got when he woke up, a chilling cold that almost reached his bones. Granted, he'd never been completely turned into a frozen statue back at the orphanage, even with janitors as... _creative,_ shall we say, as the guys back then had been. Oh, sure, he'd faced frostbitten limbs in one or two kids every now and then -the obsessive pyro, Hibiki, loathed those punishments with a passion- but never before he'd gotten his entire _body_ encased in ice.

So of course he hoped that the almost uncontrollable, violent shivers running up and down his body, the clattering of his teeth clashing with one another like eager warriors and the feeling of breathlessness he felt were only temporary consequences. As much as he liked the cold, he'd decided, it didn't mean that he enjoyed feeling like Jack Frost.

Deciding it was finally time to wake up, the chronicler opened far too drowsy eyes to stare at the infirmary's familiar ceiling, wrapped in way too many blankets... and still managing to feel _cold_. Not as in "trapped-in-an-iceberg" cold, but still chillier than normal.

Snoring and nonsensical mumbling drove his head to the side, discovering a familiar scene.

His nakama, sleeping in the same room as his, refusing to leave him alone in this moment of weakness and helplessness. He remembered a time before they met Chopper, where Nami had been practically at Death's doorstep and the rest of the crew wordlessly agreed on giving her their support.

Only, it wasn't himself the only patient they chose to guard. Luffy and Robin laid in beds adjacent to one another and next to his, apparently asleep too. It was truly amazing to see them sleeping so peacefully even with the loud snores. But, while Luffy snored with his particular carefree smile, Robin had a small crease on her forehead, a troubled expression on her sleeping face.

'Each of us has their own demons to face,' Koga thought, a frown on his own when his mismatched gaze hovered over both his nakama, searching for unseen injuries.

Whatever injury Chopper found in them, was no longer there.

It was as another shiver crept through his body that it occurred to him; he was not only battling the external cold still clinging to him viciously. The internal claw, greedy and malicious, was trying to grip at his human soul, to twist it and to lose it to the throes of a demon. The Devil's own heir.

A hand gripping his chest, the chronicler uttered a single, cursory word, his long legs swung to the side of the bed and practically running out of the crowded room. The fresh, salty air of the night hit his face, luckily not worsening his lingering cold, as he stood watching the silent shores of Long Ring Long Land. He breathed deeply, staggering towards the railing near the figurehead before looking up at the near-full moon shining over his head.

Years ago, he'd promised himself never to surrender to his demon. Never to succumb, to lose himself in the icy darkness that awaited him should he fail. Up until then, though with difficulty, he'd managed to uphold that vow, an unbreakable frontier between his human soul and the demon's.

But...

Since Koga met the Straw Hats, since he joined them, something changed.

His reign over his emotions, _Sankaoken_ 's primary weapon to try and manipulate him, no longer was sturdy and steady, but shaky at best. His anger and grief were powerful tools, but also were his biggest weaknesses. They were a breach in his defenses, and _Sankaoken_ was too smart to let that up.

His grip tightened around the wood of the railing, eyes lost in the horizon with a conflicted scowl on his face.

The Koga of before, the one that kept himself away from people, would've immediately started to train to exhaustion just to regain the so needed control. To shut down every emotion, to return to being an ice block (metaphorically speaking) with strange eyes and impassible face. It worked before, his rational mind argued, and it had remained a solid plan in the ten long years he became a Cursed. All he needed, was to once more return to being emotionless, to being distrustful... To being alone.

But the boy he'd been once, the battered and bruised little boy who starved for someone to love him, rejected that idea with a timid but steady voice. As safe from the demon as he'd been during those hellish ten years, the price he'd had to pay had been too much for the young boy that grew up, unable to trust anyone, to get closer to anyone. Not only for himself, but what he would do to them.

The Straw Hat crew and Koga's feelings towards them were a prime example of his conflictive thoughts. In all his lonely years, he'd never before let anyone in his heart. Even while spending time with Vivi and her family, he hadn't dared become closer to her than an acquaintance with similar interests. Or Gohan and his crew, who despite seeing the worst, heartbroken side of him, weren't more than mere companions who'd give him a lift.

It had been Monkey D 'Straw Hat' Luffy, in the span of barely twenty-four hours, who managed to worm his way into his heart with a charisma and conviction befitting of a D. Even with his childish behavior that would give him a headache more often than not, Luffy just... had his way.

And the others were also settled in his heart before he even realized. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, even Robin (for all the initial mistrust), had all found their place inside him.

However, with his friends, his _nakama_ , also came those emotions he'd avoided for so long. Mirth, sadness, rage, compassion... _Trust_.

Feeling again _hurt_. A lot. But those were beautiful feelings, that helped him get these amazing friends, that made him _human_. Those same emotions that were a chink in Koga's armor, they were also a precious gift that made him human.

Breath left him in a huge gush, pressure on the railing eased for a bit. Now that his swirling thoughts had been sorted out, he faced two options.

Either he shut his emotions away to keep his demon at bay, thus losing his friends in the process because of his inability to keep their friendship...

Or he cherished them both, thus endangering them to the demon's next apparition. And ultimately losing them both in the process anyways.

'Whatever I choose, I still lose them.' Koga's forehead crinkled because of his grim thoughts once more. 'The question is when.'

A small creaking called his attention. He turned, only to see the empty deck. His eyebrow lifted in confusion, but the creaking repeated; this time, a feeling came with it.

Love. Fear. Pain.

'What's this?' He separated from the railing, trying futilely to see where this was coming from.

"Who's there?" He asked out loud, but not too much as to not awake the others.

The wind blew in his ears softly, the sound it carried sounding like a childish giggle. A kid?

"Come out from wherever you are."

Something touched the back of his hand. His head whipped around at the sensation, his eyes focusing on...

"... Merry?"

Or rather, Merry's _figurehead_. It remained the same, nothing out of the ordinary.

And still, a feeling swept over him. Recognition.

"Is that... even possible?" Koga looked like mistified by this strange phenomenon; even being a Grand Line dweller and thus used to strange things, _this_ went far beyond his vocabulary of 'weirdness'. "Is that you, Merry?"

Another bodiless giggle, this time fainter, almost a whisper; Koga had to strain his ears to catch it. Still incredulous, his fingers stroke down Merry's neck, and a squeal sounded; a soft smile crossed his face as he continued the motion.

"Why are you here, Merry?"

The light atmosphere dimmed, replaced by worry.

"You're worried? They're gonna be okay, don't worry. They're tough."

And that they were in truth. If there was something that identified them apart from their unbreakable links, it was their stubborness and capacity to bounce back into place after a particularly tough fight.

The first fight they lost as a crew.

"It'll take some time before our confidence returns however." Koga continued, crossing his arms over his chest and resting his back on Merry's neck. "We lost, and spectacularly so. Expected, considering who our opponent was, but I'd thought we would hold our own before going down. Clearly that wasn't the case."

A new wave of worry.

"But hey, chin up. We're the Straw Hat Pirates. We'll return stronger." He smiled at the starry sky -clearer now that dawn approached. "We won't let them think they beat us so easily."

A small silence, then a strong sensation filled him. Determination and confidence.

His smile widened. "That's our ship."

A wave of pleased embarrasment before everything went quiet again.

And just then, Koga made his decision.

Knowing exactly where _Sankaoken_ would be, his strides held a newfound confidence as he retrieved it from the men's quarters and then settled on the crow's nest.

'I may be terrified of the future.' He thought, taking the rusty blade out of its sheath and looking over at it. 'I may be terrified of feeling these emotions and letting them enter my heart. But damn if I let you control me through my feelings and taint them with your disgusting power.'

A tendril of darkness across the blade, as if mocking his resolution. Face suddenly hard, he sat down cross-legged and rested the katana on his knees, closing his eyes to meditate and train to control the demon.

After the sun had been up for a few hours Koga was brought out of his meditation with a grumbling stomach. Sanji's breakfast could be smelled from up where he was, so the writer lost no time in getting down and entering the kitchen.

It wasn't after he opened the door and saw Sanji, Nami and Zoro inside that the events of the day before came rushing to his mind.

'Oh fuck.'

The chef didn't look up from his work, but Nami did lift her head from her map and Zoro opened one eye to watch him paralyzed in the doorframe, like a deer caught in flashlights.

"Good morning, Koga." The navigator greeted him, albeit with a slightly tense undertone in her voice.

"... Morning." He entered and seated beside Zoro and across from Nami, unable to look at either of them eye to eye.

'I don't want to give explanations as to what happened, but they're bound to ask anyways...' He accepted with a nod the plate Sanji set down in front of him.

"Koga, we need to talk about what happened yesterday." The redhead confirmed his suspicions.

Acting as nonchalantly as he could, Koga picked up his fork and scooped up his scrambled eggs, giving them a taste. Hmmm, delicious as always.

"We don't need to talk about anything right now."

'Now _that_ was a dick move.'

 _Blam!_

In an instant, Nami shot to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table with a thundering noise, actual anger obscuring her expression.

"Yes, we need to talk! You lost control yesterday, we all saw that! Whatever fought Aokiji, _it wasn't you_!" She sat back down with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "You won't sweet-talk your way out this time."

A snort. "Sweet-talk? It's the first time someone calls my refusal to answer as 'sweet-talking'. Weird."

"Does it matter what it's called?" Zoro opened both his eyes now and glanced over at him.

"Ah, I guess not."

Sanji served Nami and Zoro their plates before reclining against the wall beside the kitchen-area, visible eye set on Koga. "So, gonna talk? Or you gonna walk away once more?"

The writer sighed. "I told you, there's nothing to talk about. My problems are my own. If the demon's running on a rampage, I'll deal with it. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"How many times have we heard that chant already? And how many times has it worked since then?" Nami rested her elbows on the table, her face closer to his own blank one. "Alabasta, Koga. You haven't been yourself since _Alabasta_. And it's only gotten worse. Mifune warned us about it."

His entire frame locked up, fingers crushing the fork and face straining to keep emotions away. "You don't know me."

"Maybe we don't know all your secrets. Maybe we never will, considering how stubborn you are. But we don't need that to know that the demon inside you is _destroying you_."

"I'm perfectly okay."

"Bullshit." Sanji sniffed, lighting a cigarette. "And Nami-san's right. Mifune told us what would happen if your demon gained control over you."

'I would no longer be myself.' Koga thought grimly, his eyes setting down on the already eaten breakfast.

"We know you Koga, despite you insisting on keeping your distance." Nami insisted, seeing his avoidance as a possible way to gain answers. "You're loyal to the crew, but don't take care of yourself. You're also one of the most rational and cool-headed people we have on the crew, if not _the_ most, but yesterday you were anything _but_. It's only natural, not only as your crewmates but as your _nakama,_ that we worry about you."

Feeling a lump forming in his throat, Koga pointedly avoided their gazes, ashamed and regretful because of his inability to trust more in his friends than he already did. They already knew an awful lot about him, and possibly perceived more than he could see; the crew had to be satisfied with that.

"My demon is my own personal problem, Nami. As Arlong was yours."

Her wince gave away that the redhead _didn't_ appreciate that in the least. "I had help from you all in the end."

"I don't _need_ your help." His voice came out harsher, more insistent, wishing for them to drop the subject already.

"I told Luffy the same, yet he didn't listen! Neither of you guys did! What makes you think we wouldn't do the same for you!? What makes you think that we wouldn't try to save you from whatever this... this _demon_ is doing to you!?"

 ** _Blam!_**

This time it was Koga who stood to his feet and slammed his hands on the table, face a mask of raw desperation and sadness.

" _Because_ _I'm not worth saving_!" He all but roared at Nami's flabbergasted face. "Got it!? _I_ got myself in this mess, and _I'll_ get myself out, without anyone's help! And if I'm not able to control my demon before it's too late, _then I'll_ _just be done with it and_ _fucking kill myself!_ "

Gaping like a fish, Nami went to answer, but couldn't utter a word before Sanji snagged Koga's collar and brought their faces together, the chef's a mask of unrelenting fury.

"Dont talk to Nami-san like that, shitty bleach-head! And don't be so ridiculous! It's not Nami-san's fault that you're unable to _ask for our fucking help_!"

Koga's vision suddenly swam in red, as the blond writer let out a savage-like snarl and fisted Sanji's collar back.

"I've been perfectly capable of taking care of myself without you." An icy reminder that sparked a furious flame in the cook's visible eye, and a muscle twitched on his face from the force with which he clenched his jaw around his unlit cigarette.

So engaged they were on their little confrontation, that they didn't notice the rest of the crew entering the kitchen until they heard Usopp and Chopper screaming and separating them forcefully. Koga let them do it, but his unwavering gaze never left Sanji's, who mirrored the action with an identical scowl on his face.

"What's going on here!?" The sniper demanded to know after they separated. "Why are you fighting!?"

Echoes of the past...

"Stop _it! Why are you fighting!? You'll make Karen's illness worse!"_

His eyes clenched shut, hand flying to his temple in an attempt to drive away the painful memory. Karen and Jii-san hadn't liked Yuuto and him fighting either. Both had _really_ bad tempers, especially concerning their sister's wellbeing.

They vey rarely agreed on something.

 _Huhuhu. Such a nasty argument._

Ignoring everyone else's talking, his eyes slowly drifted down to the sheathed sword at his side and snatched the katana from his side, going outside and throwing it to the lower deck, as far away from him as he could.

Immediately his mind felt clearer, though his anger didn't leave, much to his worry.

"Fucking demon..." He growled out, his hand sweeping down his face and a headache beginning to form in his head...

 _Bonk!_

Which was reinforced by the sudden fist colliding with the back of his head and formed a _niiiiiice,_ painful lump.

" _Ow!_ Son of a- _Luffy_!?" The writer swirled around to see the rubbery teen with his fist still raised from the hit, a pissed-off look on his face. "What the _hell_ was that for!?"

"For being an idiot!" He roared right back, making the chronicler blink in confusion.

"That's rich, coming from you... _Nevermind that!_ Why did you hit me!?"

He snapped up two fingers to the writer's nose. "Two reasons! One, you said you weren't worth saving! And two, you said you were going to kill yourself!"

Frustrated beyond all belief, Koga went to yell at him, to knock some sense into his air-filled skull... But he suddenly remembered that, idiot as he was, Monkey D Luffy was still his captain... and his friend.

The first friend he'd done in many, _many_ years.

So he sucked in his frustration, blew it out in a huge gush of breath, before locking dead-serious eyes with those of his captain's; surprisingly, they held identical expression.

"Listen, Luffy, it may hurt to hear, but I'm only telling the truth. I may have to-"

"You will _not_ say you're not worth saving." The rubber teen all but growled out, interrupting him. "And you will _not_ kill yourself. You're my chronicler."

Rebuttal silent, Koga tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat at the painstakingly _obvious_ response his captain just said.

Because _yes,_ Sarugaki Koga _was_ Luffy's chronicler, for better or for worse. And that simple truth made _everything_ all the more difficult for the blond writer.

"Luffy, I... _Tsk_." He cleared his throat at the sudden croaking in his voice, something that _never_ happened before. "Yes, you're my captain. And yes, you're my nakama. But..." He struggled to find the proper words. "But there are things that I can't, _won't_ , ever ask you to do for me. Even if I wanted to, I just... I'm unable to do it." A hand running through his blond locks, raw desperation etched in his face. "The demon inside me is one of them. It's _my_ problem, and _I_ will solve it on my own."

Luffy obviously didn't like that, judging the crease in his forehead as he watched Koga unblinking.

"We're your nakama." He simply stated, plain as day. "Your problems are ours."

" _Not all_ , Luffy. This is simply far beyond your reach." A grim sentence.

"Koga, we stopped a crew of evil fishmen from conquering the East Blue." Nami cut in, worry evident in her expression as she watched her crumbling nakama. "We stopped a civil war perpetrated by a Shichibukai. We even defeated _God_ _himself_!"

"We're far stronger that you gave us credit for." Zoro bluntly declared, arms crossed over his chest.

"God _damn it_ , guys, this is not about you being _able_ to help me or not!" Koga exploded again, now anger mixed with desperation in his voice and face. "This is about that independently of your capabilities, I won't _let_ you help me! This is _my Goddamn problem_ , not yours!"

"But we're your friends!" Chopper ran over and gripped his leg, raising his head up at him and giving him the puppy eyes. "We _still_ want to help you!"

Affected by those sad, _sad eyes_ , Koga's determination faltered for a moment before steeling himself before Luffy, who still observed him with the same serious look.

"We lost to a Marine _Admiral_ , Luffy. Whatever luck we had when confronting Arlong, Crocodile and Eneru, we just wasted it when Aokiji got us." Koga's hands closed in fists at either side of him. "Right now, you can't possibly help me."

A flash of anger in his dark eyes, in each of the crew's eyes. A harsh estatement, but true much to their chagrin.

But what his captain answered just threw every argument away.

"We'll still help you." He merely stated.

"Wha- Luffy!?"

"You're my chronicler, Koga." The teen cut off his nascent protest. "My _nakama_. We won't let you fight alone, _and_ we won't let you kill yourself. That's what it is."

As he heard his much younger superior say those words, his skin grew increasingly paler and his eyes bulged out of their sockets, pure disbelief etched in his face. Slowly, the writer wrenched his mismatched eyes from Luffy's and swept them over the crew.

Zoro's expression mirrored his captain's, an element of bloodthirstiness included as he fingered the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. Nami had an iron grip on one of the fragments of her Clima Tact, but her face had grim resignation over a small streak of fear. Usopp didn't fake his terror, but he directed a thumbs up and a shaky grin the older nakama's way. Chopper only had naked worry in his furry face, still holding onto his pants like a lifesaver. Sanji didn't look his way until he lit up a cigarette and glanced over at the writer, expressionless. And Robin... Though visibly battling her own demons, she shared a look of faint empathy with him.

Speechless at what he saw in his crewmates, Koga shut his eyes again and swiped his hand down his face, ignoring the small tremors of his fingers and the pulse in his jaw as he clenched it shut. After an eternity he managed to bite out some words.

"I still won't let you help me... I'm not doing this for myself."

"I don't care." A blunt response. Typical from Luffy, really.

Koga lifted up his scarf with his free hand, the other over his eyes.

"Can I... can I at least ask you to do something for me?"

Luffy's eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing. "What is it?"

The oldest male crewmember visibly swallowed, trying to keep control over his racing heartbeat, before lowering his hands and looking at Luffy again in the eye.

Resignated.

"If... If you see that I surpassed my limit... If you see that I'm a danger to the crew, to _anyone_... Please..." A shuddering breath. " _Kill me._ "

Shock filled the crew at those two words, theie bodies ramrod and eyes wide as plates fixed on the defeated form of their tortured nakama.

"Even if I'm aware of the danger I'll be to the innocents, I'm... not actually _sure_ I'll be able to end my own life before others are lost to my demonic self."

And then, everyone but Robin and Luffy began talking at the same time, stumbling with the words, raising their voices to be heard.

"But that's-!"

"Koga, what are you-!?"

"We can't possibly-!"

" _Please_." His broken voice cut through theirs with the cruelty of a razor-sharp knife... and cut through their hearts with the same ease. "I... I trust no one else for this."

"This is _not_ what we meant when we said we'd help you!" Nami bit out at him before turning to Luffy. "Luffy, tell him we won't do that!"

"That's right, Luffy!" Usopp concurred, actual fear in his eyes. "This is madness, utter and complete _madness_!"

"It goes against a doctor's goal to end a life." Chopper also refused to make that promise. "It also goes against my condition as your friend to end yours specifically. I can't do it."

Sanji blew out some smoke. "I may dislike you when you talk rude to the ladies. But I don't dislike you _that_ much."

Robin just avoided her gaze, but her whole stance revealed her dislikeness for the sudden request.

And Zoro just gave a long, hard look to Koga.

The chronicler held his breath. He didn't feel surprised at the others' refusal, but Zoro thought similar to him. Both always thought of the crew's wellbeing as a whole before everything else. Koga hoped the swordsman saw the danger he represented as a Cursed... and the sanity of his request.

But the green-haired teen didn't voice an opinion, instead looking at Luffy and calling out to him. "Captain? By your orders."

Dread filled the blond writer for an instant, but he forced himself to think that the swordsman had neither accepted nor refused the promise. He didn't outright refuse.

But Zoro was right. In the end, it was Luffy's role at the captain who had the final say... general opinions nonwithstanding. His mismatched eyes locked onto Luffy's dark ones, hoping beyond reason that the teen would be reasonable, that he would see how the older male was hurting, how desperately he needed this promise from him...

... and mercilessly squashing away the terror worming inside.

'Please, Luffy.' He silently begged with his eyes and face. 'Please. Think of me not as a friend, but as the threat I'll become when the demon consumes me. Or at least, as a tortured friend that needs your help when worst comes to worst.'

He'd hoped beyond all that Luffy would listen to reason. He'd hoped that for once, the younger teen wouldn't be selfish, would actually on what was best for Koga, on what his wishes, his _needs really_ were...

But he saw a familiar glimmer in Luffy's eyes as he looked from under the brim of his straw hat, a determination and stubbornness that twisted his gut in a knot... and kindled a fragile flame in his heart.

"We will stop this demon from controlling you." Monkey D Luffy stated, as a truth vindicated from the heavens. "I don't need to make that promise to you. We'll stop it."

Eyes impossibly wide, his ears refusing to believe what he heard, Koga attempted to protest, to appeal to his senses, _anything_.

But it wouldn't come out, because he saw that his will had set in stone, and nothing could change his mind. Not even his nakama's desperate plea.

As realization filled him, and he saw identical expressions in the rest of the crew, a sensation overwhelmed him; a crushing hope, a beautiful yet terrifying emotion that threatened to bury him in ideals. He'd always had been at terms with his own death, but with Luffy and the crew, he'd found he didn't want to die.

Not yet, anyways.

His voice strangled in his throat, mouth opening and closing like a fish, Koga's whole body sag in both hopelessness and exhaustion, before closing a hand on his blue scarf, at war with himself.

"I... I need some air."

And without looking back, he got out in a rush and climbed up his crow's nest. He became a coward again.

* * *

They no longer talked about it. Not that day, anyways.

As they set route for the next island, tensions and memories of the lost battle against their strongest enemy within the crew slowly but steadily passed. It remained stronger in some like Usopp, Nami and Chopper, while in others it refused to let go... Like Robin. Zoro, Koga and Sanji would only reinforce their training to become even stronger, and Luffy remained the same; or so it seemed.

What Koga said before became true: like rubber, the Straw Hat crew all bounced back into place and almost everything regained its normalcy.

But might as they tried, something remained estranged within them, its ugly head peeking occasionally to nag at their doubt. Such feelings remained unspoken, but were noticeable in Robin's haunted eyes and Koga's stern face.

An invisible breach had just opened in the crew's heart. And their next and hardest challenge was about to begin.

It all began... with a giant frog doing the front crawl.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! I'm terribly sick, and this chapter's taken a LOT of me, so I'm sorry if you find incongruences in the chap. And now, review answers~!**

 **-Kakusei: Yes, it was awful. I'll try to not do it again *shamelessly lying behind their teeth* Sorry, cliffhangers make everything more interesting~! Eeyup, following my idea for the fic, Koga's demonic powers were given to Blackbeard when he ate his Devil Fruit. aAnd yes, I said it correctly~!**

 **-14fox: Yo, Fox, Ryo! And where's Hotaru-chan?**

 **K: *grumbles* Yeah, I know. Author really doesn't give a damn about my wellbeing right now.**

 **L: Shut up. I'm sick right now. Have been for weeks.**

 **K: You only have a small cold! And you got it yesterday.**

 **L: ... Felt far longer. Oh Sankaoken does have its appeal Ryo-kun, you just don't understand... And neither does Koga-kun for that matter, but I don't expect him to anyway.**

 **K: *eyes warily at Fox, then at Author* I'm... Not sure with who should I stay to be honest... Both creep me out... But I hear you Ryo.**

 **-Guest-san: Oh wow, so much animosity for Aokiji xD Yeah, I agree, he should've left them alone, Robin most of all. Eeyup, shadows is a sub-ability (kinda) of darkness, but the complete darkness (creating it and the such) is only available to the demon. For now. I know Guest-san, and I'm really sorry. That poll had been a weak and pathetic attempt to dorce myself to do something the readers wanted, but I disliked so much the result that didn't doubt in erasing it. I wanted to give something both you readers and me enjoyed. I didn't enjoy, so I wanted to spare you the suffering of my poor skills at writing romance-scenes (read, nonexistent). But you're right, I should've thougbt before givng away the poll.**

 **-otaku1325: Thanks so much otaku-san for the support! Action is what I excel so I hope I give you what you want at least. Koga-kun is gonna have a few rough moments from here on, so please cheer him up!**

 **-Azurai Wolf: Nope, he does not. And here's a sample of the mood he's going to be in... Just kiddig, he'll be serious but not brooding. Or at least not much.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo King! Nice seeing you again as always! Oh, 'lighten up' King, things around here are gonna be 'heated up' soon!**

 **K: ... That was terrible.**

 **L: Shut up, I'm sick, I told you already! Hahahahahahahahaha, Bugs Buggy! I thought I read wrong but you actually put it, niiiice. Yup, we've startes nice and easy but suddenly we're facing a freaking Admiral of all things! Yeah, Luffy got serious in battle with Lucci and little else.**

 **K: You called the demon Mr. Hyde? I like it. And what's that about Enies Lobby?**

 **L: Nothing you should know yet~! Everything will come at its own pace. Well, more like the demon controls the darkness while Koga-kun only controls the shadows, but with a bit more training... Who knows. Shadows come from darkness anyway, so why not bundle it up and make shadow a sub-ability of darkness? Both are related to 'lack of light', so... I'm still not sure about Devil Fruits' origin to be honest. I've thought of making the Devil himself be the creator of the fruits, and the demons are the living embodiments of those fruits without the seastone weakness. Or something like that. And I just blurted it out to the whole fanfiction site. Smart.**

 **K: You're really not, but we've always known that.**

 **L: Youuuuu... Oh** **I personally like the first half! It was basically my childhood all over again. But yeah, the aecond half is pretty good too.**

 **-Guest: Yeah, Aokiji's a bit of a dick (excusd my language). Still, I think the fic that best portrayed his attitude is This Bites! By Xomniac. They did a damn good job at that. Well Aokiji's far better than Akainu anyways. Both, actually! Though I read through the wikia when I'm not in the mood of watching chapters.**

 **-Guest (2): Oh, that actually makes far more sense, yeah! To be honest, I've never been too much of making theories, rather letting Goda surprise me, so... The idea of the double-edged sword appeals to me a lot. Think that Blackbeard's powers is waaaaay too OP, even by One Piece's standards.**

 **-Tengu Brunch: Yeah, Aokiji represents the first actual awareness of their weakness when facing the New World's powers. Well, in Paradise they faced 3 Logia, but two of them had natural weaknesses that could be exploited and the third came directly from the top of Navy's HQ. Oh, Aokiji actually lost against Akainu at Punk Hazard because magma (and fire of course) are his natural weaknesses. Oooh yeah, the poor evil that faces him will have a bad time for sure. To be honest I hadn't planned anything that far. For the moment I'm thinking of putting him with the Wano Team, but no promises as of yet.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	75. Pirates, welcome to Water 7

**75.** **Pirates, welcome to Water 7**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **I'm sorry for delaying the chapter for so long, but I just had a much-needed vacation with my family.** **Spending time with them was just what I needed to relax.**

 **A heads-up to my co-author in his fic "The Second Reaper" Ultimate Student, who's birthday was the 24th of August! Happy birthday bud! Don't worry, I'll get our next chapter soon enough, just let me upload this one first, I had the readers in enough of a suspense.**

 **So! New month, new update, new Arc. Which means longer chapter title! It's a little thing, but I like it, I don't know why though. Do you guys like it?**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

In a famous tavern in Water 7, a beautiful woman dressed in an expensive white kimono finally finished her shamisen show. With a quiet exhale, she incorporated from her cushion and bowed deeply to the applauding spectators, before gliding her way backstage and into her changing room.

Normally she wasn't in need of money, with her two companions being well-paid in their jobs, but sometimes she felt the need of earning her funds after all. And with her elegance and practice of the shamisen, other musical instruments and even her voice, acting in a bar for a few good Berri seemed a good way to put them to use.

The woman put the delicate instrument aside and sat down before her mirror, a comb weaving its way into her long, dark-blue hair with silk-like texture. More than her slender, feminine figure, her smooth, white skin, or even her astounding purple eyes, she _loved_ her hair more. She could spend hours just taking care of it, brushing it at least five times a day, making sure it had the perfect length (straight at her waist).

The woman sighed as she settled down her comb, reaching instead for a thick, transparent crystal ball just within her reach. At her touch, a multi-colored smoke filled its interior. She didn't pay attention to it and just peered inside, as if it contained the answer to all of her questions.

Which it could, actually, if asked the correct question.

But she didn't have any doubts, or at least not yet.

"He's near..." She murmured in the loneliness of her room, a slender finger caressing the smooth ball. "He's getting closer."

The smoke fluttered, revealing the scarred face of a young man, each eye of a disconcerting silver-and-golden color, his gaze wide in disbelief as he watched something outside her view.

The fact that she could see so many details in the crystal ball revealed that he was actually close, not even a day away from them. And that meant that they had little time.

From inside of her kimono, the beautiful woman pulled out a Baby Transponder Snail without taking her eyes off the young man in the ball, absent-mindedly ringing a familiar number.

She had to wait a few minutes until a drowsy feminine voice sounded, the snail managing to mimic an equally half-asleep face, one eye clenched shut.

" _I told ya already, Paulie, it'll be ready when I say so..._ " The feminine voice drawled out.

"I'm not Paulie." The woman cut out, albeit with an amused smile crossing through her fair features. It wasn't the first time her friend fell asleep in the middle of work.

A groan sounded, and some rustling that suggested the girl (as it sounded younger than the kimono-dressing woman) was trying to recompose herself. Although the snail still looked more than a bit sleepy.

" _What is it? Those damn Chapel dudes comin' at us now?_ "

"No. It's about _him_. He's actually close."

" _Oh yeah? Congrats then, you were right. Now can I go back to my sleep before Paulie_ actually _catches me?_ "

The woman lifted a delicate eyebrow, fighting to keep a chuckle from coming out. "Aren't you supposed to be doing your work?"

" _Psh._ _I can do this with my eyes closed and both my hands tied behind my back._ " A barely-hidden yawn sounded before she continued. " _I'll tell the big guy then-_ "

"No need for that, I'll give him the message. You still need to finish the work Paulie asked you to do."

There was a long silence before an aggravating sound escaped from the snail, much to the purple-eyed woman's amusement. " _You're enjoyin' this ain't you?_ "

"Just a tiny bit, but yes, I _am_ enjoying myself."

" _You connivin' little-_ "

"Oh, before I forget, are our guests accommodated?"

" _Wha- of course they are! Just because I barely spend my time at home doesn't mean I can't attend to my guests you cold bitch!_ "

The woman lifted a delicate eyebrow. "Did it piss you off so much that your accent practically _disappeared_?"

She received a deadpan glare before the other girl bit out: " _Har har, hilarious._ "

"Well then, I'll leave you to the job you're supposed to be doing. I doubt your boss will be happy if your cannons misfire on your employers."

"' _Scuse me, but my-_ CLICK!"

The woman hung up without paying attention to the girl's indignation, It had become habit to piss her off a little at the end of each of their calls, one that amused more the long-haired woman than her companion. It didn't help that her younger mate made this so easy for her to annoy her.

But soon her amusement sobered as she picked up the transceiver again and called their other companion. She had a nagging feeling that their meeting with the newcomer wasn't going to be easy.

She prayed everything would come around in the end.

* * *

A _train_. Circulating in the middle of the sea.

Of course, with Water 7 being so close to his homeland, Koga had heard more than enough rumors of the famous Sea Train coursing through the middle of the ocean. But one thing was _reading_ the news, and a completely different thing was _seeing_ the ginormous machine steaming its way through the waves. Needless to say, the chronicler's reaction to its appearance when it almost crashed into the Merry was infinitely tamer than those of his friends. Between Luffy's elated whoop, the Terrified Trio's screams and the rest's jaw-drops, his was closer to the latter group.

Stranger thing than seeing the Sea Train though, was seeing the giant frog they saw earlier doing the front crawl _standing_ on the rails and attempting to stop the speeding machine.

Of course, it was futile effort and was smashed away with neck-breaking speed. They didn't see it again as it disappeared underwater, but Koga somehow knew this wasn't the last they saw of the giant toad, if they had to judge its scars.

"What the hell was that?!" Nami screeched once the train disappeared in the distance, a trail of black smoke floating behind it. "And how's it floating and circulating in the middle of the freaking sea?!"

Koga looked over at the rest of the crew to see identical looks of shock and confusion in each of their faces. "What, you've never seen a train before?"

"Of course we did, but not in the middle of the sea!" The navigator snapped at him, then blinked as she thought of something. "Wait, did you see it before or what?"

"More like _heard_ about it, but yeah: that was the Puffing Tom, the only Sea Train in the world." He explained, and chuckled a bit at the others' dumbstruck expressions.

A sudden shrill, young-sounding voice interrupted them just as Luffy was about to comment something -probably stupid. "GRANNY! GRANNY! PIRATES!"

Without them noticing, the Straw Hats had approached a little island near the train tracks, with a small building that apparently worked as a train station. A little girl -probably around Angela's age- and a strange blue bunny were excitedly jumping up-and-down while looking between them and the closed door of the building. Which, by the way, chose that precise moment to open violently with a bang, a large, blonde woman stumbling out with a conductor's outfit on. One of herhands carried a large bottle of what seemed like wine.

"Pirates?" The woman hiccuped while scanning the crew with drowsy eyes. "Better get the Den Den Mushi then!"

Koga tensed as the girl brought a big Den Den Mushi to the older female... and promptly sweatdropped along with the others as she picked the transceiver without dialing in any number and began speaking. "Hello, who is this?... Sorry, wrong number!"

"She's totally drunk!" Usopp summarized their thoughts aloud.

Her mistake allowed them to explain the situation however, explaining that yes they were pirates, but not evil. Sanji even helped ease suspicions with his delicious potato paella that he had prepared for lunch that day. The large woman easily accepted their explanations without further inquiry, and introduced the girl as Chimney, the blue bunny as their cat(?) Gonbe, and herself as Chimney's grandma Kokoro.

"So, you already know about the Puffing Tom, yes?" The old woman chuckled as she took a swig at her bottle. "You seen it before?"

"Not really, I just heard about it." Koga admitted, bringing her attention to him. "My homeland is near Water 7, and I grew up hearing stories about a Sea Train being constructed there. Honestly, I never expected it to be so..."

"Impressive? Nagagagagaga! Yes, the Puffing Tom is one of a kind, the only Sea Train in the world! It takes people, packages, and even _ships_ from one island to another without needing a Log Pose!"

"But you guys should be more careful!" Chimney exclaimed, pausing in her eating to admonish Luffy and the others. "Didn't you hear the warning bells?"

"That's what that thing was for?" Usopp asked in turn, pointing at the crossing sign floating beside the rails. "How were we supposed to know what that was for?"

"If we couldn't figure it out, that frog sure wouldn't either." At Luffy's mention of the frog, Koga suddenly noticed a shift in Kokoro's eyes, and he narrowed his own. "That was really rude of you, to run into him like that."

"Oh, you mean Yokozuna?" Chimney piped up. "Don't worry, he's pretty tough. It's not the first time he's challenged the train and lost. He's kind of a pain."

As the others conversed, the chronicler's eyes were on the older woman, who seemed a little lost in her thoughts. Not pleasant ones, if the small shine in her eyes indicated anything. His brow furrowed as his attention turned to other matters. Water 7, as he said before, was near his own home Kukkuri Island, but before that resided the terrible Florian Triangle. To be honest, the writer had no desire to return, even less knowing how he would be received. If the Log pointed to a different island, he'd gladly follow that route instead of his homeland's.

"In that case, you must be on your way to Water 7." Kokoro's voice brought him back to the present. "They call it the City of Water; they got lots of great shipyards and are always building new ships for the government."

Luffy grinned excitedly, "I bet there are some awesome shipwrights over there!"

"Some? More like damn near _all_ of them! That place is like a shipwright convention!"

"Then it's settled!" Koga's captain turned towards his nakama and smiled. "We're gonna find the best shipwright there and get them to join our crew!"

As most of them smiled in return and nodded, the chronicler scratched his stubble in thought. "Would they be so willing to help us, with our condition as pirates?"

"Nah, don't worry about it!" Kokoro brushed the thought aside with a swat of her hand. "As long as you don't give problems to the city, its residents and its mayor, then all's good! And if you need a bit of assurance, then wait a minute here."

She entered the cabin again, and after a few minutes got out again, carrying what looked like a map of the city and a reference letter for them to bring to a man called Iceburg. She also explained that the Log wouldn't reset for another week, more than enough time to replenish, have their Merry repaired and set sail again, as well as hanging around the place a bit and relaxing. Soon enough the Straw Hat crew was on the way, after thanking her for the help and the information.

The strong wind blew, helping them getting closer to their destination, as the Straw Hats worked in tandem while conversing about the kind of shipwright they were going to get. Opinions varied of course, but it seemed craziness was a common trait in this crew.

But more than a new crewmate, they were excited about finally getting their ship repaired completely.

"These repairs sure bring back memories." Usopp smiled as he touched the iron plates holding the main mast together. "I'm almost sad to see them go, but it'll be worth it knowing that the Merry will finally be repaired."

"I agree," Sanji nodded as he took a drag on his cig. "I'm proud of her battle scars, but she's taken quite a beating lately. If we dont get her fixed soon, we're as good as sunk."

"Well, we have the money to avoid that." Koga intervened, stopping his task of uploading the logbook for a second to chat with his friends. "We can get her fixed no problem."

"Yeah, and we still have plenty of money for more!" Luffy exclaimed from the figurehead. "We can fix her, and also power her up! Make her stronger!"

The long-nosed sniper smiled. "Like more cannons!"

Koga grinned warmly behind his scarf as he continued his duty. It was nice seeing the crew somehow coming back to normal, their eyes set on their next objective. He still felt a bit off after the argument they had last day, and peeved because of the failed fight they had against Aokiji; he'd feared the Admiral's strength had somehow depleted their trust in their own strength as a whole. Fortunately, it didn't seem to happen.

Shortly after Koga finished uploading the logbook, the Straw Hat crew got sight of Water 7.

And what a sight it was. Resembling a giant fountain, the enormous city had water canals flowing everywhere, from the fountain on its top down its streets until it ended at the sea. It somehow reminded Koga of Alabasta, mainly because of how big it was.

'I hope everything goes okay this time.' The writer thought as they came closer to a rocky cape to dock, then shook his head with a smile. 'What am I saying? We're the Straw Hats. We attract problems.'

 _Crack!_

"Hey Zoro!" Usopp screamed to their swordsman, anger in his face and voice. "Are you trying to break the ship?!"

When Koga looked over, he saw a confused Zoro holding onto the ropes of the sails and looking at a dangerously bent mast (fortunately not broken).

"No!" The green-haired teen protested. "I just pulled the rope like I always do! If the Merry's falling apart this easily, we're lucky we made it this far!"

The blond writer sighed as he went over and helped pushing the mast slowly back upright. "In her condition, your brutal strength is just too much for her. But at least she won't be this fragile when we continue sailing."

The swordsman looked at his friend before letting a sigh on his own and smile. "Yeah, you're right."

As the Straw Hats dropped anchor and gathered around to decide their next course of action, the writer briefly swept his gaze over the massive city once more...

... and suddenly felt woozy as he heard an unknown voice calling out his name in his mind. He shook his head with a wince before quickly hiding it, not wanting his friends to notice.

"Okay, so Luffy, Usopp and I will get to this Iceburg guy and discuss payment for the repair of Merry." Nami explained, grabbing Luffy's cheek to ensure he didn't go off running somewhere. "The rest can go explore, but one at least has to stay to watch over Merry."

Without a word, Zoro turned away from the group and laid on the floor against the railing, hands crossed behind his head and already snoring.

"I think we already have our lookout Nami." Koga sweatdropped.

"... Yeah, I won't argue against this. Well, we'll be going now." She made Usopp and Luffy carry the gold in large sacks and soon they were on their way.

"I guess I'll go exploring a bit then, I've always wanted to explore Water 7."

And without further ado, he also abandoned the ship and entered the town.

The city was, as expected, rambuctious and full of vibrant life. Transports there consisted in unique animals resembling horses with the tail of a fish, called Yagara Bulls; they were mainly used for carrying light cargo across the water, sightseeing, or simply everyday travel. Koga wanted to try mounting on one, but the rent price was simply too high for him to afford it.

Also, the people there were quite friendly and welcoming; even with pirates, the writer noticed. One of the clerks attending a bookstore explained to him that the shipwrights at Galley-La Company (apparently the embodiment of the shipwrights in the city, presided by the mayor himself, Iceburg) were also more than able fighters that usually took care of any problem originated by pirates in the city. So buccaneers were allowed, only with a "friendly" warning.

Koga felt actually surprised when he learned that the letter Kokoro gave them was addressed to the mayor of Water 7, and for a moment wondered what kind of relation the two of them had for the older woman to take such liberties. Maybe the two of them shared a common past.

He had just finished buying some mythology books when the clerk suddenly perked up, as if remembering something.

"Oh! While you're around this area, you should take a peek at Madam Irma's shamisen show. She's a great performer and is quite a beauty herself. You won't regret it!"

A shamisen show? Koga didn't have such a good ear for music, but he appreciated the offer. "Sounds good, where is it?"

Handing him the bag of books, the clerk accompanied him outside his shop and pointed. "Just go down this street and turn right at the second corner. It's a small pub called 'The Red Rose'. Tell the bartender Mabeel sent you and he'll give you one drink for free."

That was... oddly generous. But Koga didn't feel any malice or hidden intentions, so after a shrug he went down the indicated path after bidding goodbye to the good man. He doubted he'd take up the offer, but at least he'd get to see a show for the first time in years.

He found 'The Red Rose' easily enough, fortunately, and got inside quickly.

The writer immediately found out the meaning behind the name once inside. Everything there was a specific tone of red, and the flowers decorating the jars were all roses of different tones of red. It was somewhat dizzying, but it had a warm atmosphere thanks to a small chimney and the odd tones of white and yellow and the soft brown of the flooring here and there that somehow softened the excessive use of the crimson color. The bar was far off to the left side of the great lower room, next to some stairs leading up somewhere private; the stage on its opposite side, a simple-looking wooden platform with a single cushion and a chair off to the side. The rest of the space consisted on tables and chairs, most of them already full (strange considering the hour). Making a head count, Koga saw about two dozens of people sitting there; most were men, but there were a few women too. Everyone was so busy chatting that only those who were alone turned to look at him, before glancing away at the stage, waiting for the show to commence.

His investigation done, Koga quickly strolled over to the barman and delivered Mabeel's message, asking for a single glass of orange juice; it brought a miffed look, but Koga had long gotten used to people assuming that he should want sake or some kind of beverage. Sitting on a stool on the bar, he waited along the others for the show to begin.

"You new?" The bartender gruffly asked as he set down the orange juice beside the writer. "Never seen your face before 'round here. Guys here're normally regulars."

"Yeah." Koga admitted, taking a sip on the juice. Hm, tasted good. "Just arrived today to Water 7."

"You likin' it so far?"

"It's one of a kind, I have to admit." He directed a grin at the bartender, who answered with the barest of smiles. "I've never been on such a lively city."

Suddenly the lights dimmed even more in the room, and other lights focused on the stage, prompting the conversations to hushed murmurs. A door Koga hadn't noticed before opened on the right side of the stage, and out came some men carrying other instruments besides the shamishen. They received an educated round of applause, but the one who received more ovation was the one who settled down gracefully in the cushion before the shamisen.

It was a beautiful woman with hourglass-shaped body, her long, blue hair reaching her waist and her make-up enhancing her charming features, such as her big purple eyes and beauty mark below her upper lip. Her slender hands grasped the three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument with a delicacy and gracefulness that spoke of long years of practice. Her companions also picked up their own musical instruments (bamboo clappers, a small drum played with sticks, two transversed flutes and another shamisen) and waited for three seconds before beginning their performance.

The melody was beautiful and enticing, a lullaby it seemed. The gentleness of the music pulled something at Koga's heartrings as he turned around completely on the stool to face the stage, the glass forgotten in the barstand.

It was then that the blue-haired woman opened her mouth and began to _sing_.

He didn't recognize what she was singing, as he didn't know what language that was, but the strength and the sheer emotion on her face and voice told him the story that she was singing. Of a terrible happening, and the consequences. It somehow gripped his heart in emotion.

The show continued like this for an hour, which seemed like an eternity to the chronicler. The murmurs were gone now, the chatters too submerged in the songs to actually chat with one another.

The last song the woman sang, everyone but Koga knew. They all sang in unison, with their differing voices, another lullaby:

"I _would hate baby-sitting beyond Bon Festival._

 _The snow begins to fall, and the baby cries._

 _How can I be happy when Bon Festival is here?_

 _I don't have nice clothes or a sash to wear._

 _This child continues to cry and is mean to me._

 _Every day I grow thinner._

 _I would quickly quit here and go back_

 _To my parents' home over there_

 _To my parents' home over there._ "

As the last note of the woman's shamisen sounded, there was an elated silence before the tables erupted in cheers and applause, while the players stood from their respective seats and bowed respectfully to the crowd. They began to retire, one by one, still being cheered on, and the woman got the last to descend.

It was then that the woman suddenly lifted her head and looked directly at Koga.

The writer, caught off guard, blinked and looked around. The bartender, the only one near him, was giving everyone his back assorting the drinks. He looked again at the stage to find the woman with a knowing smile on her face and a subtle nod.

Puzzled by that action, he got to his feet and walked over to the woman who was about to exit the room, avoiding the equally exiting people. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the writer knew that blindly following her wasn't a bright idea; but something even deeper inside him told him that she had been expecting him. That he _needed_ to talk to her.

"Hey, you can't go in there!" A bulking man who'd been standing guard beside the door where the performers entered put a hand on the chronicler's chest to hold him off.

Brought back to reality by the voice, the blond young man blinked and looked up at him. "Uh, I'm sorry, but I need to speak with-"

"Didn't ya hear me? You can't go in there."

A soft voice interrupted "Let him pass Bort."

Both turned around to see the woman standing behind Bort holding the door open, that knowing smile she'd sent him earlier still adorning her full lips and purple eyes fixed in him and not in the big man.

"I can vouch for him."

"But Madam Irma..."

Her gaze suddenly turned steely as she redirected her eyes to him, as if daring him to continue that sentence in her presence. He finally relented with a bow and a warning glare at the young man. The woman (Madam Irma it seemed) sent a quick smile at the still confused blond man before turning on her heels and gliding past the door; he hurried to follow her, down the corridor to the door at the end, labelled with Madam Irma's name in a plaque. She opened it and strolled inside, beckoning Koga to come inside. He did so, and promptly looked around him.

It didn't look like a bedroom, but rather a changing room. There was even a room divider at a corner. Rows and rows of beautifully crafted kimonos and dresses hung from diverse perches all over the room, and a boudoir with a massive mirror was set in the opposite corner of the room divider. The only odd thing was the small table with the great crystal ball in the middle of it. A Den Den Mushi slept beside the giant crystal ball.

"Please close the door." The woman called out as she glided over the folding screen and hid herself behind it to change.

Realizing he'd been standing there, Koga hurried to close the door and stood there even more awkwardly, knowing that not far from him a gorgeous woman was changing behind a flimsy folding screen; he felt his face grow hot and hid it behind his scarf as he paid attention to the little details of the room. Apart from how tidy the room looked, he noticed the numerous body creams and makeup in general that she had on the boudoir, and what looked to be a tarot deck resting beside them.

Curiosity picking up to him, Koga strolled over and looked down at them, a hand resting on the first card he saw. His mismatched eyes rested on 'The Fool', the number zero, not really thinking of anything.

"Interested in tarot?" The somehow sensual voice of Madam Irma sounded behind him; he didn't feel the tingle of danger however, so he didn't bother try to attack her.

"I'm not really drawn into the mystic arts, Madam Irma." He answered, setting down the card and turning around to see the woman with her arms crossed under her breasts and a calculated look on her face; she'd changed into a simple cream-colored dress. "I'd rather face facts."

A small furrow of her brow distracted him from the charming smile. "Please, no formalities in here. Call me Irma."

He nodded, and stepped aside to let her sit down on the boudoir to take off all of her makeup.

"Don't you have any questions for me, mister Koga?" The woman asked after a few minutes of silent work.

He narrowed his mismatched eyes down at her from the reflection of her mirror. "I'd ask you how you know me, but considering I'm a pirate, that's kind of questioning the obvious. But yes, I have another question: how did you drag me here?"

A soft laugh, that sounded like bells, resounded from her now-undressed lips. "My dear, _I_ didn't drag you here: you came on your own accord. Granted, I may have left a hint or two that I was actually here by insinuating a couple things to a certain kind bookstore clerk."

"You manipulated him?" Koga's eyes narrowed even further. "How?"

"How? My, it's my ability of course." She stood up and looked at him over her shoulder, somehow managing to look sensual in that posture. "My Cursed ability, I mean."

Just like that, Koga's blood suddenly froze in his veins as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, fixed in a specific tattoo on the back of her neck, barely hidden by her dark-blue hair. He didn't pay attention to the more-than-evident gills in either side of her neck. Just in the tattoo.

A black tattoo resembling a hooded man sporting a scythe.

His own mark seemed to pulse as she now fully turned around and crossed her arms again under her chest, purple eyes searching for a reaction. Apparently finding none, she sighed.

"Forgive me for the enigmas, Koga, but I needed to contact you as soon as you set foot on Water 7. Yes, it was I who called you back then, and I manipulated Mabeel's mind to send you over here were you going to set foot on his establishment. But my actions have explanation."

"How did you know I was going to enter in that specific bookstore?"

She smiled. "My manipulation range is actually quite big. Mabeel's wasn't the only mind I manipulated. I had a few backups just in case. And if by any chance you were to be somewhere else, then my companions would've found you and brought you here anyways. Though... a bit more roughly, I have to admit. I'm glad I was the one who contacted you."

'Companions', as in plural? Koga suddenly felt like everyone was conspiring against him somehow, or at least without his knowledge. It did bother him a bit.

Her lips dropped back into a small frown. "Let me reintroduce myself then: my name is Madam Irma, a Cursed, vessel of the Lust Prince Demon, and temporary co-leader of the Benign Cursed Association, or BCA for short. My companions and I have been waiting for you to arrive. Sarugaki Koga."

...

His mind suddenly blank, Koga gaped at the woman. A Cursed like him, co-leader of Cursed people that apparently were good, _and_ vessel of one of the Seven Demon Princes? Too much of a casualty.

He breathed deeply while she waited for him to grow used to the revelation she'd just blurted out. Okay. Better ask the question one by one just to avoid an overload of information he wasn't prepared to receive.

"Who are these companions you're talking about?" He first asked.

She promptly answered, her face and eyes serious to show she didn't seek to deceive him. "Two other Cursed Demon Princes. You'll meet them soon enough, though one of them is out at work. The rest are normal, lesser Cursed trying to make a living without causing major problems. Mayor Iceburg actually helps us out as long as we don't cause trouble to the city."

Really? Koga lifted an eyebrow, but promptly sobered. "That many Cursed Demon Princes in one place? Too much casualty."

"I brought them together, actually." Irma admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "All of us are from outside Water 7, but came here for some or other reason. I joined with one of them who had been here the longest, and the last co-leader joined after me."

She was being awfully vague in the information all of a sudden.

"And what do you want from me then?"

The woman suddenly let out a small chuckle. "Can't you tell? I'm proposing you to stand as leader of the association."

...

"Come again?" He blurted out.

"You're the most powerful Demon Prince vessel that exists." Irma insisted. "All the Cursed around the world keep a close eye on you, to figure out where you stand. Do you seek for ruin and despair, as your Demon Prince is prophesized to bring with, or do you seek a balance between us Cursed and our enemies, The Chapel? If you join us, then that means that you are of the second option."

"Wait-wait-wait. Balance? Ruin and despair?"

"Koga, your Demon is the Demon of Darkness, the Devil's legitimate son. The ultimate Demon. You are prophesized to bring destruction at some point (no one knows when yet). That's what The Chapel is so afraid to see accomplished. But what I know and they don't, is that _you_ are not your Demon. You can choose to step aside that destiny. I -along with my friends- are giving you an alternate a path." She sighed. "I'm not naïve though. I know we can't destroy The Chapel because, ruthless as they are, their role is necessary to keep the real evil Cursed people at bay. But we can't disappear either: we have a right to stay here, to _live_." Her purple eyes sought his own mismatched ones. "Don't you agree?"

Koga bit his lower lip. Of course he agreed with that thought, wholeheartedly even. But putting _him_ at the front of an entire organization, just like this? What's more, even knowing that he was a pirate, she wanted to be in charge either way. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find out a way to fulfill his role in Luffy's crew as chronicler and _also_ being leader of an association.

Furthermore, he wasn't a leader. He just couldn't.

Already seeing the negative in his bicolored eyes, Irma's face scrunched up as if searching for a way to convince him-

-before a knock at the door interrupted both of them. Their dilemma temporarily put on a hold, the woman sighed and went to answer.

"Probably it's one of my companions." She commented as she opened the door. "Hello, Kaito."

"Uh... H-hello, Madam Irma..."

Huh? That voice sounded familiar...

"How many times do I have to tell you Kaito? You don't need to address me as Madam. We're friends, right?"

"Uh, i-if you say so..."

'Too familiar...' Koga began to turn around to look at the owner of the voice...

"Well come in. Our main guest is here."

"Okay... W-with your permission..."

And the writer saw it just when the newcomer entered. Just like that, both froze in position, eyes locked with the other's.

For a moment, it seemed like Koga's mind flew back in time, to a hellish orphanage full of children who didn't really fit anywhere just because they were different from the norm. He saw his companions, his frightened-to-hell mates, who wouldn't bother in saying their names apart from some hurtful nicknames.

He remembered one of them, as its owner stood before him, older but still with his same childish look in his giant, murky brown eyes;

"Blob?"

* * *

 **L: And that's it! You'll see soon enough who Blob is (though I sorta gave it out already) And about the song, it's called the Takeba Lullaby, and there are actually many good covers on Youtube. The version I used has this translation but the original is far better. I recommend you listen to it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Yeeeeah, really bittersweet. At least Koga-kun had this small moment with Merry that somehow softened the whole tense situation.**

 **K: You killed Hotaru-chan, Fox? *glares murderously as his katana inches out a few milimeters***

 **L: Noooooo murders in my room, Koga-kun!**

 **K: Piss off, Author!**

 **L: Koga-kun, there are children here!**

 **K: *grumbles a bit, then smirks in Hotaru's direction* Thanks for your words Hotaru-chan. I just... I need to do something before they actually get involved in all of this mess. *looks at Ryo now* Well, that has to be at least worth something, yeah.**

 **-The Storm Master 567: You're right, Koga-kun's trust issues run very deep, even with all the time he's spent with the Straw Hats. Well, Sankaoken being the son of the Devil explains why The Chapel guys consider him even more powerful than a normal Demon Prince (which in itself is even more powerful than a normal demon inside a Cursed). Yeah, Sanji and Koga in the end aren't that different. And I almost fell in the temptation of calling the cook 'hypocrite' before of recent events in the manga... Not gonna spoil it in case someone's not reading the manga but following the anime though.**

 **-6BlueSweaters: Yuuto's situation is... complicated. I won't spoil though, there's still a long way before that. Oh, Koga-kun does trust his brother! And remember that he'll die if he's betrayed by someone he trusts; so it doesn't matter if he asks his brother or his friends. Glad you liked it! I totally didn't tear up at the small argument they had *sniff***

 **-Guest: They will! With both having such dark pasts, they need someone who had lived a similar experience of not wanting to live anymore.**

 **-zerom1v: Don't worry so much about him! He'll pull through soon enough. Oh, it's before the Sabaody Archipelago but after Brook's Arc (at the other readers' insistence). I didn't want it to leave to the two-year hiatus, though I'm planning to do a second personal Koga Arc after the two-year hiatus. Don't know if that's too much though.**

 **-otaku1325: Thanks so much, I feel much better! I hate getting sick on my vacations!**

 **K: *blinks as he reads the message* Oh... Thanks... I'll try...**

 **L: *murmurs* I think he's still trying to come in terms of having such great friends...**

 **-The Storm Master 567 (2): Don't worry! I honestly don't get why we can't review twice in the same chapter, but oh well. Yeah, Koga-kun very rarely explodes in emotion but the topic here was too serious for him not to explode. Don't worry, they will! It'll only take some time before that.**

 **-Guest (2): Hm... The problem with your suggestion is that I can't think of a reason why Luffy knows that specific nickname. Sorry. I'll use it sometime soon, however, just by other people. And yeah, it was Bo-chan, glad you remembered!**

 **-King0fP0wers: Yo, King! Yeah, it was an explosive chapter to say the least. I found it alarmingly easy to write about Koga-kun's conflictive thoughts. Oh, Milk, the ultimate hi-potion hidden in every fantasy videogame xD Oh, Naruto and Bleach hehehe. I actually thought of writing a fic for each of them, but I'm not sure how it'll play out. Maybe when I reach the two-year separation here I'll start one of them.**

 **K: I don't understand, what are those? Isn't naruto an ingredient for ramen?**

 **L: Hehe, sorry, not telling you. *Koga suddenly can't hear anything* I honestly haven't thought about Koga-kun's reaction to Franky just yet, but no, he won't hold a grudge... eventually. You'll see. Hope to read you soon!**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	76. Disaster arrives at our doorstep

**76\. Disaster arrives at our doorstep**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **So, extra-long chapter for you guys, in apology for giving such awfully short chapters recently. AND! Three reviews from getting the 500-review mark! Let's see who gets it, and what will be done! (Hint: maybe it's a movie~!)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

The newcomer stood petrified in the doorstep but a second, before breathing deeply and stepping inside, closing the door shut behind him.

Koga's gaze locked with murky-brown eyes, unnaturally wide, always scared of something - in this case, of the Pandora Box that had just been opened. The man was insanely tall, with lanky limbs and figure almost skeletical - to the point of being visually painful. He was dressed only in overalls various sizes bigger than him (an accomplishment considering his size) and dirty brown boots; a multitool belt hung from his waist. His skin, of a sickly gray and mostly covered in terrible burn scars, appeared sweaty and unhealthy, and his dirty brown locks hung over his eyes and ears in uneven ends, as if he'd attempted to cut his hair himself.

Blob fidgeted in place before letting a low greeting on his own: "Hello, Bo-chan."

Koga closed his eyes with a wince of pain at that nickname. It'd been years since he'd last heard it; he believed he never would.

He'd forgotten Karen wasn't the only one in calling him with that nickname.

Blob had been one of the many kids at the orphanage who didn't have a proper name - either inside or outside the orphanage. He, as well as many others, had been stripped of his name as soon as he entered the thrice-damned building, giving in exchange that hideous nickname. As a kid, Blob had been a rather fatty one, always trying to get his hands into some food - thus the nick. He'd been a shy, quiet and easily-scared boy, who almost never got into problems - except when his stomach demanded food. He preferred to stay away from fights, but he could hold his own thanks to his massive size and weight, which allowed him to swat enemies away as if they were mere flies.

The Blob that stood before Koga, however, still looked massive in size - if only in height, because in weight he lost quite a bit - and had the same scared puppy eyes, but there ended the similarities. He'd moved ready to attack when he heard the offending nickname, ready to harm - but not to kill, which had undoubtedly saved Koga's life.

It was then that something clicked in Koga's memory: Blob was supposed to be one of the children trapped in the orphanage during the fire. How was he here?

"How?" Koga blurted out. "How are you alive? How did you escape the fire?"

Blob shivered, one hand closing around his bicep in a nervous habit he'd never managed to shake off even after all the years.

"When it happened, I... I was in The Maws."

'The Maws.' Koga paled, dark memories long ago buried re-emerging at the dark name. Screams and touch and blood and-

"I was left there, because in the impulse of getting out, no one remembered me." He lowered his head. "The fire caught me. I don't know what happened next, but when I woke up I was in your grandpa's house, a week later."

'A week after the fire. I was gone by then.' Koga swiped his hand over his eyes with a pained sigh. 'And I never knew he'd been there in the first place. God I'm awful.'

"I-I almost _died_ , Bo-chan." Blob muttered, a scared expression forming in his face. "Your grandpa had to use the ritual on me too."

"What!?" His question came out as a wheeze, too astonished to do little else, as he snapped his head to look back up at him. "You're a Cursed too!?"

He nodded, a meek gesture. "Yeah... A-A Demon Prince too. I... I am Gluttony."

"Oh God..." Even after escaping the hell that had been that orphanage, his friend couldn't escape his condition.

When he was little, he remembered asking his grandfather about Blob's apparently insatiable appetite, which reached worrying limits in his eyes. The old man, with a knowing twinkle in his eyes and a pitying expression on his face, told him -as delicately as he could when talking to a 10-year-old boy - about hyperphagia, and all the syndromes related to lack of self-control regarding eating and food. He told the boy of his friend Blob possible suffering one of them, the most severe judging his impulses regarding eating - even trying to eat his own ankle when he'd been jailed because of the insane amount of other people's meals he ingested at lunchtime.

Blob snorted. "God abandoned us when that orphanage was built."

"... Yeah. Yeah, you're right." With a lot of effort, Koga tried to push aside all painful memories, tried to come back to the present; which honestly, made even less sense if possible. "So, Kaito, huh. A good name."

"Thanks." A weak smile, meaning he was trying to get away from the past too.

A soft cough behind Kaito reminded them that Irma was still there, though she had an apologetic look on her face as she looked at the two old friends and stepped between the two. "Kaito here was the one who first talked to me about you Koga. When our group grew too much for us to handle and we first saw your Wanted Poster, Kaito told us about you. He told us about you being also a Demon Prince, and that you would be a good leader."

Koga frowned when he looked at the tall man -whose head touched the ceiling - and then at the sophisticated woman. "As flattered as I am, I can't possibly accept this."

"What? Why not?" His old friend couldn't help but to show his surprise by grabbing his arm. An unexpected action, one that spoke of how much he'd changed over the ten years they hadn't seen each other.

"We're not such a big group, so keeping them all organized is not a hard task." Irma tried to convince him too. "We only need you as a figurehead, as our representative. We can take care of everything while you merely stand before us-"

"So you need my status as the most powerful Demon Prince." Koga cut off, raising an eyebrow in mild annoyance. "You don't need _me_ as individual."

"Wh- Of course we need you as individual!" Irma seemed equally offended at that assumption, then sighed. "Listen, we know that, as a pirate, you can't be physically there for us at all moments; that's why I'm saying to be our de-facto leader, and us as your organizers, or whatever you want us to do."

"That's still the same as you've been doing, only in my name. What's the difference?"

"The people we could help!" She went to her boudoir and rummaged through the drawers' contents, taking out a thick folder and showing it to Koga. "This is a folder of all the members of the association, the helpless and the inocuous Cursed that see us as their protectors against evil Cursed and The Chapel themselves. We-" she pointed at her chest in emphasis, "-are their only wall of defense between them and utter chaos and destruction. Their only chance to live as normal human beings -or as normal as they could, considering their circumstances."

Koga still frowned in concern, directing a glance at Kaito, and sighing as he returned a 'Listen to her' look.

"Then what is the problem?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "What's the point on having me at the head of this association of yours, if they're so well-protected by you all?"

Her face fell as the folder was put on the boudoir. "They're well-protected, yes, but they're _afraid_. There isn't much we can do, even as Demon Princes, before The Chapel overwhelms us. And our people know that. My ability is not exactly combat-based, and though strong, Kaito and Shera -the other Demon Prince you haven't met yet- have also their limits; through our group, only a few are prepared to fight if needed be, and even so, they're afraid of reaching that extreme."

'Whereas The Chapel has innumerable able-bodied soldiers specifically prepared to fight against Cursed.' Koga finished the unsaid statement, his face softening at her obvious distress. 'Their situation does look hopeless, but...'

The chronicler sighed again as he rubbed the back of his head, "Look, it's not that I don't want to help you guys. I can't do it." Seeing both of them about to protest, he lifted his hands in a placating manner. "I admire your work and your dedication. I also admire your willingness to prove that not all Cursed are evil, but are victims of the demons. But the problem is, I'm, first and foremost, a pirate." He let a smile cross his features. "Not only that, but I'm a Straw Hat pirate. My captain will become the Pirate King, that will rule all the seas. As his chronicler, I'm committed to accompany in his adventures, leave some sort of legacy for the generations to come about his life, his motivations."

As he talked, Irma's expression was slowly turning more and more confused if possible, ready to continue arguing and trying to convince him to lead their organization. But Kaito just watched his old friend with an undescipherable face, his murky-brown eyes fixed in Koga's face, searching for something.

They both kept discussing for a few more hours, Kaito merely watching go back and forth.

"Can't we give your our Den Den Mushi contact number and direct our movements from afar?" Irma sounded desperate now. "Or at least some kind of-?"

"I don't have a Den Den Mushi on my own. Besides, that's too risky. I'm a pirate; I'm bound to have problems with authorities." Koga sighed at her stubborn expression and raised his scarf up to his nose. "Look, I-"

 ** _Knock knock knock!_**

A sudden knock halted every discussion, three pairs of eyes locking on the closed door with identical confused faces. Brows furrowed in concern, Irma cleared her throat and spoke with an authoritarian voice: "Enter!"

The bald bodyguard that tried to stop Koga earlier opened the door; from over his shoulder, Koga saw a figure but couldn't see the details.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Madam Irma, but there are two individuals here that are searching for a bicolor-eyed man with a blue scarf."

And he stepped aside to reveal-

"Chopper? Sanji?" Koga's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

And indeed they were there. The blonde chef and the human-shaped (at the moment) reindeer seemed concerned and a bit panicked. Of course, all worry left the former when he noticed the gorgeous woman in the room and swirled to her to shout some incoherencies.

"Koga!" Chopper immediately stepped inside -ignoring Sanji expertly- and grabbed the chronicler by his shoulders. "We have a problem!"

"Huh? What problem?"

"Robin is..." The blue-nosed reindeer swallowed. "She's missing!"

Blood froze in his veins. Chopper's explanation came out of his mouth in a rush, how he'd lost her from sight when he entered a bookstore and found her missing once the reindeer got outside. The poor animal had panicked and had searched for her everywhere, but no luck as of yet.

"Yeah, I think I saw Robin-chan accompanying a masked man." Sanji had miraculously recovered his seriousness and was about to light on another cigarette. "She didn't seem happy to be with him."

Unconsciously, Koga's frame relaxed a bit. Whatever was happening, Robin didn't seem to be willing to follow the scheme. Meaning she wasn't purposefully betraying them.

 _If_ she was betraying them at all.

"I caught your scent in our search and we decided to go look for you to help us." The Human-Human Fruit eater finished explaining.

For some reason, Koga hesitated.

Somewhere, deep in his guts, he knew that Robin had disappeared not by her own volition (if what Sanji saw was true) and he also felt that whatever was happening, it wouldn't be long before everything exploded in their faces. But an even-deeper part of him, one that cowered from light and spoke of his deepest fears, the fear of being killed by someone dear's treason.

He'd almost died that way before after all.

He became a Cursed due to that treachery too.

'No.' He shook his head forcefully to cast aside those dark thoughts, to bury those unwanted feelings, and tried to reminisce the good moments, the true moments, where everyone saw how Robin really was. Who she really was.

Until he knew the facts, Koga would NOT see her as a traitor.

"... Okay, I'll help." The blond young man finally answered. He turned to Kaito and Irma with a meaningful look in his eye, ignoring his doctor friend's sigh of relief. "We'll continue this later."

Whereas Kaito nodded without hesitation, Irma had a conflicted look before begrudgingly conceeding. He returned their nod and got out of the room in a rush, followed closely by his nakama.

It wasn't until they were on the crowded street that Chopper finally asked, "Koga, who were those two? What did they want from you?"

Sanji also turned to him to ask, but the writer quickly cut off: "Not now. Robin's the priority. I'll explain everything later."

The chef grumbled something. "You're right. Explanations for later. Chopper, can you smell her?"

Although obviously having his interest picked, the reindeer also knew what was important at the moment. He stopped -thus the other two halting behind him- transformed into his Walking Form and sniffed the air. His brow furrowed.

"I can't smell anything." He groaned in frustration. "There's a storm coming and all the smells are mumbo-jumbo right now. I was lucky I got Koga's scent before the air began changing."

"Tsk, just our luck, isn't it." Sanji bit out in frustration, looking around. "I can't shake the feeling that there's more going on than we've thought."

"You're not the only one." Koga frowned at the sky, noticing it was already after noon. "Maybe we should get back to the Merry, tell the others about this and see what the foremen can do with the ship."

Not finding a better plan, both Sanji and Chopper agreed.

The three hoped the others had better luck in their missions.

* * *

Apparently, destiny had a special way of screwing over their expectations.

When the trio returned, only a grim-looking Zoro had received them, bearing terrible news from a Galley-La Company foreman that had come to take a look at Merry's injuries.

"WHAT?! THE MERRY CAN'T BE FIXED?!" Chopper shrieked.

Sanji and Koga looked at each other, finding identical looks of dismay and rejection at the idea in the other's eyes. But the swordsman looked deadly serious and confident of the truth about this; that, and the murderous grip he had on Wado Ichimonji's sheath spoke of the turmoil of emotions behind his grim facade.

Apparently, the foreman that came there to examine the caravel had taken a look at every iron plank and the subsequent injuries underneath and deemed them all fixable; but the moment he took a peek at the ship's keel (the equivalent to the ship's spinal cord) and found it too damaged, about to snap.

In fact, the foreman had found it astounding that the ship had lasted that long with a broken keel.

An oppressive silence settled on the four of them, each unable to find their way out of their shock.

"So, not even with the money we have, we can't fix her, huh." Sanji finally gritted out, his hand holding a cigarette slightly trembling as he tried to light it. He clicked his tongue when he couldn't find a steady grip. "Damn it. This is getting better and better, isn't it."

Koga's lips were tightly pressed together, hidden under his scarf as he took the lighter from the chef's hand and lit the cigarette for him. The cook nodded grateful and took a _deep_ drag from the cancerous stick. None of them could conceive the idea of having to leave Merry behind, to continue their voyage without one of the crew's vital members.

"GUYS! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Nami arriving while shouting those words just soured the mood even more. Not even the blonde chef's flirting emerged at how serious the redhead's news were.

The good news? The gold they "retrieved" from Skypiea ended to be worth about three-hundred million Berri, more than enough to fix the Merry (or so they thought, before they found out about the keel's importance); to ensure no one stole all of their gold, Nami had stayed with a hundred million, giving the rest to Usopp for safekeeping.

The bad news? Usopp had been badly attacked by a group the foremen at Galley-La called the Franky Family, taking the money the sniper had been guarding. Nami had found him beaten up in the streets of Water 7 and had told him to wait while she searched for Luffy, but when she got back the long-nosed teen had disappeared, leaving a bloody path somewhere.

At those news, Koga's frown couldn't be deeper, and the first showings of anger could be perceived in his tense frame and tight fists at either side of his body. The rest were in a similar state, mildly distinct with concern. No one had asked about Luffy, but Nami had assured them he'd been informed of Usopp's abduction and robbery -as well as Merry's current unfixable state.

Meaning, the Straw Hats expected to find a seriously pissed-off captain.

What they _didn't_ expect, however, was to find him soaring through the skies like a bird and falling into the ocean out of sheer stupidity and want to imitate one of Galley-La's shipwrights.

It wasn't until Sanji fished him out and he got a breather, that Koga saw the underlying anger scorching hot deep in his black eyes.

"We're just about to head to the base of the Franky Family." The chef said, voicing everyone's thoughts. "We think we'll find Usopp there."

Luffy thought about it for a moment and nodded, serious and determined. Zoro, Chopper and Koga planned to go too, of course.

While they waited for the doctor to get his medical supplies in case Usopp needed it, the chronicler went over to a silent Nami and patted her shoulder, trying to cheer her up.

"We'll get them both back, Nami. Usopp _and_ the money." He said, and then handed her one of Usopp's gun. "You protect the Merry and the rest of the money in case those bastards dare cross us, okay?"

Worry still edged in her face, the redhead grabbed the gun and cocked it effortlessly, before nodding. "Yeah, okay. You guys get that idiot back."

The Monster Quartet plus Chopper -now with his bag full of medicine and tools- nodded before setting off in search of the Franky Family hideout -more commonly known as the Franky House. According to Kaku, the foreman that first examined the Merry, the Franky Family were a bunch of ship dismantlers and bounty-hunters that made a living out of those things... apart from occasionally causing a bit of chaos in the city, much to Iceburg's chagrin. Most of the citizens thought of them as rambuctious though inocuous bunch, that were mostly more bark than bite when not in company of their Big Bro, Franky.

Only half-an-hours passed since they left the ship, and they were already looking the bizarre-looking, built-from-scraps building that called itself the 'Franky House', those dismantlers' hideout. Strange how it was considered a 'hideout' since it stood out more than a sore thumb with all those colors and those weird mechanic arms at one side of the house -not counting the giant golden letters telling 'FRANKY HOUSE'. Obviously their job went well, or else the building wouldn't be as rambuctious or as extravagant as this.

As they got nearer the Franky Family's headquarters, Koga could hear -with his enhanced hearing- some party going on inside. He heard laughter, screaming, and even someone _singing_ inside the house. If it weren't for the serious situation, the chronicler wouldn't have paid any attention to that.

However, the body laying on the ground a few feet away from the doors and with a pool of his own blood added a bit of anger to his already mounting ire.

Usopp.

Battered and seemingly unconscious, the sniper didn't look good. Scrapes, cuts and bruises all over his body, his nose bent in several ways and some of his teeth missing; his slingshot laid near his hand, thankfully not broken. His whole body had a mixture of sweat, blood and dirt.

And tears.

Koga's heart skipped a beat as he noticed the still-fresh streams of tears flooding from his bandana-covered eyes. Tears of desperation, of guilt. He knew those feelings well, and empathized with the downed sniper for that.

Silently, the five surrounded the body of their friend, and Chopper knelt to assess his injuries. Something hung in the air around and between them, a solemnity that seemed about to snap at any second.

"Is he breathing, Chopper?" Luffy asked quietly to the reindeer, his eyes shadowed under the brim of his straw hat.

"Yes." The doctor answered shakily, applying some first-aid to Usopp's most severe injuries. "He's unconscious, but I can save him."

Koga knelt on Usopp's other side and picked the slingshot gently, saving it on his orange satchel. His face, hidden between his scarf and bangs of blond fair, held no expression whatsoever. Glancing over the tear-stained face of his friend, he patted the sniper's less-injured arm as gently as he could, trying to not touch his wounds.

'You fought well, my friend.' He thought, but didn't say them aloud. There was no need for it anyways.

It was when another scandalously-loud laughter coming from inside the Franky House, that the five Straw Hats' demeanor changed.

Raising to his feet, and barely noticing the others preparing themselves, Koga threw a murderous glare at the closed doors of the offending building. How _dare_ they throw a Goddamn _party_ with the thoroughly-battered body of his nakama laying but a few feet away from their home? How _dare_ they enjoy stealing their money and ganging up on his friend to leave him like discarded garbage?

 _ **How dare they mess with the Straw Hat Pirates like that?**_

He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, and then took his katana out, morphing it into the scythe.

"Wait out here for us." Luffy finally said to the -obviously not hearing- body of their nakama, as they began marching towards the Franky House. "We're gonna level that house to the ground."

Some time later, when they found some kind of normalcy to their crazy situation, Koga would write in his logbook that the march felt eerily familiar to that of Arlong Park's. The same feelings of retribution, of vengeance, of protectiveness. The same flame of determination flooding through each of them, ready to take a boss and his minions from their mighty thrones. The same goal of demonstrating the consequences of screwing over with the wrong people.

But none of that went through Koga's mind as of yet. Right now, all he could think about was the great fiasco that the day had turned: Robin's disappearance -and possible treason, Merry being unable to be fixed and sail with them, Usopp getting kidnapped and thoroughly beaten -twice!- by the same robbers that also stole their three-hundred million Berri. Tension had been building up at each of these events, until he felt about to explode. Seeing Usopp's crumpled body like that, with those tears on his face, had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

No more chances, the Straw Hats had decided. The day was about to burn in red.

It was evident that Luffy had intended to bust open the doors like he'd done back at Arlong Park. But when someone opened the door just as they arrived, he had to content himself with stretching his fist back and sucker-punching the unsuspecting, happy-go-lucky guy right in the nose, sending him flying back into the house and raising quite a big cloud of dust. The money he'd been carrying laid forgotten in the ground as the five Straw Hats stepped inside and waited for the cloud to settle and let the others see just who'd broken into their home.

Koga saw about fifty oddly-dressed guys, all wearing strange dark-tinted goggles, black gloves and suspenders with stockings on their legs. He felt his rage mount up even more; this many people against one person? He despised people who crowded on one person like that, though somewhere in his mind said that Usopp had been absurdly naïve to think he'd had any chance against this many people.

In the middle of the tense and -in the Franky Family's side- startled silence that followed their entrance, one of the guys suddenly stuttered while pointing at them: "I... I recognize them! It's... It's Straw Hat Luffy!"

Some scared whimpers and murmurs crossed through the entire group, apparently recognizing their captain. Good; they should fear them.

But one was _stupid_ enough to step out and grin at them -albeit shakingly. "So, you came to get your money back, huh?" It was a giant guy, wearing an armor on the top-half of his body, and a more-rounded armor on his lower half. "Do you really think that five of you can handle all of us?"

Koga lifted an eyebrow. He sure was full of himself if he thought they had a chance against the Straw Hats, especially after feeling that scared about their presence alone.

"But since you're here, we may as well take those big bounties on your heads." The giant guy continued, this time more confident at Luffy and the others' silence, mistaking it for fear.

At that, the others seemed to gather some courage enough to murmur with some slowly-forming cocky grins.

"Yeah, he's the captain of that long-nosed weakling we took care of earlier!"

"He can't be that tough!"

Oh how they were going to suffer for what they did to Usopp. Koga's scowl darkened as he quietly watched Luffy take care of the giant with a newly-formed move, 'Gum Gum Canon', punching a hole right through the giant's lower armor effortlessly... thus making the other Franky Family members freak out about it.

"Hold on guys!" One guy stepped forward, holding his hands up fearfully and in means of parlay. "L-Let's talk about this first!"

Koga's vision turned red at that statement, and he used his Flash Step to get in his face and grabbed it with one hand, the other having his scythe resting on his shoulder. As the guy struggled to break free from his iron-like grip, the guys of the Franky Family at his back suddenly raised their cannons. Uncaring about the deadly weapons, Koga roared as he lifted the guy and flipped him onto his back, leaving a nice body-shaped dent into the floor and rendering the guy unconscious like a light. From his bent position, the writer glared at the rest of the Franky Family, promising equal pain to all of them... and making yell in fear at his demonic expression.

Startled at that, the cannons suddenly fired four cannonballs at them at break-neck speed. But Zoro was already prepared for that; he cut the cannonballs with his three swords, and even went further and sliced one of the cannons in half, causing another scream in terror amongst their enemies.

It seemed to click on them that, if they stayed, they wouldn't escape alive from this.

"Quick, everyone run for the back door!" Someone yelled.

Koga wanted to laugh at that. 'Fools. There's no way to run when facing the Straw Hats' wrath.'

Sanji took care of the runaways by leaping ahead of all of them and cutting them off as he balanced on one of the guys' faces with one hand, flawlessly keeping his balance.

"You guys started this fight; pretty pathetic to run from it like cowards." He stated with a glacial voice before spinning and kicking all nearby Franky Family members a swift kick in the face with his 'Party Table Kick Course' technique.

"W-We can't make it to the back door!" One near Koga shouted in dismay.

"Windows! Use the windows!" They started to run, but a giant, furry creature blocked their way once more.

"Rumble, Horn Point!" Chopper morphed into his Walking Point but with his antlers growing huge, getting between the windows and the Franky Family members. Seeing the danger, they tried to run in the opposite direction but the reindeer would have none of that. "Roseo Coronade!" He charged after them, bucking and throwing multiple men to the ground until only a good few more rational men were left without injuries...

... Yet.

"Wait-wait-wait!" The one that seemed the leader of that last group cried out, waving his hands at them and eyes huge in fear. "This is about the money, right?! W-We no longer have it! Our Big Bro Franky, he-!"

Koga's hand and body shot forwards again, this time punching a hole right through his armor -thanks to his enhancing powers, else his hand bones would be dust. Startled at the swiftness of their boss' defeat, the others turned their gaze on him and started to backpedal.

"You're not getting this at all , are you?" The writer commented coolly, stepping back with his crew and standing on Luffy's left.

"He's right." Sanji growled, annoyed at the guys' attitude. "This has nothing to do with the money."

"Damn straight." Zoro agreed, glancing over at the last group. "It's too late for that."

And Luffy clenched his teeth and glared from under the brim of his straw hat. "Not even your bones will be left when we're done."

The leader-like guy gazed nervously at all of them, before suddenly reaffirming his determination and yelled at the others over his shoulder: "C'mon guys, we're the Franky Family! We're the ones who do the bone-breaking around here!"

In unison, as a clanking noise was heard, the Straw Hats raised their heads to see a giant cannon was rolled out into the open from inside the back walls of the strange house. The guys leading it aimed the huge cannon at them, and Koga watched it calmly...

... before grabbing his scythe with both his hands and drooping slightly into a fighting stance.

"NOW! Fire the Anything-Shot-Cannon!"

 ** _BOOM!_**

... Well it was true that it shot _everything_ you could imagine. As cringy as the name sounded, Koga had to admit that it was accurate.

However, nothing touched the Straw Hat pirates, as the blond writer gathered as much darkness as he could before shooting a Dark Crescent Moon at the wave of... _stuff_ thrown at them. Upon contact with the darkness, the stuff desintegrated into nothingness, only a few chunks of unnamed things landing a few centimeters from Koga's feet. The mere second the cannon ran out of ammunition, the five gathered their weapons and raced towards the dismantlers, ready to continue their retribution.

Mayhem ensued for several minutes, the few Franky Family left attempting to stop their enemies with all they got left to defend themselves with. But Luffy's rubbery punches, Zoro's swords, Sanji's kicks, Chopper's hooves and Koga's darkness turned to be too much for them. It wasn't long before the whole house exploded.

Just as Luffy promised the unconscious Usopp they would do in retribution of them beating him and stealing him.

* * *

The 'kick-the-Franky-Family's-butts' treatment had quite a calming effect in all five Straw Hat nakama; but even after thoroughly returning each bruise they gave to Usopp and destroying their house to the ground, Koga didn't feel entirely satisfied when they got out and waited for Chopper to finish treating the poor sniper. The fact that the leader, Franky, had gotten away with their two-hundred thousand Berri left him quite disappointed. One thing was beating his minions, and another was confronting the very same guy who orchestrated the whole thing.

"Should we go after Franky?" Sanji asked, smoking another cigarette as he stared off into the horizon.

"If only we could." Koga answered, his scythe long-turned into a katana and returned to his sheath as he adjusted his scarf a bit more loosely around his neck. "But all we got from those guys was that he was gone, but not _where_."

"Yeah." Zoro grunted out, tying his bandana back onto his arm. "Useless to search for him if we don't have a clue of where to begin."

The chef hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah, you're both probably right. Even if we did find him, if he spent the money, there's no getting it back."

"And even if we wait for him, he probably won't be back for a while." The swordsman concluded.

Luffy just stood in silence in the highest point of rubble, apparently thinking hard about something. Koga watched him with a frown, but chose not to say anything; it was odd seeing his captain in that attitude, but sometimes it was about a sensible topic.

"Guys!" Chopper broke him out of his thoughts -but not Luffy, he noticed. "I've finished treating Usopp; we need to bring him back on a stretcher, so I need help!"

The cook nodded, grim. "We better head back; we left Nami-san all by herself, Robin-chan's still missing, and the issue with the ship is a problem too."

When he saw Luffy perk up at that last thing, the writer immediately knew that was what the rubber teen had been thinking about all this time.

"I've made a decision," he said with a firm voice, but still giving them his back, "about the ship."

Everyone perked up at that, and the teen took a deep breath and turned to lock dead-serious eyes with each of them. Unconsciously, Koga tensed at that. Very few times had he seen his captain so determined... and so conflicted, about a decision he'd made.

"It's time... to part ways with the Going Merry. We'll say goodbye to her here."

Somehow not surprised by this, each of them just regarded him with equally serious expressions before silently acquiescing in their own ways. He was, after all, their captain. He ordered, and his underlings obeyed. Very rarely did Luffy use his power as captain, and that was why everyone knew that, to have reached that decision, he'd gone through all the possibilities he could've thought of before choosing the most obvious -albeit far more painful- choice of all.

But Koga knew that, out of all of them, the one who was going to have a hard time swallowing that particularly-bitter pill was, of course, Usopp. There was no way of giving the disgraceful news delicately, but they couldn't hit around the bush about such an important subject for all of them. The sniper wasn't going to like this, the writer knew, and the Straw Hats was going to need to prepare themselves for that particular storm.

* * *

By the time the sun was about to set Koga had told Nami of how they destroyed Franky House; and though the navigator seemed happier of having taken retribution for what they did to Usopp, she still felt peeved for having lost two-hundred thousand. Still, she took the victory as well as she could, considering the circumstances... and Luffy's decision of getting a new ship and leaving Merry behind. A bit disturbed by that crucial decision, the redhead walked away and tried to come in terms with it, leaving the chronicler to update the logbook... and to gather his own thoughts about the whole thing.

Admittedly, the blond young man didn't want to separate from Merry. Sure she wasn't made of flesh-and-blood, but he felt at home with her. As he'd said before, Merry was a crucial member of the crew; she carried them everywhere, after all. And not only that... Koga thought about when he 'talked' with Merry, not too long ago, after Aokiji defeated the crew. Somehow, he felt that Merry cared for them in her own way, as much as they cared about her in their own unique ways too. She had thoughts, feelings, and who knows?, even a corporeal form on her own. He felt as if she was _alive_. Leaving her behind would be as devastasting and heart-breaking as leaving _anyone_ else behind.

But if what the Galley-La Company foremen said was true, then there was no way for her to continue journeying with them. A ship sailing with a broken keel was like a human trying to walk with a broken spine; it doomed them to stay in a wheelchair for the rest of their life... if it didn't kill them first. Koga knew about it; his own sister, Karen, couldn't even walk because of her illness, and though she tried to live with it as best she could, that knowledge killed her bit by bit... until the end came.

Somehow, forcing Merry to go beyond her limits was worse than putting an end right here, right now. Forcing her to live on, knowing her friends moved on while she struggled to keep up with their speed and destructive adventures (because let's be honest, knowing the Straw Hat crew, they were bound to find more trouble in the way), it seemed worse.

'After all,' Koga suddenly reminisced, 'Merry comes from the East Blue. The weakest of the four seas. No matter that Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp came from East Blue too, a ship's not made to be stronger than the Grand Line. Merry's strong, but there are limits for what her wooden planks can take on.'

It wasn't an easy decision to be made, the chronicler concluded as he closed the updated logbook and caressed the cover absentmindedly. Leaving Merry behind, thus 'killing' her in a way... or just forcing her to keep carrying them across the Grand Line, until God-knew-when her keel would give up on her... thus dooming the rest of the crew to certain death if they stranded in the sea or marooned in a desert island.

Both faces had ugly consequences, but Luffy chose what was best for the whole crew. And Koga respected that, a lot.

He hoped that Usopp saw the same, even with different words.

"Hey guys! Usopp's finally awake!" Chopper called out from the galley's door before going inside again.

'Speaking of the devil...'

Sighing warily, and already dreading the incoming argument, the chronicler slowly rose to his feet and, logbook tucked under his arm, followed Sanji, Nami and Zoro inside the galley. He entered the last, deciding to rest his back against the doorframe while watching the whole thing unfold before him. The rest of the Straw Hat crew had spread around Usopp's makeshift bed, each cautiously regarding him and his emotions before choosing to talk.

Which were, to be blunt, not very good. Although he looked already better, with him sitting up and looking like he recovered a bit of color, his whole body was shaking and his eyes refused to look at anyone. His bandaged hands gripped the sheet with white-knuckled force, as if wanting to tear it apart... or contain his emotions to not explode right then and there, in front of the whole crew.

Nami chose to break the incredibly tense silence with a weak scold, "I should punch you for scaring us like that."

Even coming from her, it sounded weak to everyone's ears; and she knew it. Still, Usopp flinched self-consciously, and everyone saw it.

"No kidding." Sanji decided to continue, probably feeling that Usopp shouldn't be bottling everything in. "What were you thinking, taking on all those guys alone?"

"You can't just run off and fight whoever you want." Zoro added too; the chef shot a look at his friend/rival.

"Look who's talking. That's rich, coming from you, Marimo."

The swordsman, a tick on his forehead, went to answer, but Koga shot him a scolding look while saying, "Guys, this is not the time for your bickering."

And chose to stay in silence, albeit begrudgingly. Still, that didn't stop him from shooting a glare at the cook.

When Usopp spoke, it was very, _very_ quiet, so everyone had to strain their ears to hear. "This wouldn't have happened if I was strong like you guys..." His voice shook, eyes already starting to tear up, and Koga frowned in concern. "I'm sorry! This is all my fault!"

'Damn it, Usopp...' The chronicler had to close his eyes and look aside so as not to explode before him, his whole insides wanting to go find that Franky bastard and beat him over and over for destroying what little self-confidence had had until then. His fingers crushed his own arms where he'd crossed over his chest, partly to avoid touching _Sankaoken_ altogether and not be infected by its malicious thoughts.

The long-nosed teen's rant continued for a bit until he calmed down, mostly encouraged by Chopper who told him to take it easy. He rubbed his eyes with one of his bandanged arms before hesitantly looking up at an impassive Luffy.

"So... is there any chance of getting our money back?" He slowly asked, as if dreading the answer already.

Luffy tilted his head to the side. "Weeeell... Maybe, but we won't know for sure until that Franky guy comes back."

The sniper lowered his head again, fixing his gaze in his lap. "I see... I'm sorry..."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" His captain tried to encourage him with a smile... but not as wide as his usual ones, Koga noticed. "We still have a hundred million Berri left!"

"Yeah, but we lost twice that much!" Nami snapped. Luffy and pretty much everyone in the room -except Sanji of course, though he didn't say anything- sent her a _look_. Even if that was true, Usopp didn't need any more guilt right then. The redhead seemed to realize it and added sheepishly, "Sorry..."

"No, it's fine..." The sniper weakly shook his head before taking a deep breath and asked _The Question._ "More importantly... Is Merry gonna be okay?"

As one, everyone tensed in the galley and looked at each other uncomfortably.

"We're lucky that we have all these shipwrights to work on her, but it's gonna get rough out there, so we need her to be stronger than ever!"

Apparently not noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere, Usopp forged on, a weak hopeful smile on his lips as he looked down at his lap. Koga scrunched his mismatched eyes shut, breathing a few times deeply before opening them again, preparing himself for the onslaught.

'This... isn't going to end well. At all.'

"Did you talk to them about it? Can they still do a good job if we only pay a hundred million?"

How could they tell them that Merry couldn't be fixed? What delicate way could _that_ be said without hurting him?

"Uh, yeah, we talked to them..." Luffy finally said, looking _just a bit_ like his own goofy self. Maybe preparing himself for the verbal fight. "But... We're not gonna have them repair it. We're gonna buy a brand new ship."

...

Silence. A deep, meaningful silence in which Usopp slowly registered in his mind what Luffy had just blurted out. His eyes growing wide by the minute, his mouth starting to open in shock... and in protest. His face slowly darkening from surprise... to unsuppressed _ire_.

"I know we probably should've asked you first, but we didn't have much choice." The rubber teen forged on, as the others warily watched between the two with baited breaths, waiting for the long-nosed boy to snap at any second. "But I've made up my mind; the Merry's taken good care of us up to this point, and it's finally time to say goodbye to her."

And as he showed up the catalog that the shipwrights gave them earlier at Dock 1, Koga could feel Usopp's denial slowly coming out in waves, substituting the fury for a moment for a more logical explanation... for him anyways.

"Hold on." Usopp lifted both hands and tried to grin. "I get it Luffy, the joke's gone on long enough."

'Damn it, this is more painful that I thought it'd be...' The mismatch-eyed writer thought with a grimace as he closed his eyes and looked to the side, refusing to see the heart-breaking realization dawning in his younger comrade's eyes and face.

"Wait..." Unfortunately, he couldn't block his voice. "Do we... not have enough money for the repairs?! It's because I lost the money, isn't it?!" A sudden noise made Koga open his gold-and-silver eyes again, seeing that the young sniper had shot to his feet. "I mean, a first-class shipyard is gonna cost a lot after all, right?! That's what this is about?!"

Finally, tension snapped in Luffy. "Would you calm down and listen to me!"

"What is it?! Just tell me, don't sugarcoat it!"

'This is not being handled very well...' The chronicler dug his nails into his palms, warily watching the discussion growing more heated. He crossed looks with Zoro, who seemed to have the same thought going through his own mind as well.

"I'm not sugarcoating anything! The money doesn't matter anymore!" Luffy yelled, if only in an attempt to be heard by Usopp.

"If that's true, then what's all this _crap_ about buying a new ship?!" Usopp's eyes were blazing right then, so furious he was.

Suddenly Zoro stepped up, glaring at both of them. "Both of you, stop it! Fighting isn't going to help!"

But it was already too late. Tension, the beating from the Franky Family and his own guilt seemed to act as a barrier between his mind and his friends' words, as he verbally fought even more vehemently than before:

"What am _I_ doing wrong?!" He protested, still glaring at Luffy but answering the swordsman with bitterness. " _He's_ the one saying all this dumb stuff!"

"I know you're upset, but you need to try to calm down!" Nami also tried to calm Usopp down.

"Listen to Nami, Usopp; if you don't rest, you're not gonna be better!" Chopper urged, deeply concerned about Usopp's physical condition... and maybe mentally too, seeing where this was all going.

" _Who cares about me?!_ " The sniper spat out in bitterness, before swiping the catalog out of Luffy's hands. "Already window-shopping for a new toy! I don't want your damn pity!" He threw the catalog back to the ground, as Koga's eyes and face grew colder by the second. "If the money doesn't matter, then why are you talking about getting a new ship?! Just spit it out already!"

There it was. A baited breath between the other crewmates as they glanced between the two, a wave crashing on the shore sounding outside the Merry. It was at that moment that everyone saw Luffy grit his teeth before saying the haunting words.

"The Merry can't be repaired."

Another long silence ensued. Everyone looked from Luffy's uncharacteristically stony face to Usopp's shaken frame, whose tremors returned even stronger than before, his face growing whiter by the second he stared at his captain in disbelief.

"W... What?" He managed to stammer out.

"Don't make me repeat myself. No matter what we do, we... we can't fix her. The Going Merry can't be repaired anymore; I wouldn't let us get a new ship if it weren't true."

Hearing that for a second time hurt as much as hearing it for the first time, Koga discovered as he felt the coldness inside him gripping at his heart. But still, he kept on watching the two, waiting for one of them to snap.

Because someone was bound to snap.

With a heavy thud, Usopp fell to his knees. "You mean this ship...?" Angrily, he hit the floor with his bandaged hands. "... This ship is _broken_?!"

"That's right." Luffy nodded, ignoring the fury rising in his sniper's eyes. "It's only a matter of time until she sinks."

Harsh, but true nonetheless. Koga agreed that keeping on sailing on Merry was just _cruel_ for her. Still, that didn't make the decision less painful than before.

"What are you talking about? That's nuts!"

"It's true. The shipwrights took a look at the Merry themselves. They said she won't even hold out until the next island."

Face tight in anger, Usopp confronted his friend and tried to get the steam off his voice. "So, that's it? A bunch of strangers tell you to scrap your ship and you don't ask any questions?"

Luffy's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Koga felt that the sniper was beginning to step over a boundary.

After all, no one challenged their captain... Not unless they wanted to mutiny.

"I know those guys know what they're talking about, but this... this is just _wrong_! Don't give up on the Merry! What about all the adventures we had together, the battles we fought?! The Merry is our nakama, she's one of us! And you want to abandon her without a second thought?!"

A pang of pain at Koga's heart as he heard those words, and he winced slightly. He breathed heavily, tried to contain his pain at the whole situation and his mounting anger at his inability to come to a consensus for the two. He didn't want to interfere, he _couldn't_ interfere.

It was Zoro's battle against Mihawk again. But this time, two of his friends were risking something far more valuable than their lifes. And again, he could do nothing but watch...

"So what, you know better than the shipwrights?" Luffy challenged, looking down on his long-nosed friend. "If we had someone on the crew who actually knew about this stuff, we wouldn't have asked them in the first place!"

" _Then forget them!_ " Usopp spat out angrily, beginning to stand up. "We don't need those guys telling us what to do! I'll just repair the Merry myself, like I always do; we've made it this far so we'll be fine! I'll start right now!" He failed to stand, but chose to crawl on all fours; it was a pitying sight, one that made the grip on Koga's heart grow tighter. "C'mon guys, help me out."

"That's not gonna work." Sanji bit out, his voice slightly shaky due to his intense emotions.

Usopp stopped, but then sighed. "That's right, we don't have enough lumber. I better go buy some from the shipyard; we have a lot of work to do."

"You're not a shipwright, Usopp!" Luffy yelled, trying to get his point through Usopp's unusually thick skull.

"Luffy!" Nami tried to admonish, not liking where this was going.

"Yeah, I know, but so what?!" The long-nosed teen snapped back with a glare at his captain. "Why are you still so hung-up on what those shipwrights said?! They just want your money! If they knew what Merry went through they wouldn't give up on her!"

'... Is watching _really_ all I can do?'

"The Merry's our ship, so it's o _ur job_ to take care of her! I won't let them take the Merry away from me!"

'... Is watching _everything_ fall apart all I can do?'

"I can't believe this... You got fooled by a bunch of _salesmen_ trying to pawn off a used boat?! The Luffy I know would believe in the strength of the Merry and his crew!" He strolled over and grabbed Luffy by the front of his vest. "I can't believe _that's_ the kind of captain you turned out to be! I thought you were better than that!"

'... Is watching from the side how two of my friends destroy each other _all_ I can do?'

"You're not being fair, Usopp!" Nami stepped forward and tried to break the two apart, but the rubbery teen held a hand out and stopped her in place.

"Stay out of this! It was my call, and I stand by it!" Not minding being grabbed by his vest, he glared at Usopp with a _scathing_ look. "We're getting a new ship whether you like it or not; this is the end of the road for the Merry!"

"I'm _not_ leaving her here!" The sniper pulled the vest closer, their faces almost touching. "I know you're always trying to think about the future, but not everyone on this crew is like that! The Merry's one of our friends and I'm not gonna abandon her when she's hurt!"

'... Or really, is it all I'm _supposed_ to be doing?'

"Don't be stupid!" Luffy swatted both of his friend's hands away forcefully. "Even if she's a friend, that doesn't mean she's a person!"

"She is to me, and she still has the strength to live! But _all_ you care about is buying a new ship!"

Koga was about to snap. He knew it, judging how cold he felt inside. He barely registered Sanji trying to break them apart as they continue to yell at each other.

Hurtful words.

"Would you listen to yourself?! Don't act like you're the only one torn up about this; we all feel the same way!"

So full of anger.

"If that was true then you wouldn't be getting a new ship!"

So full of contempt.

"Alright, fine!"

Meant to destroy...

"If you don't like the way your captain does things-!"

... what was built.

"-then why don't you go ahead and get-!"

 **CRASH!**

Before the words were uttered, however, Sanji stopped all argument by booting Luffy into a table and breaking it, the captain lying amidst the shattered remains, looking confused but a bit more clear-headed at least. Usopp was looking down at the floor, eyes hidden behind his bandana. There was a silence only broken by Sanji's foot going back to the wooden floor.

"This is going too far..." He growled, breathing deeply and looking at both of them with anger in his eyes and face... tinged with a bit of understanding pain. "What the hell's the matter with you two?! If you don't watch it, you're gonna say something you can't take back!"

Everyone's ragged breathing coursed through the air for a few seconds, before Luffy sat up from the wreckage.

"Sorry..." He lowly apologized, though no one knew just _who_ he was apologizing to. "I don't know what I was thinking..."

As Koga looked over Usopp, he immediately noticed his hunched-over shoulders, his hands closed in tight fists, the slight tremors coursing through his body.

"So, that's how you really feel, huh?" No one had heard such a venomous tone before in anyone of the crew, and certainly no one expected that Usopp would be the one uttering such poison as he struggled to get up once more. "Just get rid of your dead weight, and move on before it can slow you down."

"That's not true-!"

"No, I get it." He growled, now fully standing on his own two legs... and out-right glaring at his friend. "If you're gonna throw away the Merry... might as well throw _me_ away too."

* * *

 **L: And that's it! I swear, my heart was stammering so hard in my chest, I almost couldn't write the whole chapter before snapping! I had forgotten how intense these chapters were, and how heartbreaking. Let's see if we can sweeten this somehow next chapter! And now, review answers~!**

 **-The Storm Master 567: Well yeah, at first I didn't plan to make one of his old friends a Cursed, but then I thought 'Meh, why not? His home's close to Water 7 after all!' And so here he is. Don't worry, they'll speak about it... later, when they're alone. Oh, the small organization had been running through my mind for quite a while; there are after all both evil Cursed and good Cursed, and The Chapel guys are a bit narrow-minded in everything referring the Cursed in general. Yeah, in truth, the choice's not so hard to make... Or is it? Well, not really, first is Thriller Bark's Arc (the others insisting; they wanted to see how Brook would interact in Koga-kun's Arc), but yeah, all that will be discovered in Koga-kun's Arc.**

 **-Guest: Hehe, here's another update, MUCH longer. And much more touchy. Honestly I don't like that combination, never saw any kind of connection they could do. Though tacticians are useful, and the Straw Hats could definitely use a tactician; however, knowing Luffy, their plans would be moot.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Heheh, yeah, last chapter's been quite a 'Bam-bam-BadaBAM!' kind of chapter. I've been waiting for this moment for quite a while, though the whole 'organization' idea, as I told Storm before, is quite recent in comparison. Yeeeah, Blob wasn't actually my first choice: I wanted to call him 'Chubby', a bit friendlier nickname, but it was already picked by Gohan's cook. So, Blob it is. Oh, here you can see that though harmful, Blob WAS his name in the orphanage: the principal basically picked everyone's names as soon as they entered the orphanage as residents. Oh, I want to introduce ALL Seven Princes before (*BIG SPOILER ALERT*: the Summit War *SPOILER STOP*) because they will play a great role during and after that particular event. Well, most would say that Koga-kun would do a good leader, but I don't really think so: though calm, he thinks so hard about all the consequences of an action that he would be unable to take a decision in time. That's dangerous, in truth, when leading an army. Oh, interesting conclusion, though I wish Oda would say something, but it's also true that there's a reality regarding ALL Devil Fruits: they f*ck up with common sense. Big time.**

 **-Guest-san: See that Stu? They congratulated you! Hope he saw it. That's... actually still on the works. Hope it comes around to be honest. Hm, the agents are currently... travelling. Though where, I won't tell~! ... Okay, they're nearer than everyone thinks, but farther than you would expect. They're NOT going to appear at Enies Lobby, but they'll appear BEFORE Sabaody Archipelago. Do the math~! ^^ Though it's good that you remember them! Still, in Enies Lobby, someone will reappear...**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	77. A duel to break friendships

**77\. A duel to break friendships**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **Oh my guys, shit's really hitting the fan now... Let's get this show on the road...**

 **BTW! Last chapter, there was one reviewer that got the #500 review posted! And that person was... The Storm Master 567! They told me to begin writing the films (since I promised a long time ago to publish them already) but I'll post them as a SEPARATE fanfic from here. Keep an eye out! Storm Master, the first one's dedicated to you!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

Koga's fingernails dug deeply into his palms, drawing blood, as his mind screeched to a stop at those final words from Usopp. The shock he felt at that simple proclamation said with such finality, just drowned under the raging black nothingness threatening to overwhelm him.

Usopp was _betraying them_.

He was willing to turn his back to his friends, leave them behind, so that his own stubborness and unwillingness to see the truth would sever all ties with them. And he was about to do so without a hint of regret in his face and voice, stony and harsh as he glared at Luffy and the others. Who, to be honest, looked as speechless as the chronicler himself, each giving him their own versions of astonishment.

Koga didn't even know how he was supposed to feel, other than deeply betrayed. Rather than confronting his own feelings and asking Luffy and the rest of the crew for their support, the sniper had chosen to turn his back to them and flee like the freaking _coward_ he was. He preferred to leave them behind in exchange of a dying sailboat that wouldn't rise its flag anymore, and _everyone knew that_. Koga could've done something, could've _said_ something, if only Usopp hadn't been so _cowardly_ and such a backstabbing bastard as he-

'No.' Koga's mismatched eyes snapped closed and shook his head forcefully, banishing those venomous thoughts away. This wasn't Usopp speaking, or at least not entirely anymore; it was his anxiety, his guilt, and his own helplessness. Usopp had always been one to follow what his own heart dictated, even if his mind was screaming at him not to do so, and right now, both his conscience and heart were at conflict with each other; probably his mind was telling him this wasn't a good idea, but his heart demanded him _not_ to leave Merry behind, to try and save her.

 _Even at the cost of his own friends? That is unforgivable, is it not? Family and friends always go first before anything else, right? Someone willing to betray that bond and break it is simply... a sin. Am I wrong, host?_

Koga kept quiet as his inner demon snickered, apparently pleased with the chaos forming in the small room. What could he have said? The demon was right. He _did_ feel that way about what friendship entailed.

And still...

"I know you're pissed off," Sanji broke the unbearingly-tense silence with a quiet murmur, "but don't say stupid crap like that."

Koga opened his eyes to see the chef staring hard at Usopp, who responded with an equally chilly gaze. "No, I've been thinking about this for a while now... Things aren't like they were before; you guys are just too strong for me... I can't keep up anymore." He breathed in (a shaky breath, Koga noticed) and blew it out before continuing with gritted teeth. "Just look at what happened today; you can't even trust me with money. There's no point in keeping me around if all I do is cause you all trouble."

The writer's eyes narrowed at him; so it was true. What happened today was just the straw that broke the camel's back; this took place way back in the past.

And the crew had just been unable to see what had been wrong with him... Until now.

Usopp straightened and turned to lock eyes with an eerily-silent Luffy. "Luffy, I still believe you'll be King of the Pirates someday. But as for me... I'm just lucky I was able to make it this far. There's no sense in traveling together if we don't even have the same goal!"

Luffy's face hardened at that, but said nothing. Apparently displeased at the lack of response, the long-nosed sniper adopted determination in his face as he turned his back to the rubber teen and went to the door.

But Sanji stopped him, "Hey where are you going?"

"Wherever I go... it's my business." Just a step away from the door, Usopp answered with an icy tone, glancing at the cook with the corner of his eye before going to open...

 ** _BAM!_**

... Until, quick as lightning, Koga's arm banged against the door and slammed it shut, the writer's face hidden under the bangs of blond hair. Out of everyone, only Nami and Chopper visibly jumped at the sudden action, but everyone without exception fixed their attention in the nonchalant young man resting his back against the doorframe, arm blocking Usopp's path... and palms slightly bloody.

"Koga... Get out of the way." Usopp demanded.

To be completely honest, Koga hadn't thought at all when his arm shot up to block his way out. He just wanted to put order to his frantic thoughts, to quell his feeling of betrayal and anger slowly rising up his throat.

And, he also wanted to make sure Usopp understood just _what_ he was doing.

"If you cross this door..." He declared with a low, guttural growl, his right silver eye visible glaring intensely at the long-nosed teen, "If you're _really_ leaving this crew, then you're doing so _with all its consequences._ No backing up, no regrets. If you leave, then there's no returning. You won't be welcomed back into this crew again."

He saw from the corner of his eye Nami and Chopper squirm and share a glance, and Zoro and Sanji observing the exchange with a hard face, just like Luffy's. They didn't know what the writer planned to do, but they hoped it worked in stopping this nonsense.

A flash of anger shone in the sniper's brown eyes, and his face contorted into a snarl. "I'm not going to-"

"You're not leaving a group of buddies, Usopp." The writer interrupted him, his voice edgier... and a tad insistent. "You're leaving a _pirate crew_. You're committing straight-up _mutiny_ right now. _You're betraying us_."

"What do you want me to say, Koga?" Usopp snarled. "Yes, I'm leaving, but _you_ are the ones forcing me to! You're leaving Merry behind, and I won't stand for that!"

"You could've told us-"

"Told you?! Ha! Said the _big_ hypocrite! You, the one that _constantly_ keeps secrets from the crew, that is unable to _trust_ someone else!" Usopp didn't notice the quick hardening of Koga's eyes, turning them a frigid steely grey-and-yellow instead of their usual liquid metal colors; or the tightening of his fingers on the door, threatening to leave marks in the wood with his nails. "Don't you come patronizing me about all this crap, Mr. 'I-can't-trust-you-with-this-and-that'! You have absolutely _no right_ to criticize me in this!"

'Don't snap at him,' Koga chanted in his head as he forced his fury down, the fire aching in his belly and wanting to be let out, ' _Don't_. Snap at him.'

"This is not about me." He managed to grunt out. "You're not thinking clearly, Usopp. This is all the tension you've been put through. I know you don't want to do this-"

"Like I _said_ , quit patronizing me already." Usopp grabbed the handle of the door. "And I'm thinking _quite clearly_ , thank you very much. I'm sad it took this long for me to realize that I was going to slow you down, but I'm at least glad that I can do _something_ to remedy that."

'This is not going to remedy anything!' Koga wanted to shout, desperation mixing with the anger and frustration he felt. He lowered his head again, hiding his eyes behind his blond bangs of hair as he lowered his arm at a painfully slow pace, leaving the path free to Usopp. 'I can't get through his thoughts and reach him. He's too far gone now.'

Apparently satisfied that the older man had given up, Usopp straightened his back and went to open the door-

"I trusted you."

Before Koga's uncharacteristically soft voice stopped him yet again. The sniper's eyes widened as he glanced over at him, the writer's shoulders a bit slumped down in defeat and eyes shadowed. He didn't say anything else though, and after a while the younger man's expression hardened again and faced the door once more.

"Sorry guys, but I'm leaving the crew; this is goodbye."

And he then truly left, opening the door and strolling outside as proud and tall as he could.

Koga felt defeated inside, ignoring Nami, Chopper and Sanji sprinting to their feet and starting to give chase before the door closed behind Usopp. As the second mate, and somehow as the oldest member of the crew, he felt partially guilty for not convincing the sniper out of this decision. He'd long ago seen the crewmembers of the Straw Hats as his family, five little brothers and a little sister he had to watch over; but he'd obviously failed to do so with Usopp. He'd failed to see what had been wrong with the long-nosed teen, hadn't been able to see his state of mind, hadn't been able to determine how he'd respond to this whole situation.

He hadn't been able to keep his family together.

It took a rough hand resting on his shoulder to snap him out of the well of depressing thoughts he'd begun to sink into. The chronicler blinked to see Zoro's hard face standing beside him, supporting him silently with that small gesture, while Luffy got out of the cabin with a blank face. Koga looked around to see Nami, Chopper and Sanji missing, and looked over at the swordsman when he lowered his hand; the green-haired teen nodded to the door, and the blond sighed.

Of course they'd go after him.

Koga swiped a hand down his face as he followed his captain and first mate out, rejoining the other three nakama in the railing as they stared down at a retreating Usopp, pace not faltering, intent evident in his every stride.

'He's really going to do this,' the writer thought as he lifted his scarf up to his nose, a knot forming in his throat and his stomach; a silent scream struggled to get out, but he forced it down like the rest of his ire. 'This is really over.'

But when Usopp stopped once more, a good distance away from them, the scarred young man widened his eyes and tensed.

The sniper didn't turn around. "Luffy, I'm sorry I can't follow you anymore. And I'm sorry I was such a pain until the bitter end."

'Oh no.' Koga gritted his teeth and clenched his scarf tightly, eyes and face struggling to keep an impassive facade.

"I know you're the captain of this ship, so the Merry belongs to you." Usopp turned around, and even at this distance, Koga could see the mask of grim determination on his face and his unshakable frame. "That's why... I want you to fight me!"

Koga's stomach plummeted to his feet at that declaration, his eyes widening. He heard gasps from Nami and Chopper and saw the fierce expression on Sanji's face, the tight pressure on Zoro's jaw, and the frigid glare on Luffy's eyes.

'He's cutting _all_ of the ties he has with us.' That sudden thought flashed through his mind with painful accuracy. 'He's not only leaving our crew, but also is refusing to be our friend anymore.'

"Monkey D Luffy... I challenge you to a duel!" Usopp proclaimed loudly, the sound drowning Nami's silent murmuring of denial. "At ten o'clock tonight, I'll be back, so you better be ready, _Captain!"_

Koga's hand lowered from gripping his scarf to his chest, feeling a dull ache that was slowly rising in intensity at those words. He grasped onto the small pieces of their destroyed friendship, trying to recollect them so that he wouldn't feel so devastated and bring support to the rest of the crew...

... But couldn't grasp onto them with enough strength, as Usopp's final words put the final nails in the coffin.

"Either way, when this is over... _The bond between us will be_ _broken_."

* * *

An hour later after Usopp left to prepare for the duel, everyone had dispersed over the ship, too shocked and distressed (in their own ways) with the current events and what triggered them. Luffy, instead of going to Merry's figurehead like usual, had retreated into the men's quarters, apparently preparing himself for the incoming fight with his former friend; Nami had gone down to try to talk him out of this madness, but Koga was convinced the captain wouldn't back down. The reason, he wasn't sure, but the chronicler simply knew it to be true.

Koga, Sanji and Zoro were on the galley. The writer had been trying to upload the logbook for quite some time now, but the violent argument between the two rivals and his own conflicted thoughts about the current events had him just gripping the pen with white-knuckled force and unseeing mismatched eyes fixed in the same page. His ears vaguely registered his friends arguing, but although his mind told him to stop this nonsense already, he just couldn't gather the strength to actually do that. He'd wasted all his energy in quelling his frustration and anger down.

It took Nami a second to stop both of them to tear each other's throats when she returned, her conflicted face distorting in anger and helplessness. She huffed and went to chastise Koga for not stopping the two idiots; all words died in her throat though, when she caught sight of the mask of guilt the older man sported in his face, and the hand tight on his pen, almost trembling. It was the first time she'd seen him so distressed, and even with all the tension, the redhead just couldn't blame the chronicler for anything.

It wasn't a good situation, Nami realized, if not even Koga could support them all as he always did whenever a bad situation happened.

Nami breathed deeply, shaking her head.

"This is not the time for blaming each other..." She pointedly looked at both Zoro and Sanji, who looked tense but a bit sheepish, "or oneself for this," and turned her gaze to Koga, who raised his head to stare blankly at the woman. "There's been enough fighting for one day..."

Koga looked down again at the blank page, thoughts swirling in his head, still thinking of how he could've said things differently to avoid Usopp from leaving. The scarred young man still had the feeling he could've convinced him, if only he'd said or done _anything else_...

"And I can't convince Luffy to not duel against Usopp... He's too damn stubborn..." The navigator huffed in irritation as she ruffled her red hair.

Zoro grimaced. "He can't back away from this. Usopp threw him a challenge as a Captain. If he refuses to fight, Luffy would lose face as a Captain."

"This is _Usopp_ we're talking about!" The redhead snapped at him angrily. "What does captaincy freaking _matter_ in comparison with friendship?"

"Nami-san..." Sanji's morose voice cut the swordsman's response with a conflicted look on his face. He felt at a loss of what to say or do.

"You heard Usopp earlier, Nami." Koga's voice was low and grave as the others turned to him, his face shadowed by the bangs of his hair once more. "He doesn't consider us his friends anymore. He challenged Luffy as a pirate, not as a friend. On his pride, Luffy can't refuse to take him on. Even if..." A slight crack in his voice made him clear his throat, "even if it hurts to watch."

Teeth clenched tightly against each other, Nami went to answer... but Sanji's hand in her shoulder and a shake of his head dissuaded her to say anything.

Just at that moment, Chopper opened the door and entered with his head hanging low; as soon as Usopp had begun to retreat and the others to reunite in the galley, the doctor had chosen to run after their former friend -it hurt to think that way- and try to heal his wounds. Judging his expression, that hadn't gone well.

"Usopp turned me away..." He whispered in a shaky voice, answering the question no one dared formulate; he then sat on the floor as if all his strength suddenly left him. "He found a place to stay, so at least he can get some rest... But do you know what he said to me?" He sniffled, and then raised teary eyes to his friends. "He said... we aren't friends anymore, so- so I should- leave him alone and- and go back to the ship..."

As the reindeer silently hiccuped and cried, the other four crewmembers exchanged grave expressions, no one knowing just how to comfort him.

With shaky legs, Nami sat down beside Koga, who didn't bother look at her. "Just this morning we were all so happy... And now look at us." She looked around, emphazising her point. "We lost Usopp... We're losing the Merry... And Robin's still missing..." She breathed in a shaky breath and chewed on her lower lip. "I feel like if we don't do something... the whole crew is going to fall apart."

Koga and the others lowered their heads, pensive, each in their own gloomy thoughts.

Now the scarred young man, in spite of being assaulted by self-accusations and scorn because of his inability to keep his friends together, he knew he had to pull his shit together once more. Be the unmovable rock for the crew, their support, the one who carried all darkness thrown their way...

Just then, however, he didn't know if he even had the strength to do it.

In tacit agreement, the five members of the Straw Hats that remained in the galley chose to stay together until the bitter hour.

Sanji took a smoke, as always, but his absent eyes looked far away from them. The fingers grasping the cigarette shook ever so slightly and one of his feet tapped the wooden floor in an almost soothing rhythm.

Chopper still seemed in shock at how blatantly Usopp refused his help because he was 'no longer their friend', but was assorting the items in his bag to distract himself. The small crease in his forehead and the occasional sniff, however, demonstrated that he wasn't being quite successful at keeping his emotions in check.

Zoro had sat down and reclined his back against the wooden wall, but hadn't fallen asleep, the tension in the room too much even for him to relax. He instead watched everyone in the room with an intense look, assessing their moods and emotional state. No one knew what he was thinking.

Nami was still sitting down next to Koga, absentmindedly playing with two of the three pieces of her Clima Tact, teeth furiously chewing on her lower lip still.

And Koga still tried to upload the logbook, but words refused to come out. He just sat there, ruffling his blond hair in annoyance as he sighed.

No conversation took place, each choosing instead to gather whatever fortitude they could find in order to overcome their next ordeal: Luffy and Usopp's impending duel. In a way, being with their friends made things a little bit easier, even if the mood in the room wasn't actually the best. They let the minutes fly, trying to delay the inevitable.

But time still went on.

 _Thud_

Koga closed the logbook and stood up, attracting everyone's attention. Though with a grave face, his eyes were hard and determined as he looked at each of his friends and nodded grimly. The others gained serious expressions as well as each stood from their seated positions (those who had been seated anyways) and followed the chronicler outside of the galley.

They found Luffy standing outside as well, looking down at the floor, but raised his head to see his friends get out of the galley, one by one. He didn't say any words either, but the conflictive look in his eyes told everything he couldn't say outloud. He only nodded his head at his crew and got off the Merry onto the shore, distancing a good feet away from the ship to avoid any further damage.

The writer stood with the others at the railing, noticing how the night seemed to sense the somber atmosphere and what was about to happen in the lack of starlight and moonlight. The wind howled with grief and sadness, echoing in their ears, ruffling their hair and clothes, hissing the beginning of the end for them. The waves crashed against the shore, the noise oddly resembling that of a building crashing down with rumbling noise.

Much like their own friendship.

"Listen up!" Luffy called back to the crew. "I don't want any of you leaving the ship!"

Koga's face turned sour as he crossed his arms over his chest, but conceded anyways. This was, after all, Luffy and Usopp's duel after all; them interfering wouldn't be good for anyone. Even if it hurt just standing by and watch everything unfurl in front of them.

All hopes of Usopp just bluffing disappeared when the crew saw him strolling confidently towards Luffy, eyes and face hard as stone, body not shaking in the least. But then again, this was Usopp, the man never backed away if honor was involved; as many flaws as he had, that quality of his was his most prominent, the one his friends admired the most... but at the same time, it was also one of the main causes of their rupture.

For a moment, Koga wondered just what kind of thoughts were crossing through the sniper's mind. Was he hurt that he had to fight his friend and captain? Or was he truly determined that Merry had a chance to surviving, even with the best foremen in the world affirming there was no way? Of course, the writer had hoped they wronged their analysis, but he hadn't been there, just Nami and Luffy; and though he didn't trust strangers, he _did_ trust his friends.

For a moment, all the two rivals did was stare at each other for some nerve-wrecking seconds, seizing each other up. As always, Luffy had no weapon on himself, his own Devil Fruit being more than enough; but Usopp had noticeably upgraded his own weapons, and even in the distance, Koga saw he wielded his slingshot and some of the deadliest Dials Conis and Pagaya gave them before they left the Sky Island.

'He's serious then.' Koga closed his eyes and sighed deeply, shaking his head. 'Of all the times to actually put aside his cowardice...'

"Usopp!" Luffy's voice made him focus on the two friends before him down at the shore. "No matter what happens now, don't have any regrets afterwards!"

"I'm not like the other enemies you fought, Luffy!" The long-nosed teen replied, his voice not shaking and showing all the confidence he could. "I know what you're capable of, and I'm ready to defeat you at any cost! Come at me with everything you have!"

Luffy slowly uncrossed his arms, but that was all the movement he did. Chopper asked the others if there was any way to stop them, but Zoro only recommended him to go below deck if he didn't want to see this; needless to say, no one moved from their position.

For a moment, all Koga could see was himself and Yuuto in Luffy and Usopp's positions. The reason of course differed, but the outcome became the very same. He could not stand seeing so much hatred and ire in the eyes of his brother, or in the eyes of Usopp right then. But try as he might, the young blond man couldn't disobey his captain's orders... even if it was killing him from the inside out.

"I've known you for a long time, Luffy." Usopp's voice broke through the silence, the wind billowing and ruffling their hair and clothes. "In that time, I've learned all about it. And don't be surprised when you hear this..." He breathed deeply, and suddenly yelled, "BUT I HAVE 8,000 FOLLOWERS AT MY COMMAND!"

Koga couldn't supress a wince at those words. In other time, those words would only ensue admiration from both Luffy and Chopper, and fond sighs and chuckles from the ones that knew better. Usopp's lies, as grandstanding as they were, always carried a means of laughter, of making things easier.

"IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, THEN SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"

This time however, Luffy only watched on with a serious expression... but Chopper naively fell for the trick again: "WHAT!? 8,000!?"

Koga ignored him though, as Usopp's rant continued on -and Luffy screaming that he knew the liar didn't have that many followers.

Turned out, the first greeting Usopp ever gave to the crew when they met him only signalled the beginning of the duel for him.

"USOPP SPELL... Razor-blades-embedded-between-your-teeth!"

'This is something Usopp normally would use in a fight...' Koga realized as Chopper cringed and screamed how imagining hurt him. 'He's taunting Luffy into attacking first...'

"And cactus-needles-stuck-underneath-your-fingernails-!"

"GUM GUM...!"

Usopp couldn't continue his rant as Luffy zoomed forward, arm stretched back as he prepared an attack to finish this.

"PIST-!"

"Ga _ha_!"

Suddenly, Usopp slammed a hand on his mouth and coughed up a lot of blood, kneeling on the ground and making Luffy doubt for a dangerous moment and stop his attack few feet away from him. Gasps sounded from Chopper and Nami as they stared worriedly at the sniper, afraid his wounds were reopened.

But Koga knew better, as his intuition told him that 'blood's true nature.

And he stared angrily as Usopp looked up at his former captain grimly and lowly said: "Sure-kill... Ketchup Star!"

'I can't be angry at him for using such a low trick...' The chronicler chewed on his lower lip, trying to quench his ire, 'but he's fighting the way he's used to, and uses the tricks he knows Luffy would fall into... After all, he knows Luffy still views him as a friend...'

"What's wrong? Are you showing your enemy mercy?" Usopp taunted the still-petrified rubber teen as he stood up without not much difficulty. "You must not be taking this seriously then!"

Luffy snapped at that, bringing back his fist to slam the Gum Gum Pistol into his face, but-

"Flash Dial!"

A bright light suddenly engulfed the sniper, temporarily blinding the captain -and the ones in the crew, though not as badly. Koga lifted a hand to his eyes, scowling.

'He doesn't fight like Zoro, Sanji, Luffy and I. He relies on his gadgets and in his slingshot, when his lies don't get him anywhere safe.' He continued thinking with a frigid calm, even if his muscles trembled with rage.

Usopp quickly stepped away from Luffy a couple feet and took out his slingshot, aiming at his former captain: "Sure-kill: Egg Star!"

He shot not one rotten egg, but an _onslaught_ of them in a fraction of a minute, covering the captain in a nauseating smelly substance from head to toe. Enraged, Luffy could only defend himself until they ended, and screamed at Usopp to take this seriously.

'Oh, but he's taking this seriously.' Koga lowered his arm and crossed both over his chest, glowering at Usopp as he analyzed his moves. He knew if he didn't occupy his mind in anything else, he'd explode of rage. 'After all, this is the way he fights.'

Usopp of course, responded with similar words the writer thought, and launched one of his spiciest shots at Luffy's wide open mouth, flames coming out of his mouth as a result... and distracting him from the sniper's true objective. Which was...

... a field full of caltrops.

Nami and Chopper yelled when Luffy fell to the ground square on the caltrops, getting scratches and some embedded into his rubbery skin. A pepper-shot created a cloud over his head, throwing him on a loop of falling onto the caltrops, shooting up straight to the pepper-cloud, and falling down again to the ground.

"Remember what I said!" Usopp screamed over the yelps of pain and sneezes of Luffy. "I'm not using any useless attacks on you!" As the cloud finally settled down and Luffy stopped bouncing around, the sniper raised again his slingshot... and a stripe of shurikens. "I won't give you a single moment to recover! Sure-kill: Shuriken Meteor Shower!"

And a shower of shurikens it was; Luffy had no choice but to try to escape through the caltrop-filled terrain, as rain-after-rain of shurikens tried to catch him.

'Usopp knows Luffy can finish him in a single punch.' Koga grimly thought, his eyes following both rivals with cold-eyes and fuming expression. 'That's why he's not giving him any rest or letting him get near him. But the moment he slips...'

After being assaulted by shurikens, Luffy finally got to a stop away from the caltrops and both he and Usopp stared each other down, breathing heavily and still with those ferocious scowls in their faces. Koga narrowed his eyes, wondering why the sudden stop of Usopp's attacks...

... until he noticed the subtle almost-transparent white cloud beginning to cover Luffy. Caused by a Breath Dial casually put nearby.

'A Breath Dial... and fire... Oh no!' Koga cursed in his mind when he discovered Usopp's plan.

"You couldn't smell it because of the rotten egg..." Usopp lifted his slingshot once more. "But that whole area... is flooded with gas!"

'That damn long-nose! Is he really trying to kill Luffy!?'

"I'm sorry I have to do this! Here goes! FLAME STAR!"

 _ **KA-BOOM!**_

Blinded by the light and the noise, the crew standing in the Going Merry struggled to keep onboard as the waves fought to capsize them because of the intensity of the explosion. Koga had one hand grasping his scarf and the free one grasping the railing, trying to get his eyes and ears working again, teeth clenched together.

"That's a huge explosion!" Zoro grunted out, arm thrown over his eyes.

The cloud of the explosion died out, chunks of scrap still falling to the water near them, none hitting the Merry fortunately. The thick cloud of smoke lfited by the explosion blocked their view of the fighters, much to Nami's worry, who called out to both of them, silence the only thing answering her. For a long while nothing happened, the smoke too thick to settle down so quickly.

Koga still looked on, but heard Nami softly mutter beside him: "This is hard to watch..."

He agreed, wholeheartedly. The writer closed his eyes for a moment, barely hearing Chopper calling out for his friends. Was this how he and his brother would end like? Trying to kill each other, hating each other, fighting to the death? Was this how everything would turn out in the end?

They couldn't see what was going on, but sounds of punches and a scream of pain and a body falling to the ground cut through the tense silence. Along with Usopp's voice, proclaiming he knew Luffy wouldn't be beaten down so easily.

Koga didn't want to end like this. He knew right then Yuuto hated him with a terrifyingly-intense passion, but fighting would solve nothing. It would not answer Yuuto's -and his own- questions about what happened that fateful day. It would not lessen either of their pains. It would not...

... It would not bring Karen or either of the dead kids _back_.

Deep down, Koga understood his brother's need to fight him, to blame someone of what happened. He actually blamed himself of that; even knowing he wasn't guilty of either of their deaths, by ignoring his intuition he could've condemned many of them. He could've saved someone, he could've saived Karen, if only he'd listened to his intuition.

That was why, when Yuuto fought against him, the chronicler had had the fleeting thought of letting him getting revenge. Even though it wouldn't bring anyone back to life, at least his conscience would find calmness. Or so he hoped.

More explosions sounded, dispersing the cloud enough to see Luffy desperately dodging the shots, a bit more wounded than before. The explosions sounded, filling the air with a booming noise.

And suddenly, they stopped.

With baited breath, and as if in slow motion, Koga and the others saw Luffy stretching his arm back in mid-flip and slamming his fist forward,.. right at Usopp's cheek.

Usopp fell to the ground and tried to get up, but Luffy had enough of showing mercy; he ran straight at him, this time extending _both_ arms back for a Gum Gum Bazooka. For a moment it seemed it collided... only, the impact was absorbed into the Impact Dial the sniper hid in his hand... and returned its force right at Luffy's face, without a chance of dodging.

Chopper and Nami yelled again, and Koga only dug his fingernails in his forearms with even more strength than before. True, Luffy had suffered the whole brunt of his own Bazooka right at his face, but Usopp's weakened arm muscles wouldn't take the Dial's drawback very well.

Usopp's yell of pain confirmed it, as he stood with one of his arms hanging and yelled: "HOW'S THAT, DAMNIT!?"

And he fell to one knee, loudly trying to draw breath.

And Luffy landed feet-first to the ground, absorbing the fall into his knees.

For a long moment, all they did was stare at each other, breathing heavily, each other's eyes locked in a heated glare. Koga could feel how this would escalate; the final hit, before everything ended.

Their duel.

Their friendship.

Luffy stretched his arm back, back, _back_ , way more than he should, as Usopp valiantly stood to his feet albeit shakily.

"Gum Gum... BULLET!"

And even when the scared, lonely kid he'd been once inside him yelled at him _not to watch_ , Koga kept on seeing Luffy _slamming_ his fist into Usopp's guts. Unable to move, the sniper spat out some blood before falling to the ground.

He didn't move.

Something broke inside him.

"It's over." Zoro proclaimed with a strong voice amidst the tense, heart-breaking silence that ensued.

Koga lowered his head, letting his bangs of hair cover his mismatched eyes.

"... Yeah. It's over." He had to be strong for the crew, like Zoro was being right then.

Luffy stood up from his kneeling position after a long silence and began strolling back to the Merry with an air of finality surrounding him, picking up his fallen straw hat in the way.

Nami had tears in her eyes and her hands covering her mouth, constant pleas coming out in almost incoherent mumbles. Koga looked over at her and put a hand on her head, ruffling her red hair slightly; normally neither she nor Sanji would allow something like that, but this time was... just too much.

"Do whatever you want with Merry." Luffy then told Usopp, even not knowing if he was conscious to hear him. "We're getting a new ship and sailing on."

He continued moving towards the ship, not turning back even once.

"See ya, Usopp." His last words were a bit shaky. "It's been fun."

It wasn't until the captain stopped just beside the ship that Chopper moved into action, tears in his eyes as he shakily gathered his medical supplies to heal him, but Sanji tried to stop him by telling him to not take pity on the losers. Knowing he was right, the reindeer returned to his Brain Point -maybe not having realized he'd transformed into his bigger formin his haste to help Usopp- letting himself be dragged down to the floor, resting against the railing.

Luffy finally stopped before them, eyes shadowed under the brim of his hat, and Zoro, Nami and Koga looked over at him. Even if they didn't see his eyes, they saw his clenched teeth and his shaking form.

"... It's heavy..." He muttered with an equally shaking voice, a hand touching his hat as if trying to gather strength from it.

Koga's face softened with sadness, his hand moving from Nami's head, who was already letting her tears flow from behind her hand.

"That's your burden as Captain." Zoro explained with an equally grave voice, looking forward. "Don't falter! If you do, then who are we supposed to believe in?"

The chronicler looked down at a teary-eyed reindeer, and sighed deeply, swallowing his own devastating emotions. "Go, Chopper."

His sudden order made him -and everyone but Luffy and Zoro, who knew what he'd been up to- to look up at him.

"You're a doctor. Go and give him the supplies he'll need. But _only_ the supplies!" He emphasized with a hard glare. "Anything else will be like us pitying him."

The small doctor stammered, but quickly nodded and got off the ship with a jump. Koga noticed Sanji's look and shook his head, the chef closing his eye in what seemed resignation.

Koga had only given him the 'Go ahead'. Everyone knew Chopper would've done it either way.

"Let's get the ship ready for him." Zoro proposed. "This is the last time... we'll ever see it."

And even knowing how tough he was, Koga suddenly had the impression that their swordsman was only swallowing his feelings by putting himself in the duty of a first-mate. He knew the green-haired teen would blow out by training harder than ever, but right then, he had to keep appearances up for the rest of the crew.

"... Yeah. You're right." Koga nodded, equally swallowing his emotions once more and putting a brave face for everyone. "Let's gather our things everyone."

No one said a word as they dispersed through the caravel, each to gather their things... and to secretly say goodbye to Merry.

Koga didn't pay attention to the others as he climbed up to the crow's nest and, with a heavy heart, gathered the things that-though not many- littered on the floor. His pens and pencils, his thick blanket for the cold nights, his satchel bag to keep his writing utensils close at hand, and the old paper-plane. He descended to the deck and again down to the men's quarters -politely ignoring Luffy and Zoro there-, putting all of his clothes from his trunk into one big bag. He noticed his logbooks and, with a saddened face, saved them inside of the satchel along with the rest of the writing utensils.

'This is the last time we'll travel with Merry and Usopp.' Koga thought, his satchel across his torso and his big bag hoisted onto his shoulder as he followed the rest of the crew out into the deck. 'Even so, Merry... It's been a pleasure travelling with you.' He paused a moment in his walk and watched the figurehead for a second. 'See ya, Merry.'

The wind flew by and rustled his hair back, and Koga sighed and hopped from the deck to the shore, following Zoro. Behind him came Sanji, Nami, Chopper and Luffy, all heads down and quiet, each carrying their own things. Even the tangerine groves, which Sanji carried dutifully.

No one knew if Usopp was still where he fell, and no one bothered to check.

* * *

The walk through Water 7's mostly-empty streets was as quiet as when they left the Merry, each submerged into their own thoughts and feelings about the duel. Chopper still sniffed occasionally, but at least he was keeping it together like a brave man. At some point during the walk, Zoro had let Koga lead the way, and no one had protested. Of course, the chronicler didn't have a course set in mind, but at least they wouldn't get lost and return to the shore.

Footsteps suddenly sounded ahead, rushing quickly in their direction, and Koga and the others looked up just in time to see a tall man heading in their direction. Recognizing the figure, the chronicler stopped on his tracks -the others, including the tall man, imitating him.

Kaito.

He looked as if he'd been looking at them for a while, but didn't look really winded by a long run. His big, murky-brown eyes latched on everyone, primarily centered on Koga, full of sadness and understanding.

"I'm glad I found you." He said with a timid smile. "Lady Irma sent me to get you."

Koga's face hardened. If that woman thought about making him change his mind even with what his crew was going through-

"No, it's not about that!" The tall man hastily clarified upon seeing the writer's expression. "She told me to find some place for you guys to stay the night and get to rest a little."

"She knows everything then."

Kaito blushed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Bo-chan, we didn't mean to pry. We were just worried about you when you left in such a hurry and-"

"It's okay." Koga waved a hand side-to-side, as if brushing aside the idea. "As long as you don't plan on taking advantage of it..."

"Oh, nonono, it wouldn't cross our minds!" He quickly shook his head in denial. "We're desperate to get you, but we're not _that_ heartless!"

"Good."

Zoro suddenly appeared at Koga's left, warily watching the towering man in front of them. "Who's he? You know him?"

The young man glanced at him, then at Kaito, and a rueful smile crossed his lips. "From a long time ago. It's alright guys," he turned to the others watching the exchange in silence, "he's a good guy. He'll take us to some place to rest."

Kaito smiled as best he could knowing the mood and nodded his head. "Yeah. I managed to get my boss to let a room free for you guys. Follow me..."

And turned back around to walk away. Koga exchanged looks with his crew and immediately followed, showing his trust in Kaito; after a few moments, he felt the others imitating him. He let out a silent breath; after all they've suffered, a night's rest sounded deligthful indeed.

Probably noticing the others not really wanting to have a conversation, Kaito kept quiet the whole journey to the hotel room he'd found, not even bothering Koga, who strode beside him. Sure, he kept glancing between him and the rest of the crew, as if trying to figure out a difficult puzzle, but chose to keep silence instead of bothering someone with questions so soon after a heart-breaking duel.

As for Koga, only by glancing at his tall friend he immediately figured out he knew everything that had happened in the shore.

"How?" He suddenly asked in a quiet voice, surprising Kaito. "How'd you know?"

Kaito's face scrunched up in silent anger. "Lady Irma was worried about you, and used her crystal ball to keep an eye on you. We watched what happened with the... the duel." He swallowed and looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Bo-chan. It's evident he-"

"It's alright. We'll pull through soon enough."

Somehow Kaito's face showed doubt, but nodded either way. "She told me to find you as soon as the duel finished. I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Why help us though?" Koga went on after a small silence. "You're my friend even after all these years, so I'm not surprised you wanted to search for me. But why Irma? What did she plan on gaining from this?"

At this, Kaito went red again... but this time from indignation. "She... actually she wanted for me to try to convince you to join the association."

A long silence, then a forcefully calm: "... I see."

"Don't get angry at her, though, Bo-chan. She's desperate. She feels that the situation is about to get out of hands, and is overwhelmed with the job of protecting our people from both themselves and The Chapel hunting us. She thought that with what happened, well..."

"I'd abandon my friends." Koga cut through, eyes shadowed by the bangs of blond hair. "Is that what she thought I'd do?"

"... Yeah. But I knew you wouldn't do that." Koga looked at him with a single golden eye, eyebrow raised. "She doesn't know you like I do. Or did. I knew you wouldn't turn your back to your friends when they needed you. So, I agreed to get you somewhere safe, but not on trying to convince you to join the association. Apparently, you haven't changed in that regard." He smiled down at his friends, who hid his eyes again behind his hair... and a blush hidden behind his scarf.

"... Shut up." He grunted, earning a chuckle from the taller man.

Behind them, both momentarily forgetting the crew trailing behind, Zoro exchanged looks with Sanji in silent curiosity; the chef shrugged in only response. It was evident that the two knew each other from way back, even as long as Koga had known Yuuto, but they remembered how the blond young man told them about the fire in the orphanage that hosted him... and that how _no one_ could've survived that. If this Kaito was really a survivor, then how could he have survived?

"Ah, we're here."

Kaito then guided them inside a not-so-luxurious hotel, but cozy enough, and went to retrieve their room key in reception. Koga knew the others were eager to get some answers, but also knew they were far more tired than curious about his past. This had been, after all, a rather emotive day, and they could all use some rest.

And he'd been right. As soon as they got into the room -only one, but spacious enough for everything to fit and all to get a bed- and Luffy got his injuries fixed, most fell into an uneasy sleep. Koga stayed up a while longer, thanking Kaito for his help and asking him to let him know about whatever happened in the city. Kaito promised to do so, and bid him good night... or as good as circumstances allowed. Koga avoided Zoro and Sanji's piercing glances and got changed into his pajamas, throwing himself to bed rather quickly.

It wasn't long before he fell into a dreamless sleep, even with all that happened that day.

* * *

 **L: And that's it! And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Ow. It hurt me too, writing this chapter. I had to rewatch it 'cause I didn't remember all the dialogue.**

 **K: And you did tear up while writing it.**

 **L: ... Yeah I did. *sobs a bit***

 **K: *lets Hotaru hug him a bit awkward* Then should I feel lucky for this?**

 **L: I think you should, yeah. And yeah Foxy, you did ask for this. *smiles evilly***

 **K: Well, I'm the one suffering their plans, so... *shrugs* just endure her cuddling, I think? I have to endure whatever my own author throws at me after all. And we still haven't reached my own personal Arc...**

 **L: *lets Foxy hug them* Well, well, I'll try to fix this... But I think with this chapter I just broke you even more... Sorry, Ryo, Hotaru-chan...**

 **-Dracowoman: Thank you! Here's the update! And what's that 4/5? My punctuation?**

 **-The Storm Master 567: Yo Storm! Well this will get you to tear up as well buddy. It did make me cry. You're totally right, Koga-kun thinks about the consequences too much, and in the end can't give that final step to decide. Honestly, I think so too; his demon is gaining far too much power. Well I still haven't thought about all the things I could do with his powers -I have some sketches but nothing set on stone yet- but don't worry, I promise he will be bad-ass. And as you know, you have the honor of being reviewer #500! I'll think up about what to do with those movies, aye?**

 **-Trafalar D Water Law: Answered via PM!**

 **-Azurai Wolf: You're just about right Azurai! Honestly in my opinion, there was no winner in their fight, because all they did was destroy their friendship. And to think the reason of their fight is even worse, because it was noble! But at least Usopp gets to grow up here.**

 **-otaku1325: There, there, you want a 'kerchief? Glad you liked it either way though, it's pretty easy for me (as worrying as it sounds) to capture these really intense moments, but sometimes it's just hard to grasp the appropriate vocabulary to transmit the whole feeling.**

 **K: Honestly, otaku-san, I don't want to be leader. And after seeing what Luffy went through today, I want to be leader even less. But I love you too, otaku-san *blushes a bit***

 **L: Yeah, otaku-san, cheer up.**

 **-King0fP0wers: Hey King, welcome back! Yeah, I get it, it's a really rushed up scene and I understand why you didn't catch it all xD But I'm glad you saw the hidden message Koga says. After all, everyone in the Straw Hat crew proclaimed sooner or later that Luffy would be King of the Pirates no matter the cost. It seemed natural to me that given this choice, Koga-kun would choose to remain in his destined place. You're totally right! And it's not over yet with the leaving and re-joining, unfortunately. Don't you worry King, I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **-Guest-san: Huh, now that you mention it, yeah they're gone. I hope they're okay... Yeah, he acts kinda selfish, but the ends were noble... kinda, at least. The only thing he failed in was the means. I think he really forgot Luffy's role, and forgot he still was his captain, whether he liked it or not. Oh well, I'm afraid you won't like how he behaves here either... Don't worry, I'll put here the whole fighting scene... Even if it hurt me to watch it in the first place. Enjoy my suffering Guest-san. (jk by the way xD)**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


	78. Meet the Franky Family Boss

**78\. Meet the Franky Family Boss**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers!**

 **Man I got delayed with the movies! I swear they're being written down, you guys just have to be a liiiiitle more patient!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other OCs that will appear in the future.**

* * *

 **xXxNIGHTMARExXx**

 **Breathe in.**

 **Breathe out.**

 **'Steady now, we don't want those monsters noticing us...'**

 **'Oh God I'm sounding like a psycho now...'**

 **My bare feet glide along the tile-floor, soundless, as my seven-year-old frame tucks behind one of the many cupboards plaguing the insanely-small kitchen. The cooks, each donning a horrible mask and slouching their way around as best they can in the limited space, grumble in an incomprehensible language as they prepare their slob.**

 **Breathe in.**

 **Breathe out.**

 **I already learnt a long time ago to go look for far more succulent food and fetching it for myself. And though the first times it'd been a nightmare getting it, I long ago realized that these stupid cooks were brainless creatures with really simple movement patterns and with their heads only focused in two orders from the Principal.**

 **One: keep the kids fed.**

 **Two: keep the kids _away_ from his food, and the kitchen in general.**

 **I see the central table momentarily unattended and dash as fast as I dare to get under it before the cooks catch me. From here, I can see the baguettes brought from town just in the basket opposite from where I am. Just a single oaf could feed me for a week, if I'm lucky enough to get it and _get out_.**

 **It's not a succulent banquet, but it's far better than the slob they feed us kids with.**

 **A grumble and a heavy thud about my head tells me one of the cooks is there. Good, that's one less to worry about. I see around me and catch three more pairs of short legs stumbling around with heavy steps, their considerable girth too much for their legs.**

 **They're all away from the loaves. Good.**

 **My stomach grumble.**

 **All movement ceases.**

 **Inwardly, I curse. As idiots as these monsters are, they certainly have an _insanely acute hearing_. Unable to do anything else, I crouch there, my muscles trembling from the strain of keeping myself stock still.**

 **After a long minute, the grumbling and the typical sound of people cooking resume.** **I relax, before setting my sight in the basket of loaves.**

 **'These idiots didn't even bother to change it somewhere else,' I sneer, a smirk on my face.**

 **As soon as every cook have their backs to the loaves, I dash, quickly grabbing one and hiding it under my shirt, before making a freaking _run outta there_!**

 **Thundering grumbles sound around me, as their short, stocky arms flail and try to catch me. I just let my instincts take control of my legs, the prized loaf of bread tight against my chest.**

 **As I planned, they abruptly stop following me when I cross the kitchen threshold, muttering something before going back to their work. Their pea-sized brains, if they even _have_ one to begin with, don't allow them to step over their boundaries. Their places is in the kitchen, and nowhere else.**

 **I smile triumphally, holding my prize to my chest as I trot down the spatious hallways. I still have to worry about the janitors, but that was the easy part, in comparison with the kitchen. I only need to get in the room I shared with four other kids, then get under the flimsy cover of my bed, and then...! Boy I can't wait!**

 **The janitors almost manage to catch me, but I manage to slip through their fingers as I enter my room. Skipping over my bed and not caring if the others are there, I fling myself on the mat and cover myself in the blanket like a cowl (though it's not enough to give us warmth in winter).**

 **I go to take a _huge_ bite on my loaf of bread...**

 **But a small whimper stops me. A bit annoyed, I glare up at the cause of the noise, my mouth still open and ready to chomp down on the loaf.**

 **A small, plump boy, maybe a couple years younger than me, is tucked in the corner of his bed. The huge brown eyes don't move away from my prize, desperate and incredibly hungry. I swear I see drool coming out of his mouth.**

 **He finally tears his gaze away from the bread and locks eyes with mine. I just narrow them, hostile and certainly too hungry myself to share what I earned after risking my life.**

 **"Please...?" He mutters, too terrified to raise his voice beyond that volume.**

 **I raise an eyebrow.**

 **"You a newbie?" I nonchalantly ask, not moving the bread away from my mouth. "You don't need to talk like that here. They don't enter our rooms. A small mercy, I guess, for all the shit that they're making us go through."**

 **I notice that he's shivering.**

 **"I'm not supposed to be here..." He curls into a meaty ball, grabbing his chubby knees the best he can. "I... I'm six, I'm older than the newbies..."**

 **I snort, and he jumps at the sudden noise. "It doesn't matter for them, Chubby. If you're different, then you get to be here. True, they start picking when the kid is five, but if they manifest themselves to be different when they're older, they get them too. Welcome to Bottom of the Lake." I gesture to the empty room (except for the beds and the lightbulb in the ceiling).**

 **The boy lowers his head. He still seems terrified. I don't blame him; this place is the nightmare of every sane kid. Then he mumbles something, too quiet for me to catch.**

 **"Huh? What was that?"**

 **He flinches, maybe fearing that he annoyed me. "M-my name... is not Chubby... I'm Bi- uh... I'm Blob..."**

 **I narrow my eyes, but this time at the Principal; I'm sure he's the one that 'baptized' him, as he always did with everyone that comes through here.**

 **Well not me. But only because I'm a stubborn son of a bitch, and I refuse to be 'baptized' by some insane bastard.**

 **"I'm Koga."**

 **xXx**

Stirring awake, Koga blearily blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling above his head, his numb mind trying to catch on what the hell he was doing outside the Merry. Familiar snores filled his ears, but it also lacked the mumblings of a certain long-nosed sharpshooter. The floor wasn't rocking either, and he wasn't sleeping on a hammock, but in an actual bed. The morning sun was comign through the wrong angle too.

Half-asleep still, Koga groaned and sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes and looking around.

Yup, an unfamiliar scene alright. The room was spacious enough for six people to sleep comfortably, with a huge wardrobe and all of their belongings (including the navigator's trees in the very corner of the room, partially covering one of the windows). One door led outside to the hallway, and the other probably led to the bathroom. The room had a nice and inviting atmosphere, with warm colors and comfortable beds.

But still... It felt empty.

Koga's mismatched eyes, a bit more awake now, scanned over the sleeping figures of their friends, tucked into their respective beds. They had all, even in sleep, worried or angry frowns on each of their faces, and it looked like none of them was about to rest much.

It was at that moment that everything that happened came rushing back into the chronicler's mind.

Usopp leaving the crew and his duel with Luffy.

Robin disappearing without leaving a trace.

Merry and her death sentence from the best foremen in the world.

Suddenly his shoulders seemed to weigh a thousand pounds more, and Koga let in a heavy sigh as he swiped both hands down his tired face. He had to keep his shit together, he had to deal with his anger before exploding right in front of the whole crew -or what was left of it anyways. He'd be his friends' pillar, as always. He'd carry their darkness while they carried him to the light.

Soundlessly, product of years of sneaking around an orphanage filled with monsters, the writer gathered together some clothes and slipped into the bathroom, intent on taking a shower before anyone else. Maybe a cold shower would settle his fury down.

Turned out, it didn't. Sure, now he didn't feel like punching holes into walls and using _Sankaoken_ to slice open anyone, but the ball of rage was still there at the pit of his stomach. That meant lashing out at the others was, whereas not inevitable, highly likely. And they had already a lot on their minds without him losing his patience.

Taking a last glance at the rest of his friends still sound asleep, his face softened. It was a bit after dawn, too early for them to wake up. And with the shitty day they had, the crew could really use this rest. He was just too antsy to fall asleep now.

And so, making as little noise as possible with his heavy combat boots, Koga slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Once in the hallway, he readjusted his scarf thinking of the next step to make, wondering if the hotel had some kind of training grounds-

"Ah! Bo-chan!"

The familiar voice, somewhat _not_ expected, made Koga swirl around. The tall, lanky figure of his childhood friend Kaito strolled towards him, sporting a strange expression on his face.

"Kaito, it's you." Koga only said, relaxing a bit once he confirmed it was a friend.

Damn survival instincts.

"Ah, good morning." Kaito stopped in front of him and smiled unsure, rubbing the back of his dark-brown head. "I... I hope you slept well, even with... all that happened yesterday."

Koga's expression softened at his friend's concern. "As best we could, yeah. You got us a nice place."

"Heheh, it's nothing." The tentative smile dropped as he looked at the closed door, and then at the chronicler. "For what is worth... I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. You went through a lot."

"Too much in a short period of time." The blond writer admitted. "But as I said before, we'll bounce back into place. Thanks for your concern though." He directed a small smirk at his friend, who nodded and returned the smile.

"Is there anything I can do? Or Madam Irma for that matter?"

"Don't worry. They just need a time to collect themselves." The blond sighed again and ruffled his hair. "Me... I just need to find a way to get rid of this pent-up frustration. Don't want the others to see me crumble like a domino house."

Kaito pursed his lips in thought as he analyzed the older man, who didn't notice his look. When the two were residents of the orphanage that 'hosted' them ten years ago, Koga had been the same guy as now. The unmoving, apparently impassive pillar who chose to burden himself with all the children's pains... and still managed to not bend a knee to the deranged Principal and his goons. Kaito had felt special back then, because Koga cared for them so much to shield them from the horrors of the world, but now... Apart from concern of how fragile his mind was, Kaito felt the smallest sliver of envy.

Because obviously, Koga now cared for the Straw Hat pirates.

The tall man shook his head forcefully before directing a smile down at his friend. "Well, how about a spar with me?"

"Huh?" Obviously not expecting such an offer, Koga lifted his mismatched eyes at him with a raised eyebrow. "Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but..."

"Well I improved quite a bit in my combat skills since we last saw each other." Kaito cocked his head to the side. "Kinda had to, with all the things on the BCA and all that... I'm sure I'm no match for you, but at least I can manage to help you unwind."

Koga blinked a couple times, then drew a savage smile on his face. "No Cursed powers?"

"Better not, yeah. I still don't feel comfortable using them."

"Okay then. Where?"

"The rooftop's as a good place as any."

* * *

The two next hours came by flying for the two friends, as they spent it throwing punches and kicks at each other. Koga had far more experience in unarmed combat than Kaito, but still his superior height and arm length served to cover the lack of experience.

To be honest, Koga enjoyed the spar a lot. He'd point out aloud the mistakes his friend made, much like he'd done back in the orphanage when planning something. With the enthusiasm of someone who looked up at their adored idol, Kaito followed the orders and directions, fully trusting the older man, smiling like a loon all the while.

Unbeknownst to the two childhood friends, the Straw Hat crew had slowly but surely made their way to the rooftop (after asking the staff about the lanky man) and were watching the fight in between curiosity and no little suspicion of the guy they didn't know. It didn't escape them how relaxed Koga looked when fighting Kaito, even when receiving a sucker punch or a kick to the stomach; he only smiled and complimented the tall man as if he were talking to a little brother.

"Don't drag the foot like that, Kaito!" Koga ordered as he gave Kaito a bit of a breath after receiving a punch. "You're giving away where you're going to attack!"

The tall man wiped his brow from sweat as he panted. "Yeah!"

Satisfied, Koga nodded with a smile, before dropping down into the fighting crouch. Obviously tired, his friend imitated him.

"Last one, then we rest, okay?" The chronicler said as he noticed his panting.

"Yes!"

Kaito, as the other times before, was the first one to bolt into action. This time, he'd heeded Koga's advice and had kept his arms close to his body and his stance was much closed off than before. He _still_ gave away where he was going to punch or kick, but compared to their first match, the writer saw a great improvement in his fighting style.

Thinking fast, the writer blocked a jab and went for a suckerpunch to the cheek once Kaito got dangerously close. The tall man sidestepped with a yelp and used the impulse to try to throw him off with a roundhouse kick. It was blocked with Koga's own kick, both thighs colliding with unexpected force and throwing them back a couple steps. Kaito hardly stopped to breathe however, and threw himself at his friend again. Another kick that negated with one of their own, and a punch, and a jab...

The last spar lasted a bit longer than the others, but still it ended the same way; with Koga setting it with a hook.

Kaito laid on the floor facing up, too winded to bother standing up, looking at the sky with a dumb smile on his face while panting like he'd just run a marathon. Koga had just sit on the floor opposite of him, arms on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Whoo man!" Kaito breathlessly laughed as he struggled to sit up... and barely managed to, at least. "That was a good workout, huh."

"You really improved." Koga chuckled while wiping some sweat from his brow with his forearm. "Though you should really look after that black eye you're beginning to show there, buddy."

"Har-dee-har-har, Bo-chan. That was _hilarious_."

"Right?" He chuckled again, and reluctantly, Kaito joined him.

"Bo-chan?"

The curious and familiar voice that piped up made Koga jump and swirl his head around. His friends were all there, eyes turning between the taller man and their nakama. Zoro had his katana, and was resting it against his shoulder like he did with his other three when relaxing against a wall. Out of everyone, only his and Sanji's were the most cautious ones as they both watched the unknown man Koga'd been fighting.

"Guys! How long have you been there?" Koga asked, while kicking himself in his mind for not noticing their presence before.

"Uh, for about an hour or so." Nami shook her hand uninterestedly. "So, you know each other."

The writer, dumbfounded by the sudden question, looked over at Kaito, who'd tried to make himself as small as possible... as he always did when he met new people that somehow scared him. At his doubtful look, the older man just threw a calming smile at him before turning to the others.

"Yeah. I guess with all that happened, it just slipped my mind to present him to you all." He stood to his feet and helped his friend stand too. "This is Kaito, an old friend. We grew up together in... the orphanage."

That was met with... well, somewhat the expected reactions. Shock and surprise, with not a little amount of confusion.

"But I thought you told us that the orphanage and the kids were caught in a fire..." Chopper frowned as he remembered.

A rueful smile grazed Koga's lips as he looked up at his friend. "I thought so too, to be honest."

"I-I survived the fire... thanks to Bo-Koga's granddad." Kaito fumbled with his fingers awkward at the intense attention he was receiving. "H-He nursed me... back to health... I've been living here for a few years now."

"You a Cursed too?" Sanji asked with a raised eyebrow.

However Kaito only turned to his old friend with surprise in his face. "You told them about that too?"

Koga returned his scrutinizing gaze with a calm one. "I don't have a reason to lie to my friends, Kaito."

The tall man's face scrunched up in concentration, opening his mouth to say something-

" _Puru puru puru!"_

But a call from his Mini Den Den Mushi cut the conversation short, unfortunately. After a last inquisitive look at his friend, he took out the snail and picked up.

"Yes?"

" _Kaito! At last I found you. Where are you?_ "

"Madam Irma? I'm with Koga and his friends right now, at my hotel..."

" _The Straw Hats are with you? Excellent. Then I'll waste no time in finding them too. Koga! Can you hear me?_ "

Koga took the transceiver Kaito handed to him and answered. "Yeah, I can hear you. And everyone else in my crew too."

" _I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you all, but time is in the essence here. Mayor Iceburg has been attacked during the night._ "

"Huh?! ICEBURG HAS BEEN ATTACKED?!"

"What the hell happened?" Kaito had a crease on his forehead, worried. "I thought Shera and the rest of the foremen had him protected..."

" _Look, I'm only relying the information Shera left me, okay? I didn't even hear the rumors first-hand. All I'm saying is be careful when you go out to the streets. There's something fishy going on._ "

Luffy looked down into the small snail's eyes, then nodded seriously. "Gotcha."

" _... I'm going to assume that was Straw Hat Luffy speaking. Listen, just keep an eye out on everything around you. And..._ " There was a small pause in the transmission, as if Irma had somehow doubts of keeping on talking. " _And... keep an eye on your friend Koga. I don't know why he chose you guys over us, but... you have to be good people then. Good luck and godspeed._ "

 **Ka-lick**

There was a long pause, until Koga finally commented: "... She _did_ know I was here, right?"

"Knowing you, she just wanted to make sure you didn't get into trouble." Kaito teased him as he saved the Den Den Mushi back into his pants pocket. "You do have a tendency of getting into trouble without telling anyone else."

"True, true." Practically _all the crew_ nodded in confirmation, arms crossed over their chests.

Koga opened his mouth, closed it, and finally grunted out. "... Fuck you guys."

But he had to admit, he tended to keep everything to himself. It was hard to rely secrets on others after all. Even with all that he'd told Luffy and the others, he still kept them in the dark about Karen.

The sound of Nami clapping her hands to get their attention sobered them all up.

"So to summarize... We have two objectives: talk with Mayor Iceburg, and also find out what happened to Robin." She declared with a strong voice. She then locked eyes with Kaito. "I'm sorry to bother you Kaito, but could you save our things in the room?"

"I-I can!" The tall man nodded with surprising strength. "I-I had planned on doing it anyways. You're Bo-Koga's friends, so of course I'd help you all. I..." He then lowered his gaze to the floor, almost ashamed. "I'm just sorry that I can't be of much help."

Koga smiled warmly as he patted his friend's back. "Hey don't worry, bud. You're doing what you can."

"Oh, I know!" The tall man smiled down at the chronicler. "I can get the BCA members to work with those rumors. Madam Irma will help of course. I don't know about Shera, but with two of us, it won't be too complicated. Or at least, that's what I hope..."

"BCA?" Nami inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Short for Benign Cursed Association, a small group Shera, Madam Irma and I created to protect those Cursed too weak to oppose our enemies." Kaito explained quickly. "We intended for Koga to be our leader, but..."

"I refused." Koga cut out, crossing his arms over his chest and avoiding everyone's surprised stares. "I'm Luffy's chronicler. I won't back away from my duty and my friends so easily."

"And you were going to tell us this _when exactly_?" Sanji stalked over to the older man with a scowl on his face, apparently tired of him hiding things yet again.

And _that_ got the writer to glare at the chef, annoyed at his tone and what he was implying. "We had other problems to take care of, Sanji. _Far graver_ than me just shutting my mouth about things that didn't concern you."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as the cook's sudden breath intake and the furious scowl didn't bode well for him. He went to lunge at the older man, but Nami stopped him in his tracks. "Sanji-kun! Koga's right."

"But Nami-san...!"

"I agree that this was important and that he should've told us. But, it's also true that there were other problems to take care of."

Like Usopp, Robin and the Merry.

"Right now we need to look for Robin." The navigator concluded, sending hard looks at both Koga and Sanji. The former closed his eyes and turned his head away, while the latter relented and lit up another cigarette. None apologized for their brusque behavior, but the redhead knew better than to ask that of them, so she let this slide.

"I-I'll go make sure no one enters your room and takes your things." Kaito stammered out. "I suggest you go looking for a woman called Shera. She's a foreman working at Galley-La, one of the best. Maybe Paulie or Lulu or someone else can point you out to her. If there's someone that knows about everything that happens here in Water 7, it's her."

And with that, he was off.

The Straw Hats looked at each other. There was still some lingering tension between Sanji and Koga, but for the sake of the others, they chose to set it aside until later date.

"I think the best thing we can do right now is split up." Nami commented then, her head already forming plans. "Luffy, Koga and I will go to Galley-La to talk to Iceburg and this Shera person Kaito told us about. Sanji-kun and Chopper will search for Robin. And Zoro... He'll stay here helping Kaito protecting our things."

"Tsk. I'm being let out of the fun again, huh." Zoro clicked his tongue as he held out _Sankaoken_ for Koga to take.

"You'd get lost most likely." Sanji quipped, as always.

And of course, that brought a fight between the two eternal rivals. Until Nami stopped them with her usual method of course.

* * *

It took them a good time for Luffy, Koga and Nami to get into Dock 1, because Kaito's hotel was just in the opposite side of the docks much to their dismay. It didn't sit them well either that there was a huge crowd in the streets, blocking their comfortable path down the canals. Everyone was causing such a ruckus, checking the newspapers and talking to each other, that the pirates had no choice but to use the rooftops to get to Iceburg's house as quickly as possible.

"But why would anyone want to attack someone as loved as Ice-ossan?" Luffy asked almost to himself, as he carried Nami piggyback style.

"I don't know..." Nami bit her lower lip. "There's not enough information, and the citizens are in much in the dark as anyone else."

"I think it's better to know the 'who' before the 'why'." Koga commented as he kept an eye out on everything just in case someone attacked them. "If we find out about the perpetrators, then it's easier to find out the reason behind the assassination attempt. So far people accuse some lowly pirates that caused a ruckus before, and of course, the Franky Family."

He saw Nami widen as she looked down at a certain street, then they darkened as memories plagued her. Koga's own eyes narrowed before sighing and looking to the side. It was obvious, by her expression, what she was thinking about.

"Nami."

Luffy's serious voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"What were you thinking about?"

Her eyes were a turmoil of thoughts, but she simply settled with: "... Nothing."

Koga lifted his scarf up to his nose and looked aside. The silence felt oppressing right then, but he found no words to console them with.

Usopp's actions were his own.

Suddenly a loud siren came out from speakers, making the three pirates halt to a stop on top of one of the buildings.

" _Attention please. This is the Water 7 Weather Forecast Bureau._ " A male, unknown voice called out. " _An Aqua Laguna warning is now in effects for all districts. Landfall at Water 7 will occur at half past midnight._ "

"Aqua Laguna? What's that?" Luffy asked aloud, turning to his friends.

"At a guess, something that's common around here." The chronicler shrugged. "They wouldn't bother in giving a name for something that doesn't happen often."

"Doesn't mind now, it won't happen until midnight." Nami frowned nonetheless. "We still have to talk to Iceburg-san. Let's go, Luffy, Koga! I can already see Dock 1 from here!"

And see it they were. The giant metal doors with the equally massive 1 in the front gave away to little doubts after all. That, and the incredible amount of people and yagaras blocking their way to the doors. Luffy, Nami and Koga landed on solid ground behind all the people and tried to bypass the people via yagara, but that way was blocked off too. The navigator asked for a way to enter the main office, but no good: only authorised personnel and reporters with press pass could enter the no. 1 Dock.

Jut then, the familiar warning tingles began sounding inside the writer's head as his spine went ramrod and his hidden eyes to search the crowd around them.

'Someone's targeting us,' he thought with a grim expression, his hand inching closer to _Sankaoken_ 's hilt.

Then, music began sounding. And that... drove people mad, apparently. They began furiously looking around, searching for the cause of the rhythm.

"You there!" A male voice, with a strange accent and a mocking tone, resounded through the whole space. "Did you call my name!?"

"What's with that weird catchphrase?" Koga acridly commented with a wry tone, still searching for the source of danger. "Some pathetic attempt at being a superhero?"

Finally he looked up high, and saw atop a bridge a blanket covering three figures, two female and one... strangely male ones. The blond listened with a twitchy eyebrow the guy singing about him being #1 of the island, its hidden face, and presented himself with the name... Franky.

'He's the boss of the guys who beat up Usopp? What a clown.'

Still, his face darkened as the people began dispersing in a panic, an explosion having sounded behind the three figures. He didn't pay attention to the women and watched Franky, a blue-haired guy with skinny legs and powerfully built body with a height of at least seven feet. His forearms were relatively enormous while his biceps are comparably small. His chest is well-toned with large abs and pectoral muscles; blue star tattoosdecorated his forearms. His chin was very angular and tapers off in three pointed clefts. He was dressed in only a speedo and a hawaiian open shirt with a golden chain around his neck.

"SHOW YOURSELF, STRAW HAT!"

"What?" Luffy asked in bewilderment. "That weirdo's calling my name..."

Nami lunged forward and grasped Luffy's vest. "Everyone was calling him 'Franky'!"

"So he's...!"

Koga's eyes and face darkened as he stood up from his seat. "He's the one..."

"Stand down, Koga." Luffy's voice resembled that of a dark pit with how dark it sounded. "This one's mine."

Peeved at that order, the writer turned to see his captain. Of course he understood that the younger man needed to kick this clown's ass on Usopp's behalf, but he also felt the need to do so! Even more, he still had the impression this 'Franky' clown was more than he let on, considering his warning bells still rung in his head...

... But one look at his younger captain told him he wouldn't win that fight. So, with gritted teeth and a furious scowl, he sat down beside Nami, who looked between the two with a worried expression.

"OI, SEA PANTIES! I'M LUFFY!"

* * *

 **L: And that's it! Short, I know, but I have my life to worry about. Sorry guys. And now, review answers~!**

 **-14fox: Sorry Foxy-chan. I really had to do this... *tears a bit***

 **K: I'll be fine, don't worry. It's the rest of the crew that worries me...**

 **L: *sees Foxy cuddling Ryo* That's... oddly cute Ryo-kun. *looks at Koga***

 **K: Don't. You. DARE.**

 **-Kakusei: Yes it is heavier than normal. I'm glad Koga-kun's feelings reached out to you. He won't be happy at all with forecoming events, I assure you...**

 **-Hawkeye: I wonder~! Sorry, but you'll have to wait and see! This will be by far the most difficult Arc I'll ever write, with all that heavy emotional stuff coming up. Well, Koga-kun's Arc nonwithstanding...**

 **-Azurai Wolf: Yeah they certainly need one :'( Daaaamn that was hardcore. I'm also rewatching the chapters as I write them down because I want to be as accurate as possible with the original anime, and it hurts my feelings everytime. Honestly, their heads aren't in the right place anymore... Or at least Usopp's isn't.**

 **-King0fP0wers: It really sucks.**

 **K: Thanks King. I think in these kinds of battles, victory doesn't count at all. All we could see was two friends pummeling each other. But at the same time... I think they got to express what their words couldn't.**

 **L: Well what I see is only two hurting friends who just couldn't bring themselves to actually _sit down and freaking talk_. They were... caught in the moment I guess. Yeah, the word I'd use to describe Water 7 is 'despair'. It is freaking everywhere. About the reviewers: I really hope they're okay... Unfortunately, as they're guests, I can't send them a PM to check up on them so... Man I'm concerned now.**

 **-Guest-san: Sorry Guest-san. Blame Oda for giving such heartbreaking chapters!**

 **K: Maybe I should've said it with less heat... I just wanted to make him see that we weren't just friends going to the sea after all...**

 **L: It's not your fault Koga-kun... Kinda, yeah, but Kaito will get them some place to stay... I'll still try to lessen the hurting somehow.**

 **K: He proclaimed that he's not our friend anymore. If he attacks us, then I'll certainly see him as an enemy.**

 **L: *murmurs to themselves* But you still trust him...**

 **-otaku1325: Thank you so much otaku-san!**

 **K: *sees otaku blush madly* Woah... I think that's a rather natural reaction for anyone to be honest... But I don't think I'm good enough to lead anyone.**

 **L: Yes they will! FIGHTING! BECAUSE THEY'RE THE FREAKING STRAW HATS!**

 **-Suicide Squad: Suicide-kun! I'm SO SORRY FOR FORGETTING ABOUT YOU! It wasn't my intention, I promise! Yeah, those were the reasons why they both fought, unfortunately. It's a bit hard to pick a side when both are practically correct, yeah? Yup, three of the strongest demons gathered in Water 7. It's kinda like a gathering for helpless Cursed, thanks to Iceburg's kind heart that promised them to protect them as long as they didn't hurt the city.**

 **-Guest: Okay, here's more! Shorter than the other ones, but I wanna leave the fights for the next chapter.**

 **L: Well I take my leave now, see you guys next chapter!**

 **K: See you, be safe.**


End file.
